[pliskadm]

I brewed yesterday using muslin hop bags with hop pellets.  I noticed that the bag was pretty stiff after I tied a knot and thought that this may end up hurting my hop aroma, flavor etc since the surface area of the hops is drastically reduced when bundling them up in a bag like that.  This technique is used in cooking alot as well, where one will use cheese cloth and create what is called a sachet bag filled with herbs and spices and throw it into the stock pot to boil or simmer with the rest of the ingredients.  However I always felt this was doing the same thing, of reducing the efficiency of flavor extraction.  What is the general opinion about hop bag usage?

[Malticulous]

I seldom use them and only in low hoped beers. Normally I dump the whole boil into the fermenter and there is a difference in hop flavor and aroma from the bagged brews. Most of what I like has hop flavor and aroma so I don't use the hop bags much. If I want to keep the hop flavor and aroma low a bag can help.

[denny]

I think if you use so many hops or such a small bag that the hops are stuffed in so tightly you can't get good wort flow, it could reduce utilization.  I use large bags and a different bag for each addition so that the hops pretty much float freely in the bag.  I haven't noticed a decrease in utilization doing that.

[tubercle]

Just go to Blow's or Home Creepo or your local hardware store and get a pack of 5 gallon paint strainer bags for 2 or 3 bucks. I've got some I have been using for about 5 years and there is plenty of room for any hop amount. Easy clean up too, just rinse and hang up.

   Cheap and easy, just like Denny taught us.

[bluesman]

I think if you use so many hops or such a small bag that the hops are stuffed in so tightly you can't get good wort flow, it could reduce utilization.  I use large bags and a different bag for each addition so that the hops pretty much float freely in the bag.  I haven't noticed a decrease in utilization doing that.

This is my belief as well. I also use separate bags for each addition.

[dak0415]

Do you guys weight the hop bags to the bottom of the kettle or just free range 'em.

Dave

[bluesman]

Do you guys weight the hop bags to the bottom of the kettle or just free range 'em.

Dave

Great question.

Initially I push them under with a spoon to saturate them and then randomly push them under the wort to keep them movin' and groovin' .   Eventually they will sink into the wort when they become "wort logged".

[denny]

I lay a long spoon/rod/whatever across the top of the kettle and hang the bags from it.  That makes it easy to retrieve them, but they pretty much float free.

[dak0415]

Do you use pellets, whole, or combination?

[denny]

Whatever I need to use.  Sometimes all hole, sometimes all pellets (although I seldom bag those), sometimes some of each.

[bluesman]

Whatever I need to use.  Sometimes all hole, sometimes all pellets (although I seldom bag those), sometimes some of each.

+1

I prefer whole if they're fresh, but pellets are just fine.   It's all about the freshness.