Hops - Leaf vs. Pellet

[IPA_All_the_Way]

OK, this is my third question today and I will try to make it my last! Hops - leaf vs. pellet? And how long does each form stay fresh? I'm preparing for my third brew (Imperial IPA), and used pellets in my first brew (used a kit), used all leaf for the second but haven't bottled it yet, so I can't compare the results. Thanks!!

 

[duboman]

You will get many different answers, it really comes to preference for each brewer and what might also work best on their system. I use both, generally pellets in the boil and leaf for dry hop but not exclusively.

Pellets can leave more break material/hop debris in the kettle, Whole leaf can suck up a lot more wort or beer decreasing your final volume.

For storage, both should be kept in a sealed bag in the freezer and they'll keep for a few years if light and air tight.

 

[Yooper]

I use them pretty much interchangeably- whatever I can find in the variety I want.

As far as freshness, hops are only harvested once a year, so if you buy new hops today, and the same variety in August, they will be from the same crop/source.

As long as you keep them vacuum sealed and out of the light and frozen, they will last a long, long time.

 

[Hammy71]

I use pellets out of convenience. I've used hole leaf in the past and I don't like how much wort they absorb. I don't like how much room they take up in my freezer when compared to the same weight of pellets. Also, I have a whirlpool system on my kettle and I don't have any kind of screen on my ball valve,nor do I use nylon bags to contain my hops. Pellet hop material goes right through the pump, while the leaf....not so much. I do love the aroma that leaf has for dry hopping, but for my system they a no. I think for most of us, it's like Yooper said: You use what you can get in the variety you need and is readily available.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Ditto what everyone else has said. I use both and I haven't noticed a big difference between the two. The only time I insist on whole hops is if I'm using my hopback. If you buy in bulk, it takes up a lot less space to store a pound of pellets versus a pound of whole hops.

 

[241]

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can really compress the whole hops down to reduce the amount of space needed. Not as compressed as pellet hops, but enough...

Example:

That being said, I go with whatever I can get. I just ordered a bunch of magnum whole leaf hops because that's all I could manage. Frozen and vacuum sealed they'll last long enough to not have to worry about them at all

 

[BreezyBrew]

As long as you keep them vacuum sealed and out of the light and frozen, they will last a long, long time.

Slightly off topic, but in your experience do you think someone can tell a difference between hops that are a month old and ones that are 10 months?

 

[Yooper]

Slightly off topic, but in your experience do you think someone can tell a difference between hops that are a month old and ones that are 10 months?

No, no way. All hops bought in, say, July, are 10 months old (unless they are 1 year + 10 months old, I guess!).

I'm sure that if I opened a package in November and let them sit open on my workbench for 10 months that I would, of course. But not if they were probably packaged and kept unopened, or resealed.

 

[andy6026]

Thus far I've found pellet hops much easier to work with -- they don't clog my siphon so much when I'm racking to the bottling bucket. In terms of effectiveness, in my limited experience I find them to be the same.

 

[Queequeg]

^^ yep I have to say leaf can block and break autosyphons. They are also tricky to get in through a carboy next and you lose a lot of yeild.

I have moved to pellet the next batch, you will probably see me complaining about pellet dust in the next thread.

 

[Queequeg]

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can really compress the whole hops down to reduce the amount of space needed. Not as compressed as pellet hops, but enough...

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52LGr_rHojE

That being said, I go with whatever I can get. I just ordered a bunch of magnum whole leaf hops because that's all I could manage. Frozen and vacuum sealed they'll last long enough to not have to worry about them at all

Consider investing in mylar bags, they are completely imporous unlike the plastic bags. If you have ever store spices in plastic bags you know how much the aromatics escape through plastic.