used a FINE nylon bag on my hop pellets

[devaspawn]

I swear to you that for the past two months I have read this forum 3 hours a day on average! If I missed this topic previously coming up I apologize for bringing it up again.

Last weekend I brewed up the Amber Ale special that AHB has. I am tired of trying to siphon my wort out of my brewpot into the fermenter and it getting clogged within the first two pints. I decided to put my hop pellets in my nylon drawstring bag that I normally use for steeping grain. I weighed it down with my stirring spoon and kept under the wort for the times specified in the recipe. When the boil was done I saw no green floates and the bag look quite full. I let it drain but that isn't the point. I am worried that I may have pulled a dumb move. Logically I know that if the water was able to enter the bag to turn the pellets into mush that the oils had to be able to escape. I drink my hydrometer wort after (minus the thick crap at the bottom of the test jar) and each test jar tastes similar. This time it was without the bitterness I normally taste. Now I recognize that the hoppy floaters are usually in my test jar and that has a great deal to do with that bitterness in there. Someone tell me please (better yet, multiple someones) that they have done this before and it turned out perfectly fine. I am begging you to tell me this as long as it's the truth.

 

[surfbrewer]

I use a paint strainer bag myself and have had very good results. Your beer should turn out fine. If you would like you should check out the thread titled "Lil' Sparky is the man". Very appropriate for what you are doing.

Cheers

 

[Blender]

You never heard of hop bags from reading the forums? It is basically what you did but the pellets need to be loose in the bag so there is good wort flow. I never used them so i cannot say how much they affect utilization but if they were loose enough you will probably be OK.

 

[nl724]

i have used a grain steeping bag for ALL of my hop additions in every beer that I have made and bitterness has never been an issue. The guy that first introduced me to home brewing does the same thing as well-he has been brewing for 10+ years

 

[devaspawn]

You never heard of hop bags from reading the forums? It is basically what you did but the pellets need to be loose in the bag so there is good wort flow. I never used them so i cannot say how much they affect utilization but if they were loose enough you will probably be OK.

I had heard of hop bags for whole hops. That's what inspired me to try it with pellets. I was just scared that the wort not having as a bitter a taste as normal that I had somehow screwed up.

Thanks for answers guys. I am definitely feeling better about my decision to do this and will continue to do it.

 

[millstone]

I use the cheep WHITE nylons that I purchase at the buck store or Wal-Mart. I first put in a 3/4" SS ball, tie a knot to hold it in the nylon, then pour in the hop pellets. The SS ball keeps the nylon from floating in the wort. I also tie a piece of bell wire (18 guage) so I can lift it out of the wort if I need to add additional hops. The reason for the WHITE nylon is no color dye. The reason I tie a knot above the SS ball is so I can cut the bottom of the nylon after brewing to retrieve the ball and toss the spent hops - no cleanup.

tom

 

[dubbel dutch]

Could one alternatively just throw all the hops in without a bag and then fine strain at the end? I suppose this would be inconvenient, yet would assure that all the bitterness came out of hops and eliminate the need for multiple hop bags when timing hops (kind of like the idea of the hops floating throughout all the wort not bound up in a sack). But I've so far only used hop bags.

 

[riored4v]

Could one alternatively just throw all the hops in without a bag and then fine strain at the end? I suppose this would be inconvenient, yet would assure that all the bitterness came out of hops and eliminate the need for multiple hop bags when timing hops (kind of like the idea of the hops floating throughout all the wort not bound up in a sack). But I've so far only used hop bags.

I actually did this on my last brew. I've used nylon bags for all my other brews, but decided to give tossing the hop pellets right into the pot a try. That was probably the last that I will do that.. straining was a complete PITA, even using 2 different strainers, one of them not even being all that fine.

 

[Radarbrew]

Yeah , had to agree with that. It was a "what happens if..." moment, and I wound up straining for about an hour. The hop bag is really a good idea for leaf or pellets. Just as mentioned before, keep them loose.

 

[Crazytwoknobs]

I use the 39c muslin bags from my LHBS for both whole and pellet hops, and it's fine. I strained once, and it took a long time. PITA is almost pun-appropriate in this case.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

i have always used cheap muslin bags for my hop additions. they are about 10 cents at my LHBS and I'm fine with spending 30 cents for a few bags to save time and efforts in the end... never had a problem...

I'm gonna get myself a SS bearing and do that weighted bag next time... GREAT tip...

 

[aliu630]

Umm, how necessary is it to strain the hop pellets out when they go into the fermentor? I usually dump everything in and just assumed that it will fall to the bottom as trub. Is this not the way to do it? For some reason I thought I read in John Palmer's book that it wasn't necessary to strain or use hop bags?

 

[dubbel dutch]

I'm assuming that having hops sit in your primary for extended periods increase the bitterness/flavor they're supposed to provide in moderate doses. But maybe it makes no difference.

 

[BierMuncher]

As long as the bag is big enough that those hop pellets look like they are "lost" in there...it's fine.

People have tried to tighten down the bag so it looks like tea bag, and that constriction can cut down on the effectiveness.

 

[surfingpl]

Umm, how necessary is it to strain the hop pellets out when they go into the fermentor? I usually dump everything in and just assumed that it will fall to the bottom as trub. Is this not the way to do it? For some reason I thought I read in John Palmer's book that it wasn't necessary to strain or use hop bags?

I did this on my first brew and it came out great. The beer is pretty clear too. On my second batch I tried dry hopping and just put the pellets in the carboy. Then I had a hard time racking from the carboy to the bottling bucket (air in siphon). Those two factors combined gave me some floating stuff in my beers.

I have some fresh whole hops to use in the next couple batches, so I will be trying the mesh bags.

 

[BierMuncher]

On my second batch I tried dry hopping and just put the pellets in the carboy. Then I had a hard time racking from the carboy to the bottling bucket (air in siphon)

Try this. A paint strainer fastened around the end of your racking cane. Use a simple zip tie.

Works wonders for me.

 

[surfingpl]

Try this. A paint strainer fastened around the end of your racking cane. Use a simple zip tie.

Works wonders for me.


Yeah, thanks - that seems like a good idea. Is that paint strainer something you buy at home depot? I guess it should be rinsed before you put it in the beer?

 

[wilserbrewer]

I don't understand this obsession w/ keeping the hops strained and out of the fermenter. I leave what I can conveniently in the kettle and primary. On occasion I might get a speck of hops in the keg on the first pour or two.

Sorry, I just don't get it. Maybe careful racking to the keg?? IDN

Mike

 

[BierMuncher]

I don't understand this obsession w/ keeping the hops strained and out of the fermenter....Sorry, I just don't get it......

I think]/b] the issue was clogged siphon hoses...

...Is that paint strainer something you buy at home depot? I guess it should be rinsed before you put it in the beer?

Yeah... Lowe's, HD. Paint section two 1-gallon strainers costs like $2.00.

I always treat them like any equipment, in that they get sanitized/rinsed in my sink after use and just before use.