G'day all,
One BIAB down! Yeah!! ...Fermenting right now and can't wait to taste.
I was wanting to get a feel for BIABers preference around the topic of hop socks or hop bags. Some brewers will use these to keep the hop gunk out of the wort while others say you get less utilization and you should just let them be free, so to speak. If no hop sock is used, a whirlpool is necessary. On that, I must find out the finer points on this topic also.
Interested in this community's response.
Andy
Post #2 made 14 years ago
Hi Andy
I'm a complete BIAB noob with only 4 biab brews under the belt. I've used a hop sock for all 4 brews - my (possibly incorrect) reasoning being that I might just get more beer from my brew if I use the sock (my typical brew length is around 7-10 litres so every drop counts!). Just before I start to chill I pull the hop sock and and give it a good squeeze - rubber gloves recommended unless pain and suffering is your thing.
My hop sock is made from the voile that was leftover after I made the bags. I can't comment on utilisation - I'm sure some of the other members will comment on that!
lambert
I'm a complete BIAB noob with only 4 biab brews under the belt. I've used a hop sock for all 4 brews - my (possibly incorrect) reasoning being that I might just get more beer from my brew if I use the sock (my typical brew length is around 7-10 litres so every drop counts!). Just before I start to chill I pull the hop sock and and give it a good squeeze - rubber gloves recommended unless pain and suffering is your thing.
My hop sock is made from the voile that was leftover after I made the bags. I can't comment on utilisation - I'm sure some of the other members will comment on that!
lambert
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Post #3 made 14 years ago
amcd72, I've done over 100 BIAB brews. I use a hop sock for nearly all of them. I did try a few brews without the sock and noticed no difference in bitterness, flavour or aroma. So it's my opinion that there is no drop in utilization.
Cheers
Cheers
Last edited by hashie on 05 Jul 2011, 06:16, edited 5 times in total.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."
Post #4 made 14 years ago
Thanks for the reply Hashie. 100 brews is good enough for me. I think I might buy myself one of these hops socks.
I've seen on the Internet somewhere a type of hop sock that is braced across the top of the pot so that it neatly sits in the middle and makes it easy to drop your hop additions without having to make contact with the sock.
Andy
I've seen on the Internet somewhere a type of hop sock that is braced across the top of the pot so that it neatly sits in the middle and makes it easy to drop your hop additions without having to make contact with the sock.
Andy
Post #5 made 14 years ago
amcd72 My hop sock is one I stitched myself from voile. I used an old keg lid o-ring to form the top and a couple of bits of wire to suspend it from the top of the keggle.
This is a pic of new v's old
This is a pic of new v's old
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"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."
Post #6 made 14 years ago
Great Hashie, thanks for that. The new one looks the goods but the old one looks like it's been dug up with the Dead Sea Scrolls 
I like the idea of suspending it with wire.
I like the idea of suspending it with wire.
Post #7 made 14 years ago
amcd72,
here is my two cents worth. If you are brewing a malty beer with only bittering hops just throw the hops in the pot. There is not enough hop matter too matter! If you are brewing a hoppy beer with many timed hop additions then build a hop sack holder to make it easier. Their are many designs some simple some more elaborate http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/H ... holder.pdf Good luck!
here is my two cents worth. If you are brewing a malty beer with only bittering hops just throw the hops in the pot. There is not enough hop matter too matter! If you are brewing a hoppy beer with many timed hop additions then build a hop sack holder to make it easier. Their are many designs some simple some more elaborate http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/H ... holder.pdf Good luck!
Last edited by BobBrews on 06 Jul 2011, 00:15, edited 5 times in total.
tap 1 Raspberry wine
tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
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tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
tap 3 Czech Pilsner
tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV
http://cheesestradamus.com/ Brewers challenge!
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Post #8 made 14 years ago
Hop spiders are a very easy build.There are many models available on line.Hey,we HB'ers love DIY right?
