Adding Hops to Boiling Wort

Before adding hops to your boiling wort, there are a couple of things you should know.


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[gkautz1]

I am thinking about growing my own barley and hops. I understand the process of germinating the barley and everything that it entails, however how do I add the hops to my boiling wort? Do I wrap them in a cheese cloth sack and let them just sit in the boiling wort?

[NorthernBrewerTV]

You can do either/or. Pellets and whole leaf hops (like those you'll have growing) can be put in a muslin bag or cheese cloth wrap... or just simply tossed into the kettle. Bagging them make them easier to remove, but chilling your wort after boiling should force hops to the bottom of the kettle as well.

[happyhoppyviking]

Why the gloves?

[NorthernBrewerTV]

Why not? Safety first!

[FrankiePintado]

hmmm,

just brewed my first batch. It's Northern Brewers' Nut Brown. I put the hops pellets in a piece of cheese cloth, boiled the recomended 1 hour, then took what was left of them out out of the wort. Is this wrong? Do you strain them out, or leave them in for fermentation?

I have to say, after four days, the smells coming from the airlock are wonderful and very promising.

[NorthernBrewerTV]

If you can strain the hop pellets out - great. If you can't, it's not a big deal because, as you noticed, they disintegrate during the boil, and whatever is left of them will settle to the bottom of the fermenter by the time your beer is ready to siphon. If you can quickly chill the wort in the kettle after the boil, most of the hop material will settle out there, allowing you to leave it in the kettle as you pour off the clear wort.