using hop "tea bag" instead of flowers

[alamout]

firstly g'day to everyone here,
I've been reading through the forums a little a this seems like a great community of knowledgable people!

I've just started my first brew about a week ago (a munich lager extract tin using a brew enhancer of dextrose, corn syrup and malt instead of the sugar recommended on the tin), and so far seems to be coming along quite well, I've just bought a second fermenter to move it over to so that I can get another one going!

I have a bit of a question relating to hops, not being content with just mixing the can and sugars, I want to try something a little more "recipe" related, a coopers sparkling ale (great aussie beer) copy/clone I found, the recipe goes as follows:

- yeast started made from a bottle of the commercial brew
- beermakers lager (seems to be a 1.7kg (about 3.75#) can of hopped extract)
- dried light malt 500g (1.1#)
- dextrose 500g (1.1#)
- crystal grain crushed 60g (2.12 ounces)
- bitter hops pride of ringwood flowers 15g (0.52 ounces)

now my question finally is,
The shop had very large bags of pride of ringwood flowers and suggested that I use these hop infusion bags (like tea bags) they sold, it says it contains 12g of hop pellets in an infusion bag. Now the instructions on the back of the bag say they are best used for aroma and flavouring, and to steep the bag in a cup of boiling water for 10 mins then add the water AND the bag into the fermenter. Now as far as I'm aware, bittering hops should boil for more like 45 mins in the wort boil, so I'm wondering whether a) to follow the instructions on the bag, b) ignore these and either open the infuser bag and add to the boil for 45 mins or just boil the bag for 45mins or c) go back and get the flowers and ignore this!

any experience / suggestions? Hoping to make this a really great brew so I don't really want to stuff it up,
thanks!!
Al.

 

[treehouse]

If I understand you right, most of the hops in your recipe are bittering hops. The suggestion to use the teabag is for aroma. A sort of dry hopping which would make up for your lack of aroma/flavor hops. I say go for it and follow the directions of your brew shop.

I've used muslin bags to dry hop my ales with good effect. Basically a big tea bag in the secondary, clearing fermenter. It works great. Try it.

 

[z987k]

sounds like these are for dry hopping?

 

[alamout]

If I understand you right, most of the hops in your recipe are bittering hops. The suggestion to use the teabag is for aroma. A sort of dry hopping which would make up for your lack of aroma/flavor hops. I say go for it and follow the directions of your brew shop.

I've used muslin bags to dry hop my ales with good effect. Basically a big tea bag in the secondary, clearing fermenter. It works great. Try it.

whoops,
After reading my post it seems I could have been clearer,
the shop sold two options, large bags of flowers which I didn't buy (but which the recipe seemed to suggest), and as an alternative a one use tea bag type infusion thing which contained 12grams (0.42 ounce) of hop pellets.

The recipe asks for bittering hops, however the package I bought suggests it is an aroma hop.

I guess only being my second brew I might just follow the what you suggest (which is what the package says pretty much) and see what result I get!

thanks for the help.

 

[david_42]

Pride of ringwood is a high alpha acid bittering hop that can be used for aroma/flavor. So, the package labeling doesn't matter much.

Boiling for 10 minutes extracts the flavor oils and drives off many of the aroma components. Just putting the bag in the clearing tank after fermentation would maximize the aroma.