Hop Bags

I'm looking to do my first extract w/specialty grain batch but I was just wondering the deal with using hop bags. In the past, I've only used ingredient kits with hopped LME but never any standalone hops of any kind. Are the hop bags necessary for pelletized hops or can the pellets just be added with no bag to the boil and removed with a strainer and nylon filter cloth when the wort is added to the primary?

captaineriv

That's all I do Captain. I just toss the pellets into the boil and when I rack to my primary I leave all the trub behind. Not too hard if you're careful.

Yeah, it seemed pretty simplistic to me too, but since they made the bags, I thought I'd see what people thought about 'em. Thanks for the opinion and quick response!

captaineriv

hop bags are almost useless for pellets. They dissolve to such a fine powder that they will actually pass right through the bag easily.

the bags are useful for steeping grains and using whole hops.

-walker

Right. I figured bags were much more important for steeping grains. As far as whole hops, might be a little while before I play around with them. Thanks!

captaineriv

if it'll fit over you're primary it does an ok job of filtering out the hop pellet mush, just dont pour too quickly or you'll end up with on he|| of a mess, otherwise i'd save it for the next time you're steeping grains.

I've done both ways, and for pellets, as stated, they turn into a powder. If you go to whole leaf, you may want to consider them.