Thick layer of hops