Hop pellets

[Beercanman]

I did some more reading out of the new joy of homebrewing and the author said that hop pellets need to be strained. I never read anything about this in the brew kit instructions. They just said add hop pellets and stir till disolved. Was I surposed to strain out the cascade and chinook hop pellets before I started formenting My India Pale?

 

[Walker]

I don't bother straining my pellets out. It makes more sediment in the primary fermenter, but I don't care about that.

-walker

 

[Kaiser]

They actually don't dissolve during the boil (well ony a tiny fraction does). You don't want them in the fermenter since they may contribute off-flavors. But don't worry if a frew actually end up there.

Kai

 

[Beercanman]

Well, they have been in there all week. Will it ruin my beer or will it come out alright?

 

[david_42]

It isn't a problem. You might get a little more hop aroma, but in any recipe that uses chinook and cascades, would that be a bad thing?

 

[user 574]

I sometimes strain when I have a recipe with a lot of hop additions in the boil but I do that more to have a bit cleaner trub if I'm going to harvest it from the primary. If you are going to a secondary ferment they'll get left behind. Even if you don't; it'll be fine. Just try not in the future to suck them all into the fermenter from the kettle if you aren't going to strain.

 

[Beercanman]

Thanks guys, Next batch I brew, I already know so many things to do and not to do.

 

[Walker]

that's the way this hobby goes. I'm guessing I'll have it all figured out after the first 1 or 2 thousand batches.

-walker

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

OK, now I'm confused here. I'm sure there really is no right way or wrong way to do this, but are some of you of the opinion that it is better to just leave your hops in? I've been using a hop bag for my brews. Will I get more hops flavor and aroma if I just leave them in?

 

[Dude]

OK, now I'm confused here. I'm sure there really is no right way or wrong way to do this, but are some of you of the opinion that it is better to just leave your hops in? I've been using a hop bag for my brews. Will I get more hops flavor and aroma if I just leave them in?

In the boil, you will lose some hop utilization by using a hop bag. You can either compensate by adding more hops to the recipe, or strain them somehow.

It is of my opinion that you should strain the hops out before you move the wort to primary. If you ever plan on reusing the yeast cake (money saver and awesome fermentations) you don't want all that trub sitting in there. And yes, if left too long you will get off flavors.

 

[SteveM]

I use hop pellets and extract. Using actual hops would probably be different, but it will take a pretty fine strainer to take out what is left in the wort when you use pellets.

I've never bothered straining them out and the brews have come out fine. If you do decide to strain, remember to make sure that your strainer is thoroughly sanitized. I recommend the simplest one you can use - maybe a plastic, one piece design. I looked at some real beautiful strainer designs, with stainless steel mesh and riveted handles and all sorts of cool features, and all I could think of was, "Look at all those places bacteria could hide."

The short lesson from this is, do what works for you. Once you get a beer style and a brewing method that works, don't change it because of what someone else does. Change it if and when you perceive the need for improvement.