What does FWH mean in UNCLASSIFIED

What Is FWH

First Wort Hopping (FWH) is a method of adding hops to the boil kettle during the start of the brewing process. Instead of waiting until wort boiling begins, hops are added before the wort reaches a boil and may steep for up to an hour or longer depending on the recipe instructions. This earlier addition allows for different compounds in the hops to be released at lower temperatures, resulting in notable flavor and aromatic characteristics that may not be achievable with other forms of hopping. The technique also has its own set of benefits as it can reduce hop bitterness while providing additional hop character within a beer.

Benefits Of using FWH

The primary benefit associated with using First Wort Hopping is that it can add more hop character than traditional boiling methods without increasing hop bitterness in higher levels. As mentioned previously, this is because different compounds are extracted from the hops when they're introduced into the wort at lower temperature points and can provide unique flavors in certain beers styles such as Pale Ales or IPAs. Additionally, by steeping hops at lower temperatures over a larger amount time can also result in more efficient utilization of sugars within beer recipes as well as increased head retention and improved body mouthfeel due to polyphenols from these earlier extractions being carried over into finished beer product.