Any one using hop boiling bags - need advice please

[GlossopTiger]

Got my first extract boil completed on Sunday evening, all went well till i came to drain the wort into the fv, & got the expected blockage.
I have read quite a bit on strainers and am sure will be looking for advise in the near future, but as an side issue i have seen hop boiling bags for sale
Been unable to find much information on their use
Just wondered if any of the forum has experience or views on their use, it seems a simple solution, but i am afraid its too easy & will have drawbacks
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated

[Grot]

Got my first extract boil completed on Sunday evening, all went well till i came to drain the wort into the fv, & got the expected blockage.
I have read quite a bit on strainers and am sure will be looking for advise in the near future, but as an side issue i have seen hop boiling bags for sale
Been unable to find much information on their use
Just wondered if any of the forum has experience or views on their use, it seems a simple solution, but i am afraid its too easy & will have drawbacks
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated

I use them on occasion, usually just for bittering additions. It's really just a matter of stuffing your hops in, tying off the end and throwing it in the kettle. You do need to poke the bag a bit to get it soaked with wort.

That's an ounce of Fuggles, btw.
I've seen some people claim they affect utilisation but I wouldn't think it would matter. They do make it easier to strain out the wort that's absorbed by leaf hops.

[Stonechat]

Got my first extract boil completed on Sunday evening, all went well till i came to drain the wort into the fv, & got the expected blockage.
I have read quite a bit on strainers and am sure will be looking for advise in the near future, but as an side issue i have seen hop boiling bags for sale
Been unable to find much information on their use
Just wondered if any of the forum has experience or views on their use, it seems a simple solution, but i am afraid its too easy & will have drawbacks
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated

I use muslin hop bags to hold the hops for the start of boil and for the last 15mins of boil or steeping. I just put 3,4 or 5 large marbles in the hop bag, then the hops and tie the open end with string. It adds 50p to the cost of a brew, but as I have not yet worked out a satisfactory way of fitting a strainer to my Burcos, it's worth it.

[edit1now]

I have a couple of home-made muslin bags which I re-use. The spent hops go onto the compost heap, the bags get rinsed of any cling-ons and then get a rinse and spin cycle in the washing machine, together with the grain bag. Since they get boiled in the wort I hadn't seen any need to sanitise them. Here is one in use:



They tend to float in the boiling wort, and I just poke them with the stirring paddle until all the hops are wet, so the bag sits just below the surface. A stir from time to time gets the hoppy stuff out into the wort.

[GlossopTiger]

Thansk for your advice folks
It is appreciated