Leaf vs. Pellet

[jock128]

OK, so, personally I've always kept to leaf, but I've seen some interesting recipes that use some American hops in pellet form and I'm considering giving them a go. What are people's thoughts on pellets in particular?

[DeadFall]

I've ordered a load of hops in both forms. The pellets take up a lot less room than leaf. I've read that to convert leaf to pellets, lower the weights by 10-15%

[Mr. Dripping]

I use mainly pellets too these days, really due to their better storage both in terms of room taken and freshness. They seem to keep fresher for a lot longer and the product seems fresher on first opening too. Also, as you mention, there are some varieties available in pellet form that are not so easy to get as whole hops.
The main issue with pellets is that you have to have a filter in your boiler that can handle the fine sludge generated without clogging.

[jock128]

The main issue with pellets is that you have to have a filter in your boiler that can handle the fine sludge generated without clogging.

That was going to be my next question, how do you deal with the slime that's inevitably created? What filter do you use?

[Mr. Dripping]

My boiler has a stainless steel false bottom...2mm holes and this deals fine with flowers.
I overlayed on to this a sheet of T40 stainless steel mesh which deals with the pellets no problem.
I've seen people make a 'pocket' out of this mesh to wrap around copper manifolds and they seem to work well.

[fisherman]

I use all pellet with a homemade hopspider. Made from a large yogurt container with a fine 8 X 15 inch filter bag from the Home Brew shop held in place with a cable tie. The spider legs are made of galvanised wire coathangers. If you want a picture send me your e-mail address. Search Hopspider.

[DeadFall]

I've been looking at something like this and wrapping it and covering the bottom with a fine stainless mesh. Hop spider might be better though.

[YeastWhisperer]

I have seen all kinds of contraptions built in an attempt to deal with the muck that pellets produce over the last two-plus decades, and they all have downsides. Whirlpooling and drawing from the side works with a large enough kettle, and a hopback full of whole cones also works very well. However, nothing beats a false bottom, whole cones, and an immersion chiller when it comes to producing bright cast-out wort. All I need to do is to recirculate the first liter of cast-out wort after chilling, and the wort runs hop debris free into my primary fermentation vessel, no fuss, no muss. I have never found a good way to hold back pellets in my kettle after chilling without resorting to the use of some kind of bag, which results in lower utilization. Stainless steel mesh that is fine enough to hold back pellets is fine enough to load up with cold break.

[Mr. Dripping]

Good point YW; I should add to my post that I use a plate chiller so all the break material goes in to the fermenter.
Post boil, there is a layer of hop sludge caught on the false bottom but I've never had a blockage while draining the kettle.

[DeadFall]

I'm starting to think that the best way is take from the edge of the boiler after a good whirlpooling and drain through a sieve.

[micmacmoc]

I wish I had read this before my first pellet experience. I had finished my brew, cooled it and began pouring it into the fermentor by one p.m....had to collect my daughter from school at three thirty...was still draining it at two thirty! Its a very messy fermentor! I'm sticking to whole leaf or using a hop bag in future! I assume that the trub that found its way into the fermentor will just settle out and be harmless. Is this why our cousins are so keen on taking the beer off the yeast cake/trub after a few days? I've always considered this unnecessary and another potential cause for infection.

[zgoda]

I think it's not because of hop trub, they employ magic whirlpool technique and have wort as clear as with leaf hops.

[Mr. Dripping]

Once I've run the boiled wort through the plate chiller and the break material has settled, my wort are very bright....crystal clear even.
So I would agree with zogoda that pellet hops are not prohibitive in producing a nice clear wort.

[jock128]

Wow, I seem to have started a proper little debate! All we need now is a good beer to enjoy it over

I think having read all of this that I'll be steering clear of pellets for the moment, I'm not 100% I want to add another variable to my brewing yet.

[YeastWhisperer]

Good point YW; I should add to my post that I use a plate chiller so all the break material goes in to the fermenter.
Post boil, there is a layer of hop sludge caught on the false bottom but I've never had a blockage while draining the kettle.

Draining the wort while is still hot is the key to being able to filter out pellet hop debris using stainless mesh. Cold break will usually clog stainless steel mesh within sixty seconds of opening up the valve. It does the same thing with whole cones if the mesh is fine enough to hold back pelletized hops.

I have two nice counterflow chillers that I built to run in series. The first chiller is fed tap water. The second chiller is fed ice water. I never use these chillers because it is easier to use a large immersion chiller that I built. I also use a March pump to recirculate the wort from time to time if chilling time is important. This type of setup is known as a Jamil-O-Chill in the U.S.