Hop Bag or Straight In the Kettle?

Drunkagain · 06-21-2007, 09:10 AM

Just wondering what the preference is. I generally just dump them into the kettle but I picked up a couple of hop bags the last time I stopped in the my LHBS thinking it's got to make things a little less messy.

photogscott · 06-21-2007, 10:22 AM

bags work best for whole hops. Pellets can work their way through during the boil

**Yooper** · 06-21-2007, 12:45 PM

I just chuck them in and then strain going into the primary fermenter when I'm finished. It's easy and you get the full hops utilization.

**Bobby_M** · 06-21-2007, 01:20 PM

If you have a pot that allows you to chill, then pick up and pour, you can strain them out later. If you have a big dog like a keggle, this is impossible to do so you rely on siphoning or bulkhead drains. In this case, I'm leaning towards hop bags. They work for whole leaf and pellet. Maybe SOME particulates get through the bag, but the last time I used one, there was a baseball sized, tightly packed mass of hop sludge in the bag and no wasted wort. So utilization goes down a little. Boil an extra 5-10 minutes or add another 1/2oz.

Cheesefood · 06-21-2007, 01:21 PM

I am going to return to using a fine-meshed grain bag for my hops. I see too many instances of my keggle plugging up from hops.

**Brewer3401** · 06-21-2007, 02:24 PM

I use pellets.

I got some 3 1/2" stainless tea balls (fine mesh).

I only use on 30 minute and shorter additions. Using on 60 minute, there is barely anything left in the tea ball.

You can tell which time frame you dropped in after the boil. The shorter they were in the pot, the more hop residue in the tea ball.

www.kitchenfantasy.com is where I got my pots and tea balls. If you buy 6, they are a lot cheaper (split order with a friend)

**cubbies** · 06-21-2007, 02:29 PM

If using pellet hops it may be worth it. However, pellet hops will typically settle during the cool, and using the whirlpool technique, I have never had a siphon get clogged, actually I have never even come close.

However, I would not recommend using a hop bag with whole hops. Whole hops give a place for coagulated proteins to settle during the boil. Then when the hops are removed, the protein is removed...less coag protein = clearer beer.