Noob question

[ale_man]

I brewed an extract kit this afternoon. A Pliny the Elder clone. 11 lbs 6 oz of fermentables and 8 oz of pelletized hops in the boil (6 more oz for dry hopping). Started with 6 1/2 gallons for boil. Post. 90 min ( per instructions) boil i had about 5 1/2 gallons. I went to transfer after whirl-pooling and chilling to 70 degrees and i have about 4 3/4 gallons of wort and the rest is hop slop. The OG was 1.090! I was so shocked i dropped and broke my hydrometer. The target OG was 1.074. I usually get slightly higher but never that high. I think the hop slop skewed the reading. My question. Do i just add the hop slop to fill the fermenter or add water instead.?


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[Calder]

I try and keep most of the hops out of the fermenter. I strain them using a paint straining bag.

I partial boil and have to add make-up water. I usually rinse the hops with some of this cold water to get some of the sugars that they have absorbed.

 

[RM-MN]

I dump it all in. When the ferment slows, the hop sludge settles and the yeast settles on top of it. There is no difference in taste as attested to by those who have done it both ways and I'm pretty sure you get more beer than you would by whirlpooling and less trouble than trying to strain them out. At bottling, I rack above the yeast so I don't get any hop material unless I have dry hopped. With dry hopping, the yeast will already have fallen when you add the hops so they end up on top or in the middle of the beer. For that I use a smaller (one gallon) paint strainer wrapped around the racking cane or autosiphon and hold it in place with a rubber band. Be sure to sanitize the bag and the siphon before you put them in your beer.

 

[ale_man]

Thanks both of you.


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[Adam_Selene]

I brewed an extract kit this afternoon. A Pliny the Elder clone. 11 lbs 6 oz of fermentables and 8 oz of pelletized hops in the boil (6 more oz for dry hopping). Started with 6 1/2 gallons for boil. Post. 90 min ( per instructions) boil i had about 5 1/2 gallons. I went to transfer after whirl-pooling and chilling to 70 degrees and i have about 4 3/4 gallons of wort and the rest is hop slop. The OG was 1.090! I was so shocked i dropped and broke my hydrometer. The target OG was 1.074. I usually get slightly higher but never that high. I think the hop slop skewed the reading. My question. Do i just add the hop slop to fill the fermenter or add water instead.?


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Your target was 1.074. Your reading of the wort (without sludge) was 1.090? Why add the sludge back? That wort isn't going to have a lower gravity even if you completely separate the hops.

Did the instructions say anything about topping up the primary with water?
Arms race IPA's soak up a lot of wort. Also, with half a pound of hop pellets in five gallons, whirl-pooling is pretty much useless. Try whole hops and a strainer. They still suck up a lot of wort, but you can separate more of the wort out after the fact.

 

[ale_man]

Thanks


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