# Plugs V's Flowers



## rough60 (18/2/07)

Hi all,
The plugs I've been using (Saaz, Goldings, Fuggles) have been great, and heaps easier to store than flowers.
But are flowers better?
Cheers.


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## razz (18/2/07)

Pellets have better utilisation than plugs and plugs have better utilisation than flowers. Plugs are compressed flowers, pellets are pulverised flowers. Are flowers better ? who knows. Confused ? I am. :huh:


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## berapnopod (18/2/07)

I find plugs need a little while in the boil to fully disperse. But usually by the time I am chilling, they have dispersed anyway (5 mins or so). Apart from that the only difference I know of is that it is easier to measure out flowers in non-14g intervals.

If flowers were equally available as plugs, I would prefer flowers, but I don't have a good reason for saying that other than it feels good. 

Consequently, I almost exclusively use plugs.

Berp.


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## Jazzafish (18/2/07)

I think it all depends on what they are used for.

Flowers will absorb more wort, but are great for aroma in a hop back or used in secondary. Alot of flowers in the kettle can be a hassle.

Plugs are a fixed weight of compressed flowers, so it may not suit your brew. I'm not sure if they go as well in a hop back as flowers.


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## domonsura (18/2/07)

Jazzafish said:


> Plugs are a fixed weight of compressed flowers, so it may not suit your brew. I'm not sure if they go as well in a hop back as flowers.


 They go alright in a hopback, but you have to be sure to break them up properly - not quite as good as whole.
I spent a few months using almost exclusively Hallertau Pacific whole flowers in the kettle, totally different to using plugs/pellets, but can cause all sorts of blockage problems in the kettle when it comes to draining it out - trying to unblock an outlet or outlet screen of whole flowers at the bottom of 60 piping hot litres is not fun, whereas pellets are a little more cooperative when it comes to whirlpooling into a nice neat little pile in the centre of the kettle. Better pellet utilization also means that you use less of it in the first place, & there is less in the way of hop trub to cause a blockage in the first.
But whole flowers sure make for an authentic brewing experience, especially if they are _really_ fresh. A friend bought some fresh (beraly dried even) Hallertau from NZ with him at the end of the season last year, and I had some'fresh' whole flowers of the same variety from a local HBS - there was no comparison - I had comments from neighbours 2 houses over on the overpowering aroma (one reckoned that I was cooking something of a less legal origin, not brewing beer, and turned up on my doorstep to tell me off during a brew - saw the bag of hops and reckoned "I bloody KNEW it!!!!" until I dared him to roll some up and smoke it.....).
I reckon that the 'fresh ones' from the local were in fact the previous season's being 'mistakenly' sold as new season's harvest...... and now I'm a bit more careful to check that what I'm being sold is what I'm paying for....


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## Keifer (18/2/07)

Grow your own and then compare  I can't wait to use some absolutely fresh POR and tettnanger off my vines. I'll have to wait another year though


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## Fingerlickin_B (18/2/07)

domonsura said:


> (one reckoned that I was cooking something of a less legal origin, not brewing beer, and turned up on my doorstep to tell me off during a brew - saw the bag of hops and reckoned "I bloody KNEW it!!!!" until I dared him to roll some up and smoke it.....).



I've often wondered what might happen if someone robbed my house, found the hops in the freezer and then got puffin' :lol: Your neighbour didn't actually do it did he?

As for the plug/flower thing, I always break up my plugs and within a second of hitting the boil there are rehydrated flowers floating around in there, so no worries about waiting for them to break up. 
As for flowers, I'd like to try them, even if only for the "true brewing experience"  

I've also got some plants going, but not expecting any real harvest until next season...the guy who supplied my POR also handed over a small bag of homegrown flowers which are bagged and in the freezer...might use them in the next brew B) 

PZ.


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## Sammus (18/2/07)

could go the other way, and use the less legal green flowers in your brewin? hmm...now that pale has an interesting aroma...


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## domonsura (19/2/07)

Sammus said:


> could go the other way, and use the less legal green flowers in your brewin? hmm...now that pale has an interesting aroma...




Yeah you could, but what a waste..... :huh:  



Fingerlickin_B said:


> I've often wondered what might happen if someone robbed my house, found the hops in the freezer and then got puffin' laugh.gif Your neighbour didn't actually do it did he?



Nope, he didn't, he'd turned up just in time to see me throw the last of it into a great big boiling pot of wort. That kind of rained on his parade......but it _was_ tempting to let him try it......just for a laugh of course...
Reminds me of a party we had in Whakatane (nz) where this PITA young tagalong fella was going on and on about how much he liked to smoke dope (but obviously full of s**t) , so I went out and picked up a clump of dried grass clippings off underneath the lawnmower in the back yard and rolled it up for him. He was drunk enough to sit there and smoke the whole thing while we sat there and egged him on, 10 minutes later was out in the yard spitting all over the lawn. I believe he is staunchly anti-drugs to this day......and also vehemently denies that it was grass clippings  We know better..............and the rest of us still laugh our asses off to this day remembering the look on his face when he declared "man this is strong sh*t"...


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## Wortgames (19/2/07)

Now that's just mean... :lol: 

I love plugs - by my reckoning the flowers would be in pretty good condition when they are made, and the fact they are compressed gives you even more protection against oxidation and light strike in the event of 'average' handling practises.

They aren't hard to break up (wet or dry). I reckon I'd generally pick plugs over flowers unless I was really confident the flowers were in great condition.

Don't like pellets at all... 'hop granules' - no thanks...


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## newguy (19/2/07)

Sammus said:


> could go the other way, and use the less legal green flowers in your brewin? hmm...now that pale has an interesting aroma...



I once had to judge a marijuana beer at a competition. I was assigned to judge the spice/herb/vegetable class and the entrant has to specify what is in the beer. There it was....marijuana. I've never tried the stuff myself, and never will. However, I also didn't want to raise a stink and refuse to judge it and create problems for the competition organizer. So I did judge it, but I sure didn't drink much of it.

If you're wondering how it tasted, it was sh*tty.


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## Wortgames (19/2/07)

_"I tried it but I didn't swallow..."_


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## stoutdrinker (19/2/07)

Ive used pellets mainly both with and without a hopsock & have had no problems. Very easy to weigh out & they disperse instantly in hot wort.

Have only tried whole flowers twice. The first, in Ross's Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale led to a blocked tap on the kettle. Not easy to unblock either when its full of hot wort. BUT brewing with whole flowers felt more true to form.

Anyway on the back of that I brewed a copy of Little Creatures Pale Ale with whole cascade flowers in a hopsock with a very vigorous boil & lots of agitation. I really wanted to get the most out of the flowers without getting into blockage problems again. Easy as.

But I must say there is something about having whole flowers rolling around in the boil. I dont think you can be more authentic than that.

Chers,

Stout


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## newguy (19/2/07)

Wortgames said:


> _"I tried it but I didn't swallow..."_



 

I figured someone was going to take advantage of that set up.

Honestly, I didn't drink much - maybe 50 ml - but it sure did make me light headed.


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## rough60 (19/2/07)

cool,
thanks for the info all.
I think I'll use plugs or pellets for bittering and flowers for late additions.
Cheers.


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