Leaf vs Pellets

Are there advantages to either leaf hops or pellet hops?

 

To me, leaf tastes better and smells better. I don't know if I could tell the difference in a blind taste test, but since I've used them a few times now, I like hops better than before.

That, and I just feel cool using them.

 

Leaf- more mass, more beer loss.
Pellets- better utilization, more trub.

Some major breweries use exclusively leaf due to an apparent flavor advantage...then, of course, many award winning beers are made with pellets.

 

I think pellets have a sharper bittering edge than whole leaf which seems to have a very rounded sort of flavor. So I guess it depends on the style as to which would be better in light of these findings.

 

Thanks guys. If a recipe called for 1 oz of hop pellets could I use 1 oz of leaves? Or are pellets more concentrated?

 

Whole leaf hops are bulkier,so use 1oz of them in a muslin grain bag if you use bags for your hops. Otherwise,weights will be the same imo.

 

Anyone have experience using a combination of both leaf and pellet in a single batch? Limited availablity of leaf in my area, wide variety of pellet, and I tend to shop for ingredients last minute.

 

Yes, no problem with this. I tend to use a bag for pellet hops to keep the gunk down, but with whole hops I tend to just throw them in and then strain them out when transferring to my fermenting bucket.

 

I've only done 2 batches so far. I think I will bag my pellet hops from now on. I'm getting a lot gunk build up. Is it errrr to place the leaves in a bag or let them sit freely in the wort?

 

I prefer to put whole leaf hops in a muslin grain bag. Too bulky for even my large strainer. I now use pellet hops loose in the boil. A bit more edge to the flavor from loose pellet hops. Whole leaf is just too darn bulky. Maybe I should go out & get more pellet hops...F****! it's cold!...