hops. whole or pellets

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payton34

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i will be brewing my first all grain in a couple of weeks. just wondering if whole hops are stronger than pellets or the same. need to know before i buy all my ingredients. any help would be appreciated thanks.
 
Actually, it is the other way around. Pellet hops are stronger than whole. Most recipes assume pellets unless specified. Add about 10% more if you are using whole hops.
 
Some people think that pellets are stronger (hoppier) because they're more condensed and chopped. That means the lupilin glands are beat up in the process of making pellets giving you more bitterness. BUT, whole hops actually have more lupilin glands because they haven't been beat up. So...all in all, you'll get about the same out of each. The only difference between the two is that the whole hops will absorb a bit more wort.

Check your AA% when buying and that'll tell you which of the two is stronger.
 
I usually go with pellets, and use the 'real' deal if the LHBS is out of pellets. To me...the whole leaf pellets feel more like "real brewing", but God I hate the mess. The leaves stick to everything from stirring spoon to immersion chiller. PITA. Alot more sludge material is left from the pellets but there's ways around that. Like alot of things with homebrewing....There is no right or wrong between pellets, plug, or whole....Just comes down to personal prefferece.
 
yeah, i normally use pellets but had to get some plugs last time at my LHBS. i wasn't used to the amount of space they take up and the wort they absorb. my volume was affected and i was happy to get back to pellets and my own personal comfort level.
 
yeah, i normally use pellets but had to get some plugs last time at my LHBS. i wasn't used to the amount of space they take up and the wort they absorb. my volume was affected and i was happy to get back to pellets and my own personal comfort level.

I'm not really sure they absorb a whole lot more than pellets. I think it just appears that they do because they're bigger.
 
With pellets you get sludge, with leaf they soak up more wort. Squeeze the leaf and most of the wort comes out. Pellets are a crime against humanity IMHO, processed food vs. wholesome goodness.

Whatever floats your boat.
 
I use pellets. I find its easier to store. When I do buy I but by the pound.
You be surprised how fast that goes when making 10 gallon batches. :)
 
I use whichever form is fresher. Usually that means whole for domestic hops, assuming I know when they were harvested. If not, I go for pellets. For continental hops, it's always pellets.
 
I use pellets in the boil, especially for bittering and whole hops for dry-hopping or very late additions. I always used pellets even for dry hopping but I think whole hops produce a better result....at least for me!
 
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