Whole Hops vs Pellet vs Plug

Confession: I have never seen a plug hop in person or otherwise

 

This is the first year I've really been experimenting with leaf. Leaf are kind of a pain in the boil if you go above 3 ounces. That said, so far I'm preferring leaf for dry hopping.

 

I prefer pellet for storage and hot side and whole cone for cold side.

 

I had some bad ekg whole hop flowers a few years back. Since then I've stuck with pellets for their more consistent longevity.

 

I have been using both for a while. Pellet during the boil. Leaf at flameout or during dry hop. I have just recently switched to pellet exclusively. A Pro gave me his opinion that leaf is often oxidized and inferior in quality. Maybe coincidence but my last 2 IPA's will all pellet have been my best.

 

Pellet for ease of use, storage space and stability, and variety.

 

Pellets, because a couple pounds of leaf hops take up a ton of room in the freezer.

 

I bought about 6 pounds of leaf after a very experienced friend told me how much better leaf is. Now that I have used both and read tons of articles, I am going back to pellets. I did like that leaf functioned as a natural strainer. Other than that, I like everything else about pellet. I still have about 4 pounds of leaf to use or trade.

 

I have used leaf only when the variety I have wanted in pellets is out of stock. I don't recall them making my beer taste better, but I do remember the hassle of working with them on my system.

 

With my system whole-cone hops are easier to use in the boil, although if I'm making something like an IPA with tons of hops, I'll use some pellets to reduce the absorption of wort. This is why I keep on hand Simcoe, Amarillo, and Centennial pellets.

I prefer naked pellets for dry hopping, as they sink into the trub and so are out of the way when racking from the fermenter.

 

Pellet all the way. Every time I try leaf from my LHBS they're cheesy.

 

@MrOH already listed the criteria for why I prefer to use pellets in my homebrewing but permit me to emphasize the criterion of stability. Pellet hops in nitrogen flushed oxygen impermeable (e.g., mylar) packages and then stored at freezer temperatures will keep in good condition for a very long time.

Cheers!

 

Hands-down ... it's pellets all the way; although ... whole cones have seemed more better for le dry hop.

 

It depends on how your system is set up if whole or pellets work better.

Whole works best with my false bottom system, pellets will plug the pump if I go over 10 oz. Of course whole for the hop rocket. I do use pellets for dry hopping.

I used to use plugs often back when. The British Brewers would use those to dry hop casks of beer.

 

I just used leaf for my first time this past weekend, and probably won't use them again. If I do, I'll definitely use a hop sock. I just feel like you get more oil extraction with pellet. My leaf hops expanded into their whole cone shape when I threw them into the boil, and when I tore one of the cones open (after straining them from the kettle) it looked as if it still had a lot of precious lupulin that wasn't extracted. Anyone else have this happen?

 

I don't think plugs are available any longer. However they are a convenient way to store home grown hops. I use a 1.5 inch plastic tube and a home made plunger. I feed the tube with the whole hops and smash them down into plugs and then vac pac and freeze. It saves a ton of freezer space.