Adding hop pellets and removing it from wart/beer

I have recently brewed my 6th batch. The first 2 i didn't use any hops (the LME was hopped). Durring my last 3 batches i have used pellet hops and added them to a nylon filter bag during boiling. I brewed a batch today and added the pellet hops directly to the boiling wart. I noticed that during my finishing hops they really didnt incorporate well into the wart.

What is common practice for adding hop pellets?

Should you filter the hop particles out of the wart beer or do they tend to fall during fermentation?

If filtering the hops out is necessary, where in teh process is best ot do this?

Thanks for the help!

In most cases, the hop mess settles to the bottom of the fermenter.

Hop pellets are very difficult to separate from you brew. all of my attempts led to wort being spilled on my floor because the strainer/filter was plugged.

I have had great luck with Irish Moss in the boil and most of the hops fall out in the primary.

I dont think it really matters about the level of incorporation... I would not worry about that at all. Pellet hops will expand and usually eventually break apart into dust in your wort. It will incorporate on its own.

Hope that helps!

I use hop bags, recently I'm using one nylon bag clipped to the side of the kettle, just add hops as needed. (look at deathbrewers sticky on the top of this forum for a picture of that, go to his last step) Otherwise put them in a cloth hop/grain bag tied off at both ends.

If you let them incorporate into the boil after you cool the wort down you should whirlpool the wort so most of the solids end up in the middle of the kettle. Then siphon off the side. If you feel you will still get chunks of stuff you can use a large funnel with a filter screen in it and siphon through that.

Try to keep the majority of the hops out of the fermenter but don't freak if they get in, they will settle out and you will be leaving them and the used yeast behind when you bottle/keg.

I brewed two batches just throwing them in. The next brew, I think I'm going to try straining the hop pellets with a 24" x 24" paint strainer bag in the ale pail.

I don't filter mine out. Unless I've used a ton of hops that will take up way too much room in the fermenter, I just pour it all in. The hops debris, coagulated proteins, etc, will all settle to the bottom in the end.

You can certainly use hops bags- but make sure if you do that the hops are very loosely in there! I saw a friend one time tightly pack her hops in the bags to get them all in there, and she had been wondering why her beers were too sweet. The hops need to be "loose" so that they can have full contact with the wort. Pellets might break up, but that doesn't matter because it's the oils in the hops that you're extracting.

I use the 5 gallon nylon paint straining bags with elastic. Put it on my primary and pour my wort through the bag...squeeze the bag to get all the juices out and discard the hops.

I use the paint strainer bags as well. Gets a lot of crud out and helps with aeration too.

How long do you guys reuse the paint strainer bag?

Just soak it in oxyclean then starsan and reuse?

Throw away after a few uses?

I plan to buy one or two today.

I did the paint-strainer-in-the-primary thing a few times (and the beers came out fine), but then I started to get worried about squeezing the bag, since I figured that my hands are probably the most contaminated thing I could put in my wort. Again, I'm sure it was just paranoia, since the beers came out fine, but now I either whirlpool or just dump everything into the primary.

Oh, and I would basically wash out the strainer bag in the sink then toss it in the washing machine with all the towels I use on brewday. They'll last a long time (I'd say at least 8-10 brews) before you have to buy a new one.

I thoroughly was my hands before I squeeze my balls...I mean bag. I usually mash the grains in the bag (still doing PM's). When I am finished, I dispose of the spent grains, rinse the bag out well, and then put the bag in a boiling pot of water for a few minutes.

Lowes has 2 bags for $4...I think??