Using Pellets for the First Time

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Binkie Huckaback
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Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by Binkie Huckaback » Thu Dec 26, 2019 11:47 am

In my next brew I'll be using pellets for the first time. Is there anything I should bear in mind or do differently than when using whole hops? I'll be using a Grainfather and don't have a hop spider, but I do whirlpool and can make a hop bag if need be.

If I should be using a hop bag, will my hop efficiency drop and if so, does anyone know by what percentage? The beer will be a wit and I'll be using saaz.

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LeeH
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Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by LeeH » Thu Dec 26, 2019 5:52 pm

Trail and error, I have never used a GF so no idea on the whirlpool but if it’s decent then bang them in loose if you are using the immersion chiller.

I sometime use the drop in hop spiders that I fill 1/3rd full. Yes you do loose a little but not that much and they make clean up a breeze.



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Re: Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by steviebobs83 » Sat Dec 28, 2019 12:58 am

It's always been a sludgy disaster for me in the GF. I exclusively use bags/socks for pellets. Not sure on the efficiency drop but I never had any success without, so have nothing to gauge against.

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Re: Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by Kingfisher4 » Sat Dec 28, 2019 2:58 pm

I’ve brewed almost 40 GF batches and only used pellets twice as I didn’t like the amount of sludgy trub that made it into the FV.

Pellets are much more convenient to store, but even with a strong whirlpool I found too much hop debris gets through. Didn’t use a hop spider which might help.

I do find leaf hops act as a great extra filter especially for the hot break trub.

It’s a personal experience as I know lots of GF brewers successfully use only pellets.

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Re: Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by Silver_Is_Money » Sat Dec 28, 2019 3:12 pm

I get a highly undesirable grassy taste in pellet hopped beer. It settles out and thereby mellows out with time, but I'm impatient and often can't give the beer more time for this grassiness to dissipate.

I also believe that since pellets full utilization potential is reached measurably much faster than for whole/leaf/plug/cone types they do not conform themselves well (if at all) to most IBU calculators. The mystically derived 10% more IBU's rule for pellets is rubbish. Recent research indicates that pellets release essentially all of their contained IBU's that are available to be utilized within roughly 25-40 minutes of boil, whereby the natural hop types will only do this with 60-90 minutes of boiling. Apples and oranges.
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Cobnut
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Re: Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by Cobnut » Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:16 am

My experience of using pellets is the GF is that they generate a lot more trub meaning that transfer times are significantly extended.

On NYE I made a 23L batch of black IPA with 75g pellet hops and 50g leaf hops (there will be more dry hopping later). Transfer took an hour and that was improved by my poking around the filter with my mash paddle several times to clear away some of the debris. Transfer time with leaf hops only is usually much less than this - perhaps 30 mins.

As other posters have said, using leaf hops works much better in the GF. Although, it may be that using a Hop Spider to contain the pellets would be helpful.
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Re: Using Pellets for the First Time

Post by Digby » Thu Jan 02, 2020 2:54 pm

When I use mf GF I use the rather coarse mesh GF hop spider. Visibly allows the hot wort the circulate through much more than the finer mesh versions and I would estimate it holds back about 75% of the hop debris. I believe it is 800 micron mesh.

When the transfer is finished, the filter looks a bit fuzzy from the renaining hop debris but still allows a sensible transfer rate. Overall I find this a decent compromise. I used to use a finer (circa 300 micron) mesh version and it would hold everything back but often blinded with break material, impacting my impression of the hop character of the beer.

I do love leaf hops if I can find the variety and quality I need for a sensible price but most of the time I end up with pellets.

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