[hmbrewing]

Hi...getting ready for big brew tomorrow and looking for some quick advice on using whole hops.

I usually use a hop spider on brew day but tomorrow is my first time using whole hops. Anyone have any experience using whole hops with a hop spider?

Good?  Bad? In different?

[hmbrewing]

Meant Saturday. ..not tomorrow.

[Frankenbrew]

I use a hop spider when I use pellets, but when using whole hops I just throw them in. I put a copper chore boy over the dip tube in my kettle, and the loose hop bed acts as a filter for the trub. Whole hops, being coarser than pellets, will not clog a loose filter like the chore boy.

When I use my smaller kettle I throw the whole hops right in as well as they will not clog the strainer through which I then pour the finished wort into the fermenter. So, I guess it depends on your equipment.

Finally, if you do  use the spider and whole hops you will probably suffer a 10% loss of hop utilization over all, same as if you used pellets with the spider.

How do you transfer the wort to the fermenter?

[hmbrewing]

Awesome. ..thanks for the info! I have a ball valve on my kettle so I just open the valve and pour into my fermenter.

[Frankenbrew]

Awesome. ..thanks for the info! I have a ball valve on my kettle so I just open the valve and pour into my fermenter.

So, if you have a dip tube, you can just form the copper cleaning pad over it, and you can just pour as usual, no spider needed. Or, if you have a false bottom on your kettle you can just throw them in.