Hop Pellets

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Reg
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Hop Pellets

Post by Reg » Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:16 pm

Used by breweries...

Almost universallyt frowned upon by home brewers...

Are they really all that bad???
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The Cardinal

Post by The Cardinal » Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:04 am

Wouldn't know. :(
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oblivious

Re: Hop Pellets

Post by oblivious » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:36 am

Reg wrote:Almost universallyt frowned upon by home brewers...
Why is that?
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steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:13 am

They seem very popular with the Americans. They apparently keep better than whole hops but obviously you can't use them as a filter bed at the end of the boil. Also the hop utilisation is better.

I've used them occasionally with a very fine mesh nylon bag and haven't had any problems with them.
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Aleman
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Post by Aleman » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:00 pm

Love them.

Take up much less space in the freezer, They don't oxidise as much, they are easier to measure.

They are a PITA to filter though, As My boilers take wort from the side when using pellets all I do is set a whirlpool up and the debri forms a cone inthe centre of the kettle, I take clear beer from around the edge.

Of course one other problem is that the hop essential oils can be lost during pelletinisation, myrcene for example i s more or less completely lost which makes some hop varieties less useful eg Saaz
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steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:42 pm

I guess that makes them less useful as a late hop? Shame really as that's possibly when they'd be most useful.

I've got some US Magnum pellets in the freezer right now. They are the strongest smelling hops I've had in years! Worked well in my Munich Helles Lager as the bittering addition (didn't need much 13g in 20L).
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Aleman
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Post by Aleman » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:59 pm

steve_flack wrote:I've got some US Magnum pellets in the freezer right now.
Hah, I've got 1200g of Saaz in my freezer, for some reason I didn't use then much after the first attempt at a pellet hopped bohemian Pilsner :(

As you say though they are great for bittering, and I've still got a good amount of NZ Saaz left that are an awsome aroma hop even at 8.7%
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steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:34 pm

I guess it depends what you're used to. Is is possible that you may get a better aroma out of pellets than you would out of whole hops that have sat on a shops shelf for six months?
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louthepoo

Post by louthepoo » Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:41 am

so can you freeze all hops or just pellets?

i've used the pellets before without any problem.
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steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:04 am

I freeze all hops - they keep better.
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louthepoo

Post by louthepoo » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:00 pm

i didnt know that! cheers steve, i'll be clearing a freezer drawer just for my hops!

Can you freeze any other home brew related ingredients? malts?
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steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:26 pm

No, just hops. I do however freeze spare wort if it's not too strong or hoppy so I can make starters quickly. You do have to reboil it before use though.

Sometimes I just make 2 or 3 liters too much wort intentionally as it's cheaper making it from grain than it is DME.
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