Hops Whole-vs-Pellets

Grains, malts, hops, yeast, water and other ingredients used to brew. Recipe reviews and suggestions.

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dartedplus
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Hops Whole-vs-Pellets

Post by dartedplus »

Who uses what and why???? I have always used pellets, but am thinking about switching to whole or plug once I put a valve on my kettle and get a false bottom for it. I think that I would have much less gunk being transferred to the primary by using whole because the pieces would be bigger and get caught in the false bottom. I am correct in this assumption????

I was just curious so your opinion will help

Thanks,
Ed
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Push Eject
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Both work, but...

Post by Push Eject »

My experience has been that pellets are much more consistent and have a much larger window of freshness than whole hops.

I like pellets for dry hopping too because they submerge instead of floating on top.

That said, the romance of growing my own hops has been nagging at me...

Cheers!
Ollie
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Ah Yes

Post by fitz »

Ahhh Yes the feeling of self sufficiency. I am still contemplating growing some hops for dry hopping just because I can. I like pellet hops for the same reasons I like QUALITY dry yeasts. They are much more forgiving and storable. That said I am planning an arbor for the new landscaping just for hop growth. Partly because some friends made remarks that I'll be growing my own barley before long. They just don't get homebrewing!
Ed,
I hope you are using a good hop bag. I don't have much hop crud in my beer, especially after I use a secondary, so the pellet crud statement baffles me.
dartedplus
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from kettle to primary

Post by dartedplus »

its mostly geting rid of the crud from kettle to primary that I am concerned about. I dont always use hop bags (I know I should) so sometimes there is a pile of crud. I've been trying to grow my own hops for the past 2 years, but with moving each year that makes it kinda hard on the plants. This year I am not going anywhere and so can put them in a good spot and let them have at it. Hopefully I'll get something this year
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Ah, Barley

Post by Save The Ales »

Fitz,

Some twenty years ago my late father-in-law sublet some land in Prince Edward Island, Canada for...

Yup, a farmer to grow barley. Easier to grow than weeds and better looking, too! If I knew then what I know now :)

As far as the hops? I vote with Rolling Rock on this one - the pellets work just fine. Saw it on the History Channel a few weeks ago and that is, by the way, the only thing about RR that I like.

Cheers!

Paul
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A couple hop ideas

Post by Stretch »

I am certainly no expert on growing hops, but my neighbor is, to the tune of several thousand commercial acres. I can get all the hops I want gratis, but I think most of us grow our own for the same reasons we brew our own. My neighbor suggested planting varieties that have been proven hearty locally, and cutting the plants back to ground level when they get about a foot tall each spring to promote root growth. My father, who grows organic herbs commercially, suggested I make some over-sized tomato cages (using hog fencing) rather than fuss over posts and twine. Mine are 30" across and 8' tall. Both ideas have proven helpful.
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