thanks for the advice

[BeerPal]

I am posting this on a new thread because I had something new to add and wanted your opinions.

thank you everyone for your suggestions.

In these hot summer months, here in ontario, Canada, (I would ad this to my profile, but cannot seem to figure out how to edit it!) I prefer a lighter beer, thus the want of a good corona recipe...

As a side bar...

I have to say, that last night when I was out at our local english pub (figure that, in Canada...you say!) I tried an ale that they have been concocting themselves and perfecting for the last 2 months.

It was brilliant! I asked what type of hops they had used in creating this magnificant beer...WHOLE LEAF HOPS!

Imagine that...not pellets...whole leaf!

Has anyone here experimented with whole leaf hops?

I would be very interested in hearing how it went.

After I arrived at home, I went on line to see who sells whole leaf hops, I was a little tipsy...OOPS, but I managed to stumble across this website I wanted to share with you...NO! I have absolutely nothing to do with them as I am in Ontario they are in BC, but, I do have to say I could not have been more impressed with someone who has gone from home brewing to microbrewing (I know this because I had to call and talk to him regarding his crops).

I don't know if this is appropriate, so please forgive me if I am out of line, I just get excited about people who take their passions and turn them into professions!

The Brew Masters name is Brian MacIsaac and his website
is:

http://www.crannogales.com

I just loved the whole premiss of his operation and thought you seasoned pros might appreciate it as well.

Once again, thank you everyone who replied to my "Corona recipe" thread

[Mill Rat]

Whole leaf hops are really no big deal. I use them almost exclusively, so I don't carry the pellet particles over to my primary. I use grain bags that are typically used for steeping grains in extract brewing to hold the hops in the brew kettle. When the brew is done, I set them on top of my immersion chiller frame to let them drain into the wort. N. B. Don't squeeze them. The only disadvantage that I know of is that they can quickly clog a racking cane or kettle drain if you don't do something (like the grain bags) to prevent that.

[danno]

I too try and only use whole hops, for the same reasons as Mill Rat...


to edit your location and other info, click on "User CP" at the top left of the page, then "Edit Profile"...

[Otis_The_Drunk]

I am one who tries to use more whole hops in my recipes as well.
But unlike others I do not use a bag during the boil as I feel that you need more contact with the wort in full boil.

I use a strainer when transferring into the fermentation vessel. Whole leaf hops work well as a filter to remove many of the protein coagulants in the wort.

Also like the others I don’t like the pellet hops being transferred into secondary.

On Dry Hopping, I tend to break up the hops and put them into a grain bag along with a stainless steel weight so that it sinks to the bottom of the secondary fermenter, it also helps to add a piece of dry ice the size of a quarter so as to remove any o2 that make be in the hops. I do not leave dry hops in contact for more than 2 weeks as I feel that after that you tend to get some undesirable flavors into your finished product.

Homebrewing is an ever expanding hobby and you should try to learn something new with each brew session.

Happy brewing,
Otis

[BitterRat]

I too use whole hops almost exclusively. My kettle has a false bottom and the whole hops rest on it and form a filter , as Otis said, taking out much of the break material and other junk. For dry hopping, I managed to score some wide mouth carboys( from Abbott Labs) that allow me to use whole hops tossed in without bags. The hops clean out very easily with them . As for a racking cane, I take the cover off a nylon scrub pad and use it to cover the end of the cane, keeping the hops out of my kegs. Speaking of the kegs, I dry hop in there every now and then too, simply putting the hops into a bag for that and attatching the bag with a sanitized paper clipl to the end of the dip tube, this way keeping the hop bag floating at the bottom of my keg for the duration. I have never had the grassiness that others say they have had froom extended dry hopping.

[stronk]

it also helps to add a piece of dry ice the size of a quarter so as to remove any o2 that make be in the hops
Where on earth do you get dry ice from?

[Otis_The_Drunk]

I get Dry Ice from the Ice house in the next town over.

[stronk]

Sorry, I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but:

Can you get liquid nitrogen from them, too? I'd love to live somewhere I could get dry ice from down the road.

[BignJames]

Some supermarkets carry dry ice here.