Hops: Pellet or whole?

[BrewHogDeluxe]

I'm looking to keep some of the organic matter out of my boil kettle/fermenter.
I was wanting to move to whole hops instead of pellet to accomplish this but I was wondering if I could just throw these right in the boil or if I could place in a boil bag and pull out after the boil was complete?
Also when I dry hop could I also place in a bag?

Or do I need something like a hop rocket?

Thanks for any comments in advance

 

[unionrdr]

I used muslin hop & grain bags for a couple years. Hop socks for pellets & the larger grain bags for whole leaf hops,as they have a larger volume per the same weight compared to pellets. Whole leaf soaks up more wort too. I now toss'em loose into the boil kettle & get more edge to the hop flavors. I then use a large,dual layer fine mesh strainer in top of the fermenter to strain the gunk out. Gives a lot less trub later. I think pellets give more bittering easier than whol leaf. But whol leaf seems to have a more rounded flavor.

 

[DocScott]

You can throw them right in or use a bag. This is true for both during the boil and for dry hopping. I think you'll get opinions from different people which they prefer - it is just that, person preference.

If you want to use leaf and limit the amount of "hop gunk" then I would suggest using a bag to contain the hops. Once finished,you can just pull the bag out.

Some words of caution:
- make sure you have enough space in the bag (not packed too tightly) so all of the hops can be utilized
- If dry hopping in a bag, make sure the sanitize the bag prior to adding it to your beer
- Leaves tend to float more than pellets - not a big deal during the boil, but in dry hopping, you may need to add some weight to the bag to get the hops to have better contact with the beer. People use clean and sanitized marbles/washers etc.
- If dry hopping in a carboy, leaves can be a pain in the neck (literally). Once they absorb the wort, it can be hard to get them out of the carboy since the neck is small. In a bucket, this isn't really an issue
- Make sure to check the AA% of the hops in pellet form vs. leaf to ensure you're getting the correct bittering addition during the boil for the hops you have.

I personally like pellets because they take up less storage space. I just throw them into the kettle/primary. I strain the wort into the primary and siphon carefully out of the fermenter. Cold crash and a fining with gelatin and I get crystal clear beer. I probably lose a negligable amount of finished beer to "hop gunk" compared to using a bag and leaves.

Choice is yours, and there really isn't a right or wrong way.

 

[MarcusKillion]

you best use a bag . I use them sometimes and they make a huge mess. they also tend to have less flavor I think unless they are real fresh. I used them without a bag one time . Not a good idea.

 

[BrewHogDeluxe]

What is meant by fining with gelatin? How is this process performed?


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[johnmac22]

I use pain strainer bags from Lowe's or Home Depot. They work great and are super cheap.


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[Gameface]

What is meant by fining with gelatin? How is this process performed?


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There's more information about on this site but here's a quick run-down:

Add gelatin to about 1 cup of water, carefully heat to about 150, stir until completely dissolved, cool to room temp, add to uncarbed (usually chilled) beer. Cool or keep cooled for 3 days... usually turns out as clear as filtered beer.

I have added gelatin to my fermenter before transferring to kegs and I have added gelatin to the kegs. I had better results adding to the keg.