Pelletized Hops - Muslin Bag or Loose?

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85 Haro Designs

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I've been steeping my grains in muslin bags but I want to brew this morning and I'm out of muslin bags for the hops.

I've never used pelletized hops before but I've always put the whole hops in a muslin bag as well. That's been nice b/c it keeps things tidy.

Finally, my question is this - do pelletized hops disintegrate to very fine particles (more so than leafed hops, I'm assuming) and are then hard to filter out while pouring the wort to the primary?
 
Well, the pellets disintegrate into sludge at the bottom of the brewpot. I never use hops bags. I just throw them in there and then strain it out when I pour it into the primary. But I do the same thing with leaf hops, too!
 
I always use pellet hops... I have never used a bag.
 
YooperBrew said:
Well, the pellets disintegrate into sludge at the bottom of the brewpot. I never use hops bags. I just throw them in there and then strain it out when I pour it into the primary. But I do the same thing with leaf hops, too!

It seems like several people don't use hop bags.....I'm curious why not. I always use them just because you don't have to worry about straining your wort, racking, or whirlpooling. What are the advantages to not using bags?
 
One less thing to keep in stock. I just grab SWMBO's nice fine mesh strainer and pour through that.
 
Hmmmm.....I just use (reusable) nylon bags that are only a couple bucks. Seems easier and less of a hassle to me....are there any other reasons?
 
Whirpool and then syphon out of the pot. Most of the hop sludge will collect in the center of the pot and you can syphon out while leaving all of that junk behind.
 
Sounds like its just a matter of personal preference. Emptying and washing the nylon bag feels like a hassel to me. I just dump the strained hops down the disposer and toss the strainer into the dishwasher.
 
Gotcha--I was starting to wonder if there was some kind of flavor difference between the 2 methods.
 
I used to use a hopsack with pellets, but just decided to chuck them in on my last brew and strain after...Someone here on hbt mentioned that hopsacks can actually hinder untilization if they are packed too close together in the sack.

I don't know about that...I think it's a matter of prefrence as to how you do it. I had to keep dumping out my strainer becasue it was getting clogged, but that can be remedied with a larger strainer.
 
do you mean you toss them into the garbage disposal?

If so, you should toss them in a compost pile!

(sorry, couldn't help myself...)
 
I just throw them in, and I don't strain, whirlpool or otherwise filter them. They fall out during the primary and secondary. In my secondary right now I see some particles on the top but that's it. They'll only be in the last bottle, if at all. My beer is otherwise clear.
 
zacster said:
I just throw them in, and I don't strain, whirlpool or otherwise filter them. They fall out during the primary and secondary. In my secondary right now I see some particles on the top but that's it. They'll only be in the last bottle, if at all. My beer is otherwise clear.

I've done the same so far. By the time the beer is bottled after racking to secondary and then to a bottling carboy/bucket the hop particles are removed from the beer. I wonder if allowing the hop particles to remain in primary, as opposed to straining them out, has an effect on the final product. Wouldn't adding hop pellets at flame out and then not straining the wort have a similar affect as dry hopping?
 
HOOTER said:
I've done the same so far. By the time the beer is bottled after racking to secondary and then to a bottling carboy/bucket the hop particles are removed from the beer. I wonder if allowing the hop particles to remain in primary, as opposed to straining them out, has an effect on the final product. Wouldn't adding hop pellets at flame out and then not straining the wort have a similar affect as dry hopping?

No, the flame out hops are added at boiling wort temperatures, and by the time the wort is cooled, you've gotten all you're going to get out of them. You get different flavors and aroma from dryhopping.
 
Just wondering...

If all the hop "mash" from the pallets was added to primary (eg no filtering done, or bags used), when its bottling day, has all the "mash" sunk to the bottom? Wouldn't some of it go into your bottles?
 
Kiwi_Jonno said:
Just wondering...

If all the hop "mash" from the pallets was added to primary (eg no filtering done, or bags used), when its bottling day, has all the "mash" sunk to the bottom? Wouldn't some of it go into your bottles?

That's what I was saying though, it doesn't, except maybe the last bottle. It mostly sinks to the bottom with the yeast. I have some specks that floated to the top, probably stem remnants. Especially if you use a secondary the hops will completely settle out. In fact you wonder where they go to because you can't see them.
 
I also just toss them
I let them sit in during fermentation ( helps if you like to watch it)
then I always transfer to a clearing vessel (secondary , I know it is a misnomer)

the last bottle(s) I fill are my "test" bottles, 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks
so the left overs in the bottle are never a big problem

but this is home brewing
you should do what you want

I am just offering my opinion !
 
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