Hopping mistake?

[PeteOz77]

Still being a NewB, I of course don't have everythign figured out, but this seems like a silly mistake. I have been only brewing from extract kits, and have found one that I REALLY like. It's an American Pale Ale which tastes very much like SNPA, but just not quite as citrussy as I wanted.

LHBS suggested 25gm of Simcoe hops to add to the extract. He said " just make sure you boil for 20 minutes." I got home and wasn't sure if I should have made my wort, then boiled the lot for 20 minutes with the hops added, or if I should just boil the pellets for 20 minutes and add them.

I decided to just boil the pellets and add them to the 22 litres of wort that was ready for yeast pitching. However, I just boiled them loose, so what I added was a green foamy mess that smelled great! I guess I should have used a bag to contain the hops?

Question is, when I decide to keg this batch, am I going to have tons of loose hops floating in my beer? Should I use finings, or filter the beer somehow, or will it be OK?

How bad did I mess this up?

 

[McKBrew]

You should be able to filter a big portion of these out before transferring. Find some sort of mesh or a paint strainer and put it over the end of your racking cane prior to transferring. Are you going from primary to keg or primary to secondary to keg. The extra step would probably benefit you in this case.

In the future, a hop bag would definately be the way to go if using hop pellets.

 

[Kayos]

In the future, a hop bag would definately be the way to go if using hop pellets.

I agree with Mc, but next time you can add them to the wort instead of on the side, then adding the "wort gunk".

 

[PeteOz77]

I am going from primary to keg. Do I need to worry about contaminating the beer if I use a paint strainer or cheesecloth etc?

 

[BierMuncher]

Your LHBS meant to boil them 20 minutes in the wort. Boiling them in the water will be alright, but you'll likely get more hops flavor than you bargained for. The sugars in wort tend to knock down the bitterness extraction rate during the boil. Plain old water wouldn't have that effect.

USe a simple paint strainer around your racking cane when you siphon to another vessle.

Things will be fine.

 

[PeteOz77]

Thanks for the tips and the pics Muncher!

I don't use a racking cane, as I am using plastic jugs with spigots on them. I use a 1M long foos grade hose that fits over the outside of the spigot. I will use a paint strainer on the end of this hose when decanting into the keg, that should keep most of it in.

I haven't boiled an entire wort yet, as I don't have a large enough kettle (yet!) would adding some LME to the boiling hops have somewhat of the same effect?

Is there anything I can do to knock back the bitterness if it's just too much? I doubt that it will be. I'm sure I will just pucker up and enjoy it

 

[PeteOz77]

Or maybe I'll just soak a clean cotton sock with sanitiser and let it sit for a few minutes, wring it out and attach that to the kegging hose

 

[DeathBrewer]

if the hops are too much, just age the keg and drink another brew for a while. they will become less overpowering with age.

 

[GloHoppa]

Just use it like this...

 

[PeteOz77]

Just use it like this...

Should I do that before or after the sock is full of hops?

 

[david_42]

How much water did you boil the hops in? There's a limit to the IBUs (90) that you can extract and if you only had a liter or two of water, that would be diluted by a factor of ten or more.

 

[PeteOz77]

I just boiled them in a small Kettle, maybe 1.5 litres

 

[PeteOz77]

Oh yeah! It's BITTER!! Not ruined by any means. I reckon it will mellow a bit with age if I can just leave it alone long enough to settle down. If I had known it was going to be this bitter, i would have added more LME and bumped up the alcohol to balance it out a bit more. It's 4.96% ABV now.

 

[blk94f150]

So it is ok to leave the hops in the wort? I just tossed them into the boil and didn't use a bag. Live and learn.

All I need to do is strain the beer as I move it from the primary to the secondary, right?

Mike

 

[PeteOz77]

That's what worked for me... so far!

 

[CBBaron]

So it is ok to leave the hops in the wort? I just tossed them into the boil and didn't use a bag. Live and learn.

All I need to do is strain the beer as I move it from the primary to the secondary, right?

Mike

It fine to leave the hops in the fermenter. It just results in more trub at the end of fermentation. I usually strain mine out by pouring through a large strain bag after cooling. I have a strain bag that fits my bucket fermenter. A paint strainer would also work.

Craig