Leaf hops vs pellets

[mmaguy41]

Which do you use and why?

 

[keith1664]

Leaf, because they're the most readily available in this country and to use pellets you need a fine gauze hop stopper.
Having made the hop stopper I've still never used pellets and I probably won't until something I want is only available in that form.

 

[mmaguy41]

interesting, ive been watching brewing tv on youtube, and it seems they always use pellet hops. They seem to just leave all the hops in there and not filter it at all

 

[keith1664]

If they didn't user some method they'd end up with a fermenter full of bits of hop, and as leaf hops are bigger they're easier to filter out.
Also if that's a US show they also use a method where they "whirlpool", which deposits all the muck in the middle of the boiler.
Basically pellets are more efficient, leaf are more readily available here and easier to keep out of the fermenter.

 

[zgoda]

Here hops are equally available as pellets and as leaf, but I'm using pellets because of less storage space they need in freezer. Each autumn I bulk buy ~1 kg of hops, I wouldn't be able to store them safely as whole.

 

[RokDok]

I've been given some hop pellets but have always used leaf before. Presumably pellets are more concentrated and you need less ??

Anyone know ??

RD

 

[Steamedbeech]

Not used pellets yet but wanted to give myself the option so fitted a whirlpool inside my chiller, RD in Radical Brewing it says to use 25% less pellets.
cheers Dan :

 

[RokDok]

Thanks Dan

RD

 

[Stihler]

Presumably pellets are more concentrated and you need less?

Hop pellets are not really more concentrated but for a give weight will produce more bitterness. This is simply because pellets are comprised of finely ground hops and as such have a much greater surface area exposed to the wort during the boil. This greater exposure results in greater extraction of the hop bitterness.

When reformulating recipes based upon whole hops it is generally recommended that for a given value of homebrew bittering units (i.e. alpha acids multiplied by hop weight) one should use 10% less hops. This, of course, reduces the homebrew bittering units but the effective bitterness is more or less the same when whole hops are replaced by hop pellets.

- Scott

 

[31bb3]

Only used hop pellets once and never again blocked my hop stopper took ages to run into the fv now I have a plate chiller really don't want to risk blocking that

 

[calumscott]

I'd happily use pellets for dry hopping after the Festival Porter kit which came with pellets (and a neat little sock to go over the end of the racking cane).

Did a great job.

I can see that pellets in the boiler would be a pain though...

 

[zgoda]

It really depends on the design of your boiler. With a whirlpool it really doesn't matter if you use pellets or whole hops, but as I learned this design is not that popular in UK, you seem to prefer hop filters for trub separation.

 

[Cononthebarber]

I have always used leaf hops and only used pellets once and they clogged up my hop strainer and it took an age and lots of messing about to get my beer into the FV. Dont think I will be using them again, perhaps I could use them for dry hopping some time? Has anyone used them for this?

 

[calumscott]

perhaps I could use them for dry hopping some time? Has anyone used them for this?

^^^^^^^

 

[Cononthebarber]

^^^^^^^

Ha ha, whoops missed that comment, will be saving them for that then I think... :thumb:

 

[RokDok]

Presumably pellets are more concentrated and you need less?

Hop pellets are not really more concentrated but for a give weight will produce more bitterness. This is simply because pellets are comprised of finely ground hops and as such have a much greater surface area exposed to the wort during the boil. This greater exposure results in greater extraction of the hop bitterness.

When reformulating recipes based upon whole hops it is generally recommended that for a given value of homebrew bittering units (i.e. alpha acids multiplied by hop weight) one should use 10% less hops. This, of course, reduces the homebrew bittering units but the effective bitterness is more or less the same when whole hops are replaced by hop pellets.

- Scott

Scott thanks, that's quite clear.

I'll avoid the hop filter blocking problem by putting them in muslin

cheers

RD

 

[zgoda]

Hop bags impact utilization but it's hard to say how much, it depends on size of the bag, amount of hops and other factors. Be sure to leave as much free space in bag as possible, pellets absorb water too.