The Brülosophy Show: Hops In Kettle vs. Hops In Stainless Spider | exBEERiment


Hops add bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer, and as brewers we want to get the most out of those precious hops. For years, Martin has boiled his hops in a stainless sleeve, but would he be better off tossing them directly into the kettle? To find out, he brews two pale lagers side-by-side where everything is identical except how he adds those kettle hops, then he serves the beers to tasters including special guest, The Apartment Brewer, to see if they can tell a difference between these hopped-up brews.

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8 thoughts on “The Brülosophy Show: Hops In Kettle vs. Hops In Stainless Spider | exBEERiment”

  1. I have used a hop screen like yours but now usually throw loose pellet hops in to the kettle and whirlpool much like you did. When I used the hop screen with larger amounts of hops I found that the screen got so clogged by hop matter that I could raise it out of the kettle and it wouldn’t drain at all back into the wort. Small amounts like you used were usually no problem. I would use a silicone spatula to scrape the screen so it would allow flow. I now use a Spike steam lid so using the hop screen would be difficult. I’m not planning to go back to the hop screen.

  2. I really don’t like the video format, so I don’t watch them. They are exhaustingly long and drawn out. The written format is a hundred times better. I can read in less than 1/3 of the time. I can also save it or print it out. Plus, in the written format, you usually give the recipes that can be imported into software programs. Please at least provide an option for those that prefer to read.

    1. Agree. When looking for brewing info I come to Brulosophy and avoid youtube because there is no info density in videos. It is mostly chatter and fluff and worse is that the info is locked into a package that is not indexed so not searchable or usable for quick access. Imagine if every time you wanted to know the SG equivalent of 12 Brix you had to watch a video.

      Brulosophy is a library of useful info some of which won’t be found elsewhere. Why chose a format that impedes access and usage?

  3. I own and operate a brewpub with a nano brewery. I always use a hop screen. Sometimes I have to T-Bag it. Sometimes I have to scrape it. But it’s better then clogging my plate chiller.

  4. The total charge was 22g? Can you redo this experiment with a heavier hop load? Otherwise it is utterly pointless.

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