Using a hop bag.

New To all grain brewing, I recently picked up a keggle and I seen a DIY on a hop bag that’s hangs from the top. It works great. Problem is I don’t seem to be getting the hop flavor I was getting in extract. Is this from the bag?

Second, if you have a recipe that calls for flame out hopping, how long do you leave your hop bag in before chilling?

The bag could affect your hop utilization but only if it’s small enough that the hops are kinda crushed in there.  If there’s plenty of room for the wort to flow through the hops, it shouldn’t have much effect.

Flame out hopping just means that you add the hops as soon as you turn off your flame.  Go ahead and start chilling as soon as the flame’s out just like you’d normally do.

When I add hops at flame-out, I usually let them steep for 5 mins before pulling them out and chilling.

I’m more suspicious of the transition to grain as opposed to the new hop-bag. Try an extract batch with it keeping all other things the same. If the remembered/desired flavor returns you’ll have a better idea.

However, I also think that the bags can get coated with a fair amount of break material so good flow through is compromised. And right at that 40-20 window. Overfilling bags also causes problems whether dry-hopping or in the boil- especially late in the boil.

Congrats on the move to AG. Hope everything falls into place for you.

Hop bags are nice to keep the mess under control but I have found that they clog with hot brake and cut down the flow through and are not all that big. I like to use paint strainer bags as a filter when I drain my wort into the fermenter. Just run your drain through the bag over the top of a large funnel before it goes into the carboy. It will catch the hops nicely and still let the wort through. It also helps catch some of the protean that always gets through. Just dip your bag into your boiling wort before you are done for about 3 mins to sanitize it. I have also found that paint strainer bags work as well as a hop bags and cost less and are made of the same material and have just as fine of a mesh but hold a lot more. You can get 3, 1 gallon paint bags for about $1.80 where you only get one hop bag for the same price. After your done with them just clean them out and throw them into the washer with some bleach and bingo ready for a second use.  ;D  Forgot to add that is with whole hops . ::slight_smile: Pellet hops clog the bag during the drain and make a big mess … I use 2.5 inch tea balls for pellet hops. You can put about a half oz in each one and they are easy to get back out and clean as well. If you have a large pot 6 or so tea balls don’t cause a problem.

Teaballs, eh?  I guess you learn something every day.  I shall keep my eyes peeled for some good teaballs!

What is a teaball? is that a SS round capsule (with holes in it) usually used to brew tea?
Where to you find one that can hold a half ounce of expanded pellets?

I would think you’d use this sort of tea ball, the ones with the mesh, no?

Teaballs work well. If they are going into the boil make sure the latch isn’t loose or it will come open defeating their purpose. :smiley: Anyway maybe a light touch of a squeeze with some pliers to tighten the latch up. YMMV

I have tried one of those and the pellets passed right through. Maybe you can use leaf hops.

leaf hops and tea balls don’t mix. They don’t make one the size of a basket ball. LOL You can put about half oz of pellet hops in one that is 2.5 inchs. Any more than that and I have found dry spots in the center of the mass after brewing. You can pick them up on Amazon and a lot of other places. I think I put out about 6 bucks for 3 of them. They do have larger versions that look like baskets that you could try with Leaf hops but for me the paint bag is a better way to go being as I want my leaf hops more exposed to get better extraction from them I just throw them into the pot and strain them out after the boil.  ;D And yes the pic is exactly the type I use. Work fine for me and no leaks.

I think I use a hop bag like you describe - it’s a paint strainer bag that hangs into the kettle from above.  It works fine and I get decent hop utilization with both pellet and leaf hops.  Some say that you’ll get slightly lower utilization when using a hop bag - something on the order of 10%.  I think it helps if you occasionally use a stirring spoon to sort of gently “fluff” the hop bag from below and on the outside.  This helps keep the hops from packing in the bag.