Pellets or leaf?

[SouthernMaineBrewing]

Hi guys, I'm getting excited looking at all the recipes listed here and can't wait to try a lot of them. One quick quetion though: the hops are listed by weight, but not by type. If the recipe does not specify whether it calls for pellet hops or leaf hops, is it ususally one or the other?

Just looking for a little clarification here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Psylocide]

They are 1:1 interchangeable for the most part.

 

[helibrewer]

It's completely your preference, you can freely mix. Just remember that the whole cone hops absorb more water and most recipe calculators do not account for this.

 

[SouthernMaineBrewing]

Thanks for the quick reply

I'm sure it's all personal preference, but have you noticed any taste difference between the two?

Edit: Just saw leaf hops are more preferable for dry and aroma hopping. Pretty much answers all my questions!

 

[LLBeanJ]

My preference is pellets in the kettle and leaf for dry-hopping.

 

[Psylocide]

Thanks for the quick reply

I'm sure it's all personal preference, but have you noticed any taste difference between the two?

Here's a good read on the matter:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/whole-leaf-vs-pellet-hops-dry-hop-xbmt-results-517655/

 

[helibrewer]

I use pellets, just easier to manage and store...but Sierra Nevada uses only whole cone..

 

[mrgrimm101]

I've never used whole hops, but I have had great success using pellets in the boil and using pellets to dry hop. Pellets are much easier to store and take up a fraction of the space as whole hops. I toss the pellets right in the boil or in the fermenter and they break up and do their thing..no need for muslin/strainer bags or anything.

 

[jethro55]

I have noticed that the leaf hops add alot more flavor/aroma. They do soak up a lot of wort so I make extra volume to account for that.

 

[unionrdr]

Besides the fact that whole leaf hops have a greater volume per the same weight as pellet hops.

 

[PatrickLS83]

You'll prob be happy either way, I use pellets for convenience, they seem more readily available in more types, easier to handle and weigh. One school of thought is that pellets are more consistent since they grind up lots of leafs to make the pellets, you know you're getting a consistent mix of hop oils. They look like rabbit food though, not as sexy as whole hops. Oh well.