Thinking about going a diferent route tonight

Desert_Sky · Apr 28, 2006

Ok, I have 4 brews under my belt. Not a whole lot I know, but with each of those I have always used a hop bag for adding the hops to the boil. Ive done both whole and pellets. After each time I rinse out the bag and clean for reuse the next time around.

It got me thinking. Is this extra step neccesary? Ive seen a couple videos/pics users have submitted of their boil. Ive seen hop bags used, then pellets and whole hops thrown right into the boil. Now I don't have a hop stopper, or any type of screen to filter them back out. Would thowing pellets into the boil and not being able to pull them back out be a bad thing? Or could I simply let them go into the primary to end up as trub later?

TK421 · Apr 28, 2006

JimmyBeam said:
Ok, I have 4 brews under my belt. Not a whole lot I know, but with each of those I have always used a hop bag for adding the hops to the boil. Ive done both whole and pellets. After each time I rinse out the bag and clean for reuse the next time around.

It got me thinking. Is this extra step neccesary? Ive seen a couple videos/pics users have submitted of their boil. Ive seen hop bags used, then pellets and whole hops thrown right into the boil. Now I don't have a hop stopper, or any type of screen to filter them back out. Would thowing pellets into the boil and not being able to pull them back out be a bad thing? Or could I simply let them go into the primary to end up as trub later?

The hops would continue to float if I'm not mistaken. I don't think they'll sink to the trub.

RichBrewer · Apr 28, 2006

With pellets I think you will be fine. Some of the hops getting into the primary will not hurt a thing. Whole hops are another story. They clog tubing and make it a pain to get your wort from the kettle to the fermenter.

Desert_Sky · Apr 28, 2006

Ok, now how will leaving them in affect the flavor? Will the hops be more pronounced? Or will it not make much of a diference at all. Im assuming most of the flavor/bitterness was allready extraced in the boil?

user 574 · Apr 28, 2006

I throw my hops be it pellets or whole right into the boil. Both types sink to the bottom after the boil. I'd recommend the whirlpool method (when cooled) when you siphon from the kettle to the fermenter and just siphon from the side. When I used only pellets I used to strain towards the end when transferring to the fermenter but that is a PITA personally. If I whirlpool and as the siphon is nearing the bottom I tilt the kettle 10 degrees or so and really have no loss of wort. A bit of hops into the fermenter will not be a problem but you will get little with this method.

If you have a valve on your kettle, that's a different story where a hopstopper or similar would be used.

Kevin K · Apr 28, 2006

I use pellets, and when transferring the wort from my brewpot to my carboy, I use a funnel with a SS kitchen strainer on top. Works great.
I do 3 gallon boils, and pouring the first two goes quickly. The last gallon or so is a little slower, and I usually have to stop pouring at least once to empty the spent hops out of the SS strainer.

I think the strainer is 7" across, and same for the funnel. They fit together like they were meant to.

Desert_Sky · Apr 28, 2006

Kevin K said:
.

I need to pick one of those up. I haven't used the whirlpool then siphon method. Im not sure if it would work since I drain using the spigot on the kettle. It may, I'll give both the strainer and whirlpool ideas a try tonight. Thanks fellas.

Thinking about going a diferent route tonight

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Thinking about going a diferent route tonight

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