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TheCollector

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Ok so I ordered from brewbrothers.biz this time and not totally I love with the customer service/shipping but that's another story. Anyway they sent me whole leaf hops and I've only used pellets. So after I boil how is the best way to get them out of my wort or do I just let em ride in the fermenter? Also the recipe calls for a 1.20 oz addition of hops and they gave me 2oz. So do I need a to go buy a scale or just eyeball it? Thanks guys!
 
I usually just dump everything through a big strainer. You could get a muslin bag and put the hops in there during the boil.

Was the recipe in terms of pellet hops? If so, pellet hops generally get better extraction, so maybe they sent you more whole leaf hops to equate to what the lesser amount of pellets would've gotten you.

What kind of beer are you brewing?
 
First you can strain the hops when you pour into the fermenter, either through a bag or a strainer.

Second it depends on the beer. If you are brewing something like a pale ale you could be a little more hop forward, or. Even use the extra for dry hopping.

Third... Get a scale... It's worth the investment.

But the bottom line is you can eyeball it just fine.

It's beer. It will taste good no matter what.
 
It's a dunkelwiesen and I got a new reusable nylon bag. Maybe use that? I really don't wanna go buy a $25 scale to get the exact weight
 
You can eyeball it, but I would suggest you do the math for the ibu.

Does the recipe call for all those hops at the beginning for bittering, or are they divided up into different additions?
 
dadshomebrewing said:
Btw... Consider measuring the hops based on ibu not weight... You will get a better result.

My scale does grams, ounces, fluid ounces, and lbs and ounces, but it doesn't do IBUs. Where do I get a scale that does that?
 
You don't, but here's the math. Ibu is a unit of bitterness, not a unit of weight.

You have to compute your ibu, preferably using a calculator or software.

Then adjust the weight up or down to achieve the correct number of ibu.

Look at the package you hops came in. It will tell you the percentage of alpha acids. That goes into the calculator.
 
Only hop addition is at the start of the boil and its 1.20oz of tettnanger. It's a 60 min boil. The tettnang hops are 5.9% alpha acid. I guess I could use the grain bag that came with the kit for the specialty grains and the nylon bag for the hops? Just cut this vacuum sealed bag of hops a little more than in half and or something like that....
 
Would it ruin it if I just use all of the 2 oz? Never even tried a dunkel before.
 
Check what IBU of hops the recipe calls for and compare that to what the IBU of the package of hops is. It could be that they sent you more because their hops were slightly lower IBU. Or they just sent you that much because they package it in that size increments. If you really don't want to get a scale right now, then just eyeball a little over half and add that and then go out and buy a scale. You're going to need it in the future to measure hops, priming sugar and other ingredients. It's a standard piece of homebrewery equipment you'll need.

As for getting the hops out... If you're doing a partial boil and top up with water, pour your wort through a large strainer and then add your top up water by pouring it through the hops in the strainer, rinsing them out. It gets all the wort plus it helps aerate it as it passes through. Works for pellet hops as well.

Another way to do it with your nylon sack is to have someone hold the sack in the fermenter while you pour into it. Then you lift out the sack and it has all the hops.
 
i'm betting they sent you the hops in that package because they have all their hops in 2oz packages. it's just easier for them, and cheaper in the long run. also, keeps all their hops in sealed packages.

dunkel's aren't hop forward like an apa or ipa, but like with everything else, it's only 'ruined' if you don't like it.

i have to tell you, i would just go for it, and see what it tastes like. i would probably spend about 10 minutes with a calculator trying to figure out the weight to ibu ratio, and then i would say wth, and dump the whole bag in.

i'm not a big one for obsessing over the science and recipes. some of my best brews have been of the "wth, just toss it in" variety.

just make sure you take notes, because if you like the beer you want to be able to do it again.

trust me, if you don't like the result you will NEVER forget what you did.

go for it. and have some fun with it.

to borrow a line from Risky Business "Some times you just have to say, what the ..."
 
ok, i read your post again...

you have a 2oz bag, and 1.2 oz recipe.

adding the additional 0.8 oz will increase the weight by 2/3 (66%). that's a LOT, probably too much for a dunkel.

divide your hops into 4 equal parts, and toss 3 of them in the brew.

that's as close as you will be able to get without a scale.
 
btw... if you post your recipe, some of us with software may be able to run the math for you, faster than you can do it yourself
 
divide your hops into 4 equal parts, and toss 3 of them in the brew.

that's as close as you will be able to get without a scale.

I'm betting you can eyeball it a little better than that. If you divide it into 4 equal parts, that makes each part approximately a half ounce. Throw in two of those parts, and you have an ounce in the boil. Then eyeball a little less than half of one of the other half ounce bits. That should get you relatively close.

Then, if you don't want to waste the remaining hops, and you don't have a good airtight container to store them in, just throw them in about 5 minutes before the end of the boil. That will add some good aroma without increasing the IBUs much, if at all. :ban:

(my earlier post about my scale not measuring IBUs was sarcasm - because the only way to measure IBUs is to weigh the hops and use that amount along with the time it will be boiled to calculate the IBUs :D)
 
Dunkelweizen- 5gal, OG-1.064 ,FG-1.012, IBU-18.8 SRM-17.5, ABV-6.86%
4.50lbs amber LME
4.50 lbs wheat LME
Steep .25 lbs carafa II
1.20 oz tettnanger at 60 min
Yeast- safbrew WB-06 dry
Ferment at 68 degrees
Thanks for the help guys!
 
Well I broke down and bought a $25 mail scale from Walmart. It has a 3lb capacity and displays in 0.05 oz increments. Sound good?
 
You can also find digital scales online. I have one about the size of an iPhone for hops and water salts, it measures to .01 grams and is calibrated with a reference weight...it has tare as well as oz. I think it cost about $14.
 
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