AWOL
Post #9 made 14 years ago
What I've discovered after some reading and some Youtubing, is that it is important to allow plenty of open-bag space i.e. a larger bag. Hops, like grain, need plenty of contact with the boiling wort. Also, it's important to find the right hole size in the material used. Very fine mesh will not allow the liquid to pass through freely enough and large holes in the material will defeat the purpose of the hop sock!
BobBrews, looks like the PDF you supplied is on the money (paint strainer bags) - not too fine, but still catches the gunk.
Thanks everyone for the great discussion.
Andy
BobBrews, looks like the PDF you supplied is on the money (paint strainer bags) - not too fine, but still catches the gunk.
Thanks everyone for the great discussion.
Andy
Post #10 made 14 years ago
I had this discussion with an experienced brewer friend of mine, and he was of the opinion that a hop spider was the best option with a fine mesh bag (A paint strainer bag from the hardware store was his choice), or in a pinch, he used some nylon knee highs from Wal-Mart he picked up for 79 cents. He said he bleached them first, them washed them thoroughly before using them. he said they worked great in a pinch. he didn't comment on utilization though.
Post #11 made 14 years ago
I've never understood the reason for suspending a small bag over the middle of your pot with some sort of spider contraption. It seems like it would just get in the way. Is there any reason why you can't just use a large bag and line your entire pot the same way you would for the grains? I would think as long as you have some sort of false bottom in your kettle to keep the bag off the bottom of the pot you would be fine. I've also thought about just lining my primary fermentation bucket with a voile bag so when I pour my wort in I can just pull the bag out and remove any hop debris with it. Is there something to this that I'm missing?
Post #12 made 14 years ago
Hi Mike, Your not missing anything that I can see.
You can use a large bag, like a grain bag. But you wont need a false bottom because the bag will float, even with hops in it.
If you have a false bottom, you wont need a bag or hop sock, because the false bottom will screen the hop debris when you drain your kettle.
A hop sock suspended in the kettle doesn't get in the way. When boiling the only thing we need to do is to add the hops at the correct intervals, no stirring etc. so nothing to get in the way of.
You can line your FV with voile and then remove it after you've added your wort. Some hop debris will still get through though.
Hope I've answered your questions.
Cheers
You can use a large bag, like a grain bag. But you wont need a false bottom because the bag will float, even with hops in it.
If you have a false bottom, you wont need a bag or hop sock, because the false bottom will screen the hop debris when you drain your kettle.
A hop sock suspended in the kettle doesn't get in the way. When boiling the only thing we need to do is to add the hops at the correct intervals, no stirring etc. so nothing to get in the way of.
You can line your FV with voile and then remove it after you've added your wort. Some hop debris will still get through though.
Hope I've answered your questions.
Cheers
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."
Post #13 made 14 years ago
Good Day de5m0mike, Your not missing much, If you use a bag, or piece of Voile in the fermenter, you should heat the voile/bag to around 100C/212F for 5-7 minutes to sanitize it before it used in No-Chill.
A strainer can also be used going into the Fermenter, finer the better, and any sanitizer can be used.
Using any bag in a boil, you should check the Melting point of the bag, some materials start to fall apart below 100c/212F. Just my experience!
A strainer can also be used going into the Fermenter, finer the better, and any sanitizer can be used.
Using any bag in a boil, you should check the Melting point of the bag, some materials start to fall apart below 100c/212F. Just my experience!
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #14 made 14 years ago
Interesting thread. I use my grain bag as a hop bag. Seems to work OK, but then maybe I should do a brew just throwingvthevhops in withoutvavag and see if there is a discernible difference. Does anyone think there would be?
Post #15 made 14 years ago
Good Dat Shifter, I have done this experiment a few times with different Hops, the ONLY difference I found was the amount of Trub was huge without a bag.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #16 made 14 years ago
Yep, I've tried both methods as well. Your BIAB bag is great as a hop sock. No restrictions and it does make a difference.
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Post #19 made 14 years ago
I have just splashed out and bought a new BIAB bag. Now I have one for grain and one for hops. I'm going to use the "old" bag for hops and the new one for grain. All is well in the world!
