Hop Pellets instead of Leaf

So I am about to brew the Extract Version of the AG Nut Brown in the Brown Ale section of this site.

Instead of leaf hops all I could get was pellets. Is this going to make much different if I still put them in the boil at the right times.

The shop told me the hop pellets are going to dissolve basically.

No difference as long as their the same AA%. They don't "dissolve" either, so make sure your valve or anything else doesn't get clogged.

Nope, pellets work just fine. While I prefer whole hops, it's really hard, if even possible, to tell the difference in the finished product.

they don't dissolve but they do break apart into a million tiny peices

l1ranger said:

they don't dissolve but they do break apart into a million tiny peices

Click to expand...

This. Best to put pelletized hops in a muslin bag before adding to the boil. Makes cleanup easier, and it also helps make a cleaner brew.

You might want to use a tad less, I have heard around 10 or 15%. Pack a little more of a punch than whole leaf.

Strewth. Pellets are whole hops flowers chopped up into itty-bitty pieces then compressed into pellets. They have more of the resins which contribute to bitterness exposed to the boil than do unprocessed hops.

If you really want to worry about it, reduce the total amount of your bittering addition(s) by 10%. If not, don't worry about it. I suspect your hops amounts are specified in whole or half ounces; rather than trying to measure 1.8 ounces of pellets, just add 2 ounces.

It is vitally important you at least consider adjusting your amounts to reflect the alpha-acid percentage (AA%) on the package. If the recipe specifies 2 ounces of ?VARIETY at 5% AA, and your LHBS only has ?VARIETY at 8% AA, using 2 full ounces will be detectably more bitter. It's really easy to do this in your head while standing in the LHBS. Just use Homebrew Bittering Units (HBU).

HBU = ounces of hops used for bittering X the AA% on the package. Let's say your recipe calls for 2 ounces of 5% hops. That equals 10 HBU. You need to get 10 HBU in your beer. But your LHBS has those hops at 8%. 2 oz of 8% hops = 16 HBU. That's too much. You only need 65% of 16 HBU (10 HBU). So you need 1.3 ounces of those 8% hops. You dig?

Cheers,

Bob

I dig