Pellets vs Raw Leaf Hops

[petetheo]

I've only made three homebrews so far and they have all used hop pellets. I have two questions regarding pellets vs. raw hops. First, are the weights equivalent? In other words, if a recipe calls for 2oz of hops, does that mean 2oz of pellets or 2oz of leaf? Second, how noticeable is the difference when brewing with raw hops? Does it taste fresher?

 

[JonK331]

They are roughly the same but you will get slighly higher IBUs out of pellets because of the greater suface area. I have noticed zero difference between the two in terms of flavor.

 

[Chesterbelloc]

I've only made three homebrews so far and they have all used hop pellets. I have two questions regarding pellets vs. raw hops. First, are the weights equivalent? In other words, if a recipe calls for 2oz of hops, does that mean 2oz of pellets or 2oz of leaf? Second, how noticeable is the difference when brewing with raw hops? Does it taste fresher?

Pellets also tend to perserve better and also be more consistent in terms of alpha acid percent. This is especially so if, say, you buy a pound of pelletized hops in a foil packet and then vaccuum pack 2, 3, or 4 ounces at a whack. I also find that they yield a more consistent product in terms of weighing them on my scale. In a non-boiling application or even in the aroma addition where AA% is not a major consideration the non-pelletized hops perform very well. That's just a suggestion though.

I tend toward vaccuum packing all the hops I need for one recipe. If you pick a nice low humidity day (here that only happens when thermometer falls below 20F or so) they keep rather well. Some folks go so far as to bump the packages with CO2 before zipping them closed.

Also pellet hops are not a problem whatsoever if you employ them in fine nylon boiling bags. The cost of the hop bags might seem like a total ripoff, at first, but using them pays back dividends in capturing everything but the most minute hop particles.

I used to really like using plugged hops but they don't seem as frequently available as before.... maybe only via Crosby & Baker distribution.

 

[JonK331]

Pellets also tend to perserve better and also be more consistent in terms of alpha acid percent. This is especially so if, say, you buy a pound of pelletized hops in a foil packet and then vaccuum pack 2, 3, or 4 ounces at a whack. I also find that they yield a more consistent product in terms of weighing them on my scale. In a non-boiling application or even in the aroma addition where AA% is not a major consideration the non-pelletized hops perform very well. That's just a suggestion though.

I agree about preservation to a certain extent. Whole hops, if packaged correctly in vacuum sealed, light proof bags, last pretty well. Alpha acid, however, comes from the whole hop and depends on the particular crop. For example, whole hops at 5% AA ground up and turned into pellets will still be 5% no matter whether whole or pellet. Also, whole hops have a greater volume but an ounce of hops is an ounce of hops.

 

[petetheo]

Yeah.. I guess that makes sense. A pound of feathers vs. a pound of bricks, etc.

 

[DarkUncle]

Only real difference I've read about is in terms of mess. Whole hops don't turn into the nasty sludge on the bottom like pellets so it's easier to avoid getting into the fermenter. Whole hops are also preferred when doing a dry hop in the secondary. Less mess, easier to remove.