Late Hopping Times

[monk]

I know this might be going back to basics, but I've found that I've been doing a lot of that lately:

I'm curious about recipes in which the latest hop addition is at 15 minutes. Many of these are bitters and other pale ales. Do you get much hop aroma in these? If not, I assume this is on purpose? Or maybe I've been assuming incorrectly all this time that 15 minutes of boiling will boil off the aroma. Any comments?

monk

[BigEd]

A fifteen minute addition is still going to give you some hop aroma. I would say it's a choice that's up to you as you can vary a late addition from, say, fifteen minutes to the end of the boil. Of course the closer to the end of the boil you are the more hop aroma will survive. I've brewed versions of both Bateman's XXXB and Felinfoel's Double Dragon from recipes listed here and both have 15 minute late hop additions which still yield a very nice hop aroma.

[iowalad]

I am partial to 15 minute hop additions for flavor/aroma as I think I get more of the malt/yeast flavors - my beers aren't overpowered by the hops.

That being said I am not a big hop head and tend to brew lower gravity beers where it is easy to get one dimensional.

I do plan on brewing something a bit more hoppy in December (probably what everyone else considers a normal hop rate!).

[Dan]

some high alpha hops give flavour after 90mins, but ive never got good aroma from hopping at 15m. steeping after the boil at 90C 10 mins gives interesting results but you have to remember any volitile oils are going to have a hard time staying in solution after primary fermentation. If i want hoppy aroma I go in very late and heavy 50-100g per 25 litres

[monk]

Adding at 15mins certainly adds hop flavour but not quite the powerful perfumed flavour that is fashionable at the moment.

Ahh. This is kind of what I was thinking. I love hops, but sometimes I feel that many of the recipes I see have been designed by the hopophilia school. I've felt that my pale ales, esp. the American variety, are nicely hopped aroma-wise. But with some bitters where I want to taste more malt, the hops are getting in the way like IL has said.

The reason I'm rethinking things is that I'm seeing that I over-generalize certain principles (ie always add finishing hops at for 2 minutes). I think I'll have even more fun brewing if I can start breaking some (unfounded) rules.
Thanks for the input, guys.

monk