How to use pellet hops?

[aamcle]

Evening All.

I've only ever used whole hops, I have a spare Biab bag I use like a hop spider and I remove the hops after flame out but before I No Chill.
I've found this to be successful would this work with pellets?

Is there a better procedure?


Many Thanks. Aamcle

 

[Rocker1986]

That's basically what I do with pellet hops, yeah. Being smaller than flowers I don't use a BIAB bag as a hop spider but they are contained in a hop sock type spider. I leave them sit in the wort while it settles before draining to the cube for no chilling, rather than removing them immediately at flameout.

Bottom line though, yes you can use the pellets the same way as you have been with whole hops. I've read there's a conversion of sorts though, i.e. you need less weight in pellets than whole hops or something like that.

 

[Diesel80]

I let the pellets run free in the boil,

then whirlpool at the end before no chilling.

No point bagging them (for me) as I add more into the cube anyway, not bagged in there either.

Cheers,
D80

 

[Bribie G]

Here in Oz most of the hops available to us are in pellet form, as it's illegal to import whole hop flowers due to quarantine concerns. The exception is New Zealand (clean and green) flowers. Some craft breweries get customs permission to import flowers but it's a bugger apparently. So apart from NZ we home brewers have only our own flowers such as Pride of Ringwood etc. Boy would I love to get my hands on some genuine new season EKG or Challenger.

We can get hop plugs that presumably have had any bugs well crushed, but often they are old seasons and a bit suss, although I've had occasional success.

With very high Alpha hop pellets such as Magnum I put the bittering addition in "commando style" in the boiler as it's often only about 15g. If I have an addition of "flavour hops" they go into a simple grain bag that I anchor round the boiler with clothes pegs, makes a swimming pool for the hops. Being a no chiller, I usually just put the aroma hops into the cube and run the hot wort in onto them, sort of like a hopback arrangement.

 

[pnorkle]

One thing you might find different using pellets instead of whole hop flowers is the amount of extra matter you're left with in the trub. As long as you whirlpool before transfer to FV though, you should be able to remove most of it.

 

[Bribie G]

BIAB / paint strainer / grain bags usually hold back most of the vegatative green sludge when you drain them.

 

[aamcle]

Thanks All.

Aamcle