adamjackson

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I've always used pellet hops but, in trying to get some Citra, the whole cones were all that were available so I had to buy those. Is there anything I should keep in mind when brewing with whole hops? Why do people use one or the other? Is one cheaper?

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ETCS

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I used pellet hops for a long time. I now use whole leaf. The reason being is that I have now have a plate chiller and the false bottom on my brew kettle still let all of the pellet hop residue through and it gums up the plate chiller. Whole leaf hops work better with the false bottom of the kettle. I haven't notice any difference in taste......

Standing by for post to the contrary.....

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Brulosopher

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ETCS is right. Also, pellets get better utilization, so keep that in mind. I use a pump/plate chiller setup and just do the pellets-in-a-sack work around. Cheers!

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voltin

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I use primarily pellets, because I have had a couple bad experiences with whole hops clogging up my ball valve, hoses, etc. I do not have a false bottom on my kettle though. When I do use whole leaf hops I use a hop bag.

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BoomerHarley

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I use both. I always use a hop bag as I have learned that lesson the hard way, more than once. I prefer pellets, but whole leafs work well. I suggest tossing them in a bag and weighing the bag down with some marbles. Granted I never do this because I am lazy, but whenever i open my fermenter and see that hop bag floating on top I think "Damn, I need to get some marbles."

Mojzis

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I also stick to pellets. The whole hops gave me hard times with clogging, wort absorption, etc. Also like others said pellets get better utilization because of their ability to roll around and break down in the kettle. Whole hops seem to sit on the top and they don't seem to roll around enough. And when adding pellets they are immediately utilized and broken down. Since the flowers float at first I feel like the timing is also off a little.

This is just my experience anyway. I also don't have a false bottom in my kettle or a plate chiller.

adamjackson

Recipes 

Thanks for these tips. Sounds like pellets are fine and great and leaves are also fine and great, each have their pros and cons.

Guessing I'll stick with pellets for utilization and not fear using whole leaf when varieties I need aren't available.

I imagine no one here would say it's not fine to mix the two? If I have 2 ounces of citra pellets and 2 ounces of leaf citra, I can still use those in the same batch?

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voltin

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Nope, no problem with using both. In fact a lot of people use the whole leaf hops as a sorta filter.

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My eBIAB Build | Texas Blues and Brews Festival

On Deck: Cotton Blossom Traditional Mead, Edwort's Apfelwine, Rice Wine
Primary: Rye Kentucky Common Berliner Weisse, Koko Brown Ale
Secondary: Peach Wine
Kegged: Nothing
On Tap: Irish Red Ale, Scottish 80/-

MVKTR2

Recipes 

As for your 2 oz pellet/2 oz whole leaf absolutely use them however you want. There is a prevailing thought that leaf hops are better for dry hopping, but I'm not so sure. I do know pellet hops at DH additions tend to leave a fair bit more hop particulates than do the whole leaf. All of this of course makes me miss the days of the hop 'plugs' which were great for DH.

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mikescooling

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I buy in bulk, pellets take up less room in the chest freezer.