Whole Hops vs Pellet Hops For Homebrewing

Hops are an important ingredient used in beer brewing. Harvested from the hop plant (scientific name: Humulus lupulus), they help balance the overly sweet flavors of malt with a touch of bitterness, creating a delicate blend that most beer drinkers love. Without them, homebrewed beer would have an overwhelming sweet flavor with an off-balanced yeast fermentation. The bottom line is that you must use hops to achieve a balance, delicious batch of homebrewed beer.

In a previous blog post, we discussed the differences of wet vs dry hopping. This time, we’re going to talk about the two different types of hops commonly used in homebrewing: whole leaves and pellets. While both types offer an effective way to balance the flavors and characteristics of homebrewed beer, there are some major differences between them. For a closer look at whole hops and pellet hops, keep reading.

Fresh hops: photo by chellinsky.

Subtract 10% More When Using Pellet Hops

A good rule of thumb is to subtract 10% from the original recipe when using pellet hops. The general consensus is that most pellet hops are roughly 10% more concentrated than their whole hop counterpart, which is where this rule into play. Since they are more concentrated, you don’t have to use as much in your homebrew recipe.

This rule can also go the other way, meaning a recipe calling for 1 oz of hops would require 1.1 oz of whole hop leaves. Don’t assume that all hops are the same, as using the wrong measurements can throw off the flavors of your brew.

Shelf Life

Pellet hops typically last longer than whole leaf hops. The exact shelf life of pellet hops varies depending on where it’s stored, how it’s stored, the surrounding temperature, humidity, etc. If you’re going to store your hops for several months or longer, it’s recommended that you stick with pellets. There’s nothing more frustrating than preparing a batch of homebrew beer only to discover that your whole hops have gone bad.

Pellet hops: photo by Daquella manera.

Filtration

One area where fresh hops trump pellet is ease of filtration. When you filter beer brewed with pellet hops, some of the sediments may linger behind. Thankfully, this isn’t a problem with fresh hop beer, as it’s easily filtered out, leaving pure, clean beer behind.

Do you use whole hops or pellet hops in your homebrew? Let us know in the comments section below!