Hop additions using a bag, or a spider

[Hamsterbite]

Since I'm trying to do all of my fermentation in one vessel without racking to a secondary, I want to minimize the amount of trub and hop break material that I transfer from the boil kettle.

Do I need to increase hop additions if I'm using a bag? If so, is there a rough guide on percentage? Is the bag supposed to come out after chilling and before transfering to the fermentor?

Also, what about flame out additions? Should they not be done in a bag? With my chiling process, these hops would only be in contact with the wort for about 20 minutes.

 

[TrainSafe]

I've never altered my IBU calculations and I almost always use a bag.

One other tip that I've found works really well is to buy a stainless steel scrubby in the cleaning aisle of the grocery store and stick that on the end of the dip tube in my boil kettle. That helps to catch any break material or hops matter before it sneaks into the fermenter.

I do my flame out additions into the bag as well. I use a plate chiller and I don't want any hop matter getting stuck in there.

Good Luck!

 

[Obliviousbrew]

Well, to really know your hop utilization you need to run a test in a lab do side to side comparision of a beer boiled with hops loose or in bag... not a lot of homebrewers do that, and if you actually test the high IBUs beer you soon realize that theoretical IBUs and real IBUs differ a lot sometimes. There is rule of thumb that some brewers use and that´s its to add about a 10% more hops I don´t know were that cames from. What I can tell you is that if you use a bag or a spider make sure you don´t pack them full, more of the surface of the hops floating freely in the wort will certantly give you a better hop utilziation than the same amount of hops packed tight in bag.
What I do (I always use hop bags looking to move to hop back) is get a big hop bag and fill it to a third maximum, when boiling the bags float i just grab it take it out of the kettle and put it back just like you do with a tea bag move it around and voila. I haven´t run lab test but I´m happy with the percieved bitternes, flavours and aromas so far and I can´t tell a big difference between hop bags or loose hops. Hope this helps

 

[glenn514]

I use a nylon mesh bag, and during the boil I "tea-bag" it numerous times in the boiling liquid. I use pellet hops, and have had absolutely no problems, nor have I adjusted the amount of hops I use.

glenn514

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I think didn´t say it in my previous post but I don´t any more hops if I´m using a bag.

 

[Hamsterbite]

Thanks all. Seems like I'm good to go.