Filter out hops or not?

[LaurieBeth]

The resources I've checked mostly say that it doesn't affect the flavor of the beer if you filter out the hops after boiling the wort, but I'm not so sure. My first batch was hard to bottle because I left the hops in during the initial fermentation, but it tasted great. For the second batch (same recipe) I boiled the hops in a cheesecloth bag which I removed before I put the wort in the fermentation carboy. The second batch didn't taste as good, it seemed to have a more fruity taste, not as hoppy. I realize other factors could be affecting the taste (the weather was warmer), but I'm really wondering about removing the hops in future.

 

[Zixxer10R]

Usually i just rack around them. If you have a fermentation bucket AND a second "bottling" bucket then you can siphon your beer off the trub/yeast cake and leave a little bit of beer in the botton so you don't pick up so much sediment.

Personally i'll never be entering any style or color competitions with my beers so if they come out clear i'm pretty happy. If they don't come out clear they still taste freakin' great so i don't really mind.

 

[NigeltheBold]

I've always wondered whether you get better hop utilization by dumping the hops into the kettle without a hop bag (or cheesecloth). The hops can move around more freely as the wort boils, which may contribute to a better hop flavor (or not). I wonder if you're getting different flavors because you used the cheesecloth bag in the second batch. In other words, maybe it has nothing to do with the hops you put into the fermenter. Or maybe it does... who knows?

 

[stratslinger]

I've wondered the same as Chabutna... I know a guy who bags his hops for every brew (or else they give his pump and CFC fits), and for the longest time I didn't notice much hop character to his brews. Turns out that was likely more due to the styles he was brewing than anything else; he's got an IPA on right now that's amazing.

I've avoided bagging my hops so far, though I've experimented with straining the hops from the wort when trasferring to the fermenter, and honestly, I haven't noticed much of a difference with or without straining.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, based on my own observations, fermenting with or without the hob trub and brewing with the hops bagged or loose hasn't really made a whole heckuva lot of difference.

 

[temptnmonkey]

I'd say boil with the hops out of the bag, and then when you move the wort to the primary leave as much hop gunk behind.. If some falls in, RDWHAHB.

 

[RobWalker]

Chabutna - I think the same. It feels like a real boil that way too...when it comes to transferring to the bucket, I just tip it through a muslin bag to catch the hops! Works a treat.

 

[asterix404]

I use a strainer and pour the cooled wort through a sanitized strainer. This both removes most of the trub and airorates the wort, both are good things and I have never had a problem.

 

[Zixxer10R]

Also, you could use your steeping bag for a filter to catch most of your break material by lining the mouth of your brew kettle, or your FV, doesn't matter. That method worked for me really well when i had a steeping bag with a really tight elastic band around the top. I'd be willing to bet that would aerate your wort pretty good too, but that information is strictly opinion. I can't back it up with evidence from study.

 

[Zixxer10R]

I use a strainer and pour the cooled wort through a sanitized strainer. This both removes most of the trub and airorates the wort, both are good things and I have never had a problem.

hehehe, i was typing that just as you were apparently!

 

[RobWalker]

Zixxer, I thought you said sleeping bag then...that would be a sight

 

[Zixxer10R]

I wonder if anyone has had to resort to their sleeping bag for a filter in a pinch. I mean think about it, you zip that bad boy up and only the liquid would escape the closed zip part.

Dude! I'm a freakin' genius!

 

[ByramMike]

I'm intrigued by the idea of leaving the hops in during primary fermentation... I normally strain them out as I move the wort into the primary.

I won't bag the hops... I do bag the grains, though. For the grains, the bag acts like a tea bag, only letting out the good stuff.

 

[Face Eater]

I have bagged my hops before and it seemed like my hop utilization suffered. Some of my brews lacked the hop character it should have had and also lacked bitterness. I started just putting them directly in the boil and i have noticed a huge difference. As for keeping them out of the fermenter, i usually just put a strainer inside the funnel which stops a ton of the hops from entering the fermenter. Seems to work great and all my beers have came out great as well.

 

[PVH]

I have bagged my hops before and it seemed like my hop utilization suffered. Some of my brews lacked the hop character it should have had and also lacked bitterness. I started just putting them directly in the boil and i have noticed a huge difference.

If you like the bag method, you can also use more hops if you're not getting enough utilization. But if your utilization is bad, it's because the bag is packed too tight or otherwise doesn't allow enough wort to flow through it. If you use a different bag for each addition, it helps to use a larger bag for the later additions to ensure better contact with the wort over the shorter boil time.

 

[Face Eater]

If you like the bag method, you can also use more hops if you're not getting enough utilization. But if your utilization is bad, it's because the bag is packed too tight or otherwise doesn't allow enough wort to flow through it. If you use a different bag for each addition, it helps to use a larger bag for the later additions to ensure better contact with the wort over the shorter boil time.

The bag method does allow less or none to get in the fermenter. I have tried larger bags so its not tight but still seemed about the same for me. Maybe the wrong type of bag? I was using the muslin bags for the hops when i first started brewing, but now i am used to just tossing them in. I thought it would be hard to clean, but running it through a strainer seems to keep the majority of the hop particals out.