Hop Pellets vs. The Real Thing

For my latest batch of brew (Imperial Pale Ale) I used hop pellets in lieu of the real thing and so far I am disappointed with the results. I've just transferred to the secondary carboy and at this stage the brew lacks the strong hoppy smell and taste that my other brews have had at this point in the fermentation process. In addition, the pellets used for dry hopping turned into mush and dispersed all through the batch causing a cloudy mess. I will have to wait another few weeks to get my first taste, but until then I'm missing the fresh hops of brews past.

I'm guessing you either used an old batch of pellets or a hop variety not known for its aroma. What was the recipe?

Hop pellets ARE the real thing. They are simply dried and compacted into easy to use little hop pills.

I doubt you've ever actually used fresh hops. The whole hops available from most every distributor are dried hop flowers - exactly the same product that hop pellets are made from. Fresh (wet) hops are hard to come by and supposedly give a very unique flavor to your brews.

You did hit the nail on the head with one of the downfalls of hop pellets - they can be messy once they break apart in the brew kettle or fermenter. Don't worry, they'll settle eventually.

I have used hop pellets exclusively and have been very happy with the results. In fact, I recently made an APA that was beautifully aromatic using hop pellets. I dont know if there are advantages/disadvantages with whole hops, but I have had great success using only the pellets.

As the other poster mentioned, you may have not used hops that were particularly aromatic. at www.howtobrew.com he has a section on hops that breaks the different styles into different categories; it may be helpful.

I'm going to take VERY STRONG EXCEPTION to the implication that pellet hops are somehow either "fake hops" or inferior. People have different preferences, and I know lots of brewers who use nothing but whole hops, but to imply that one is inherently better than the other is just wrong.

I've used pellet hops almost exclusively and am more that satisfied with the results. My latest batch is a red ale that used a combination of Amarillo and Cascade for flavor and aroma, and tastes extremely fresh and vibrant. IIRC, the pellet-making process helps to crush some of the glands and allows the bittering and flavoring compounds to be released to a greater extent (ever wonder why pellet hops provide more bittering, ounce-for-ounce, than whole hops?)

Now, if hops are not stored properly, it doesn't matter if they are whole or pellets, they'll go stale.

I used 2oz. centennial, 2oz. cascade, 1oz. fuggles. Not sure about the freshness of the pellets because they were delivered via the mail and I'm not trying to cause trouble, just stating the facts of my particular experience.

Sounds like you got some bum pellets...or maybe rabbit pellets instead?

I too use mostly hop pellets in my brewing and lack of hop character/aroma/flavor has never been an issue for me.

Where did you get them from?

brewt00l said:

Sounds like you got some bum pellets...or maybe rabbit pellets instead?

I too use mostly hop pellets in my brewing and lack of hop character/aroma/flavor has never been an issue for me.

Where did you get them from?

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It was from a homebrew supply store in Texas,but I can't recall the name. Any suggestions for good online hombrew supply stores? I recently moved and the nearest store is 3 hours away.

Lots of people love Austinhomebrew.com, and their shipping is pretty cheap. Personally, I've had great success with Northern Brewer, I tend to go there for everything. Heard mixed things about morebeer.com; seems like it takes a while for orders to get shipped, and they screw up a lot of orders. I'd go with Austin or NB.

Sorry if I sounded harsh earlier - but I do take exception to the classification of hop types as "real" and "pellet." Pellets are fine, they can be a mess, but they also don't absorb as much beer. It really sounds, though, like you got some hops that were old and/or not properly stored.

ROTFLMAO!
Hops are to hop pellets, like fish are to fishsticks.

OP - If you haven't bottled, I would strongly consider getting another ounce or two and dry hopping some more. I've dry hopped up to three times to fine tune an ale. Aroma is the first thing to go for hops and just a few days of hot weather can do them in.

I prefer whole hops for dry hopping, but pellets can do the job.

By the way, fresh hops off the bine do a lousy job of dry hopping. Don't know why, they work great otherwise, but if you add them to the clearing tank the chlorophyll really comes through.

Gonzo - Have you made this recipe before? Just wondered if you had a point of reference to go by...

Freshly dried and properly stored whole leaf hops are awesome for flavor & aroma. I think dry pellets best for bittering. Mainly because of the certainty of the AAU% and that you can be assured of the bittering potential.

I have home grown hops that I strictly use at the end of the boil. I've yet to dry hop, mostly paranoid about infections. I've had good results w/o dry hopping and saw no need to try that yet. As David_42 says you can fix this with dry hopping. Not much too it at all. Drop them in the carboy and rack over to them.

I've never bought whole ones since I have the fresh ones on hand.

You might try getting a hold of Freshops for this batch or the next one. I've bought my rhisomes from them. They can hook you up quickly with whatever you need.

If its too late, try serving your IPA at warmer temps. This will help bring out the aroma as the CO2 will disperse more readily after the pour.

http://www.freshops.com

Good Luck!

I use mostly whole hops and prefer them, but have no qualms about using pellets except for dry-hopping. IMO, pellets can't do the same job imparting that smack-you-in-the-nose aroma of an IPA like whole can.

I use whole for the most part but only because I prefer them when dealing with a CFC. But I have no problem with pellets. There is this urban brewers legend though about pellets. Surely it can't be true though...

i use pellets mainly due to availability and consistency in AA% at my LHBS

schlenk you have to try dry hopping, I have dry hopped a few Ipa's.
I was very happy or hoppy with the results.

I'll do that. I have a bunch of 2006 Nuggets that would be good for an IPA.

desertBrew said:

I use whole for the most part but only because I prefer them when dealing with a CFC. But I have no problem with pellets. There is this urban brewers legend though about pellets. Surely it can't be true though...

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I like pellets for the exact same reason. Whole hops always clog my CFC. Of course, I don't have a hopstopper.