When do you pull your hops out of the wort?

[dirtybear7]

I like to use a hop bag when brewing. I just find it much easier than straining the wort with a bunch of pellet hop sludge still in it. When do you pull the hop bag out of the wort? I can never decide. Is it at flame out or once it cooled?

 

[Yooper]

I add a lot of "late addition" hops, some at 5 minutes, some at 1 minute, even some at flame out. So I leave all the hops in until the wort is transferred to the fermenter.

For bittering hops, it wouldn't really matter. They'd be utilized during the boil, and not once the boiling stops. So you could do whatever you prefer with bittering hops.

 

[92greenyj]

typically I pull my hop bags out a little after flame out and once my immersion chiller is running. Mostly because I currently agitate the wort a bit with the immersion chiller to try to coax it to cool faster. I had issues before with the hop bags getting squeezed in this process and i ended up with a ton of trub from this. Ever since I started yanking the hop bags out prior to chilling that problem has been eliminated

 

[dirtybear7]

Thanks All!

 

[virginiawolf]

Great question!!
In all the books and stuff I've read I was never quite sure if I should l leave all the hops sacs in the kettle the whole time I'm chilling or take them out just before I chill. I've done both but think it's best that at the end of the boil pull it all out with a spoon. Then chill it. This way it would be a consistent amount of time that could be reproduced plus the aroma hops at the end is really a few mins not a few mins plus 30 mins chilling. I'm just guessing but seems right and the beer has been excellent. I can always dry hop in the secondary to get those lovely hop aromas. I want to read more posts on this.
Virginia Wolf

 

[Mermaid]

I'm working with such a tight space (5 ga. kettle) that I just pull out the bag-o-hops at flameout, before I kick on the wort chiller.

 

[ChshreCat]

I don't use a hop bag and just pour my wort through a big kitchen strainer into the fermenter after chilling.

 

[bmbigda]

This is one of those brewing debates that lacks profound scientific data. Lets say your recipe calls for a 5 minute hop addition. At 5 min you add the hops to your hop bag, and 5 minutes later you turn off the burner. Now say you leave the hop bag in, but wait 3 min to start cooling...you've technically just added 3 min to all of your hop additions and your 5 has become 8. Not a huge deal but when trying to repeat recipes, maybe it is.

Similarly, one can argue that even if you start cooling RIGHT away, the hops are still being utilized to some extent. Depending on how advanced your cooling method is, you could still be at 200 degrees after a few minutes.

Because of these unknowns, I pull the hop bag at flameout.

 

[permo]

I use no hopbag. I throw the hops in at the specified times, put the chiller on at flameout and I am below 100 degrees in about 10 minutes. (nice cold tapwater this time of year). Once my wort is at pitching temp, I whirlpool, let it sit for 20 minutes and siphon off the wort.

I would think that if you did a flameout addition and pulled the hop sack at flamout, you wouldn't really get that much aroma from essentiall "dipping' the hops in hot wort.

I could definetly see pulling your bittering addition out, but I would sure leave my aroma additions to steep in the wort.

 

[Homercidal]

At this time I don't want hops running through my CFC, so I pull them out with a strainer just prior to running the wort through.

if I had an IC, I'd probably leave them in during the cooling and strain them out as I poured into fermenter.

At some point I'll have a hops bag or basket implemented and then I'll leave them in as I cool.

My point is, I'd leave them in as long as possible.

 

[Clann]

most of my hops go into the fermenter as i am too lazy to remove them

 

[HighLadderBrews]

related question:

I've just installed a whirlpool port on my blichmann kettle (that was a scary hole to cut). I've been looking to just dump pellet hops into the boil and not have to worry about dealing with the bags.
So from the BK it goes to march pump back into whirlpool port for 15-20 minutes to get most of the hops and trub into a cone in the center before cooling (CFC to oxygen injection to fermenter)

Since I will not be cooling until after whirlpool, will the late aroma additions be lessened by the 15-20 minute whirlpool? I thought this was a common practice in large breweries.

Do the additions need to be added 5-10 mins after flameout during the whirlpool to be most effective?

thanks

 

[HerotBrewer]

I use a hop bag and I throw my aroma hops into the bag with the bittering hops when called for, remove the bag at flameout. Then chill.

 

[graduate]

I use hopbags and start removing them after I put the immersion chiller in. I put the bags between two glass stackable mixing bowls and squeeze the wort back into the chilling wort.

 

[Wayne1]

related question:

I've just installed a whirlpool port on my blichmann kettle (that was a scary hole to cut). I've been looking to just dump pellet hops into the boil and not have to worry about dealing with the bags.
So from the BK it goes to march pump back into whirlpool port for 15-20 minutes to get most of the hops and trub into a cone in the center before cooling (CFC to oxygen injection to fermenter)

Since I will not be cooling until after whirlpool, will the late aroma additions be lessened by the 15-20 minute whirlpool? I thought this was a common practice in large breweries.

Do the additions need to be added 5-10 mins after flameout during the whirlpool to be most effective?

thanks

Try it both ways and see what you like.

I add late additions during the boil and during the whirlpool. You could also add a hopback to get even more late hop flavor/aroma. Dry hopping will increase this.

The point I am trying to make is there are many ways to add hop aroma and flavor. Each addition will make a contribution. You will have to decide which addition does the most for you. Brew the same recipe with just late hopping. then go for just whirlpool hops. Taste and compare.

Be careful with your whirlpool in a flat bottom kettle. Most larger brewkettles with whirlpools have an inverted dome or dished bottom. The hops and trub will still gather in a cone in the center. As the level in the kettle drops the cone will collapse and the trub material will flow to the outside. A dished bottom will hold the cone together longer. The level you draw off from will also be a bit higher up and you won't get as much trub through the outlet.

To answer the original question, I add pellet hops through out the boil with no hop bag. Depending on the style brewed many late addition and post boil hops can be added. I do whirlpool and send my wort through a CFC. The hops and trub are only removed when I clean the kettle at the end of the brewday.

 

[dirtybear7]

It is interesting to read of the different ways people approach the same issue.