Hop Additions - Baggie Vs Chuck 'em In

[wyane]

Evening brewers --
What I would like to know is -- other than clarity or harvesting yeast from the FV/bottles, is there any reason to boil or dry-hop using a bag and removing the hops after the boil? Also, do you get substantially more (or wrong) bitterness/flavour/aroma from chuckin em right in the boiler (where they stay and steep during the chill and ferment)?

My hops story: I started adding hops to my K&K brews about a year ago after reading the methods on countrybrewer.com.au - basically infusion; dry hop and toss them into the boil.

Country Brewer says "most of the used hops will sink to the bottom & very rarely end up in the bottle", which is true to a degree -- the last bottle from the FV can have a lot of flakes go in but they settle out and the last bottle never seems any different to the others.

Am now getting some good results (the spreadsheet has been an oracle too), particularly after (generally) bottle conditioning for 4-6 weeks rather than the old 2-3 -- for clarity and more developed (or less grassy) hop characteristics. But it seems from the kits and bits recipes that I use a fair bit less hops than some brewers.

Cheers :beer:

 

[bignath]

Evening brewers --
What I would like to know is -- other than clarity or harvesting yeast from the FV/bottles, is there any reason to boil or dry-hop using a bag and removing the hops after the boil? Also, do you get substantially more (or wrong) bitterness/flavour/aroma from chuckin em right in the boiler (where they stay and steep during the chill and ferment)?

As you say, other than clarity or reusing yeast issues, I'd say it wouldn't matter either way. It's the oils in the hop flowers and pellets that add bitterness/flavor/aroma not necessarily the 'green stuff'.

EDIT: to clarify.....

The above advice is coming from a bitterness level point of view.

Of course, the obvious other factor that might determine whether you use a hop bag or let them swim freely is if using hop flowers. I find it easier to use a hop sock if using flowers, as experience has shown me that flowers will block my drainage every time. I have no hop blocker or similar though. I know some brewers prefer using flowers and just chuck them in, as they make a good filter for trub, but for me, flowers in a sock, pellets swim freely.

 

[Rob S]

Leaves/flowers in a pool filter bag from big w.

Pellets just chuck em in.

My 2c.

 

[Blitzer]

Would the pellets not keep bittering etc once in the fermenter?

 

[barls]

to bitter the alpha acids in the hops need to be isomerise. this needs 80+ temps. so no, the bitterness wont increase a great deal from dry hoping

 

[Blitzer]

So just a stronger hop aroma? As they will be sitting there for 2 weeks or however long in the fermenter.

 

[barls]

yeah the idea is that you add at the end of fermentation so the co2 coming out of solution doesnt scrub out the aroma

 

[Blitzer]

Hop pellets free-pelleting in the boil straight in the fermenter from the boil. Might try it in the next beer, maybe it will save me dry hopping.

 

[Acasta]

Another advantage to bagging hops is I find with highly hopped beers that it is easier to get a higher extraction yield do to less left in the bottom of the kettle. I chill in kettle so so hops, plus hot and cold breaks leaves me with alot so I like to remove the hops, not sure how draining the kettle hot would go as I have not tried this.
I read somewhere on here that you only loose about 1 IBU when hops are placed in a decent sized bag in the boil. I can't remember who exactly said it, would anyone like to chime in on that?

 

[wyane]

ok cheers for the replies.
The few times I did add loads of hops, 40+ IBU, in an APA was back when my boil grav and timings were crap so that's probably why it was bleh. At least I won't get roused on for stealing some chux from under the sink