[maxieboy]

False bottom in the brew kettle, so no bag.

Nylon bag goes around the racking cane to filter out the hops when dry hops are in a carboy.

Hops go in a nylon bag if keg hops are used.

This is my SOP as well(large self fabbed hop strainer in BK).

[rightasrain]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I really want to try a paint strainer. I used to always use hops bags and I just tried a brew without a bag to see if I noticed the difference. There was a lot more mess that made it into the primary. I'll try and remember to get back to this post in about a month when its done and give my opinion then.

[narcout]

If I'm using more than 3 oz. of hops in the boil, I'll bag the early hop additions.  I ferment in a 10 gallon corny keg and transfer under CO2 pressure through the liquid out dip tube to the serving keg - having less hop material in the fermentor makes that transfer a much smoother process.

[tankdeer]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

[bluesman]

I just brewed a beer today that had 4.5 oz of pellets. I didn't use any containment (bags, etc...) for the hops. I did use a Blichmann hop blocker and it works great. I was able to keep about 90% of the hop pellets in the kettle after racking into the fermenter. This was the first time I had actually tried using the hop blocker as a strainer. There was also a considerable amount of trub left behind as well. I am impressed!

[tygo]

I use them for pellets but not for whole hops.  The whole hops provide a nice filtering function when I'm running my wort off into the fermenter.  The pellet sludge just gums up the works.

[Jimmy K]

No hop bag. I have a weldless ball valve with a stainless braid the goes around the edge of the kettle.

[gymrat]

I use a hop sack because if I don't I keep finding all my hops on the side of my kettle just above the boil.

[blatz]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

use this: http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Hop%20bag%20holder.pdf

and then with an oven mitt, you can lift the hops out and sneak the IC underneath - takes a little technique, but its doable.

[gimmeales]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

+1 to this - works great - and a fraction of the cost LHBS will charge for an indentical bag with a drawstring at the top.  It's just elastic on the top, so I either tie it off on the handle of my smaller kettle, or now in my bigger keggle, I use a binder clip to hold the bag fast against the side.  Super easy to just open the single bag, dump in the charge, and close it up again.  The large size gives plenty of room for pellets or flowers to swirl around in the wort, and removing one bag of hop mass at the end of boil is super-convenient.

[glastctbrew]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

use this: http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Hop%20bag%20holder.pdf

and then with an oven mitt, you can lift the hops out and sneak the IC underneath - takes a little technique, but its doable.

+1   I made a holder similar to this and do just what Blatz recommends.

[tankdeer]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

use this: http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Hop%20bag%20holder.pdf

and then with an oven mitt, you can lift the hops out and sneak the IC underneath - takes a little technique, but its doable.

+1   I made a holder similar to this and do just what Blatz recommends.

I've seen those before, and like that idea. Perhaps I'll give it a try sometime.

[euge]

I didn't go that far though that design is not new to me. To keep my inventory of equipment down I just clip the bag shut with a small SS clip, which also holds the piece of string that keeps the bag somewhat suspended.

When adding hops I just use tongs to lift the bag to the edge, where the clip holds one side of the bag's opening to the lip of the kettle. I'm then free to stretch the bag wide open with one hand while I dump the hops in. Then it's clipped shut again and released into the wort.

Takes less than 10 seconds to accomplish and my schedule of 60-45-30-15-10-5-1 goes off without a hitch.

I don't insert the IC until flameout. It's already cleaned and sanitized and just plunging it into the wort will drop the temp about 10 degrees. Thusly, no problems with the IC interfering with my hop's exposure to the wort and no contamination either.

[gymrat]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

use this: http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Hop%20bag%20holder.pdf

and then with an oven mitt, you can lift the hops out and sneak the IC underneath - takes a little technique, but its doable.

I wish I had seen this before I started brewing today...this looks like a really good idea.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

I like this idea, but it seems like it would be somewhat difficult to use with an immersion chiller.

It's actually not difficult at all. I secure the bag to the side of my kettle with a SS clip.  When I'm ready to add the chiller, I put the chiller in and gently lift the bag into the center of the chiller coils. Looks like other bag users have some pretty handy methods too.