Hops Question - Pellet or Leaf

I have been brewing with pellet hops, but thinking about moving to leaf. Would 1 oz of leaf hops be equal to 1 oz of pellet? How do I convert my recipe to use leaf hops?

Suggestions, comments, pros, cons?

No, you would need more leaf than pellet to achieve the same. Pellets are essentially concentrated form of leaf. Not entirely sure on the conversion rate, maybe someone else can chime in.

I don't like leaf, they take up too much space in my freezer and have clogged my siphon tube on a few occasions. Others like them though. They don't create the same sludge that pellets do though. Try them and see what you think.

You need about 10% more leaf hops than pellets, but in reality that is too small an amount to be able to taste the difference.
Leaf hops age faster than pellets, and they absorb a lot more wort.

-a.

I like leaf hops, and I tend to add about a quarter of an ounce more than what my Beer Tools recipe indicates. I know your question wasn't about preference, but I like them over pellets since I use a plate chiller. The sludge from the pellets gets all up in the chiller and that's not cool.

Look at the aa% on the bag. That will tell you the difference.

1brAPTbrewer said:

Look at the aa% on the bag. That will tell you the difference.

Click to expand...

+1 -- all hop forms are not created equal.

I used to only use whole leaf, but recently switched to pellets for a few reasons. First, for big, hoppy beers, a kettle full of whole leafs is a pain in the ass. Second, I've started buying hops in bulk online and basically can only get pellets. Third, pellet hops are more stable in long-term storage.

From what I understand, most people cannot tell a difference in flavor between the two.

IME whole hops = wort sponges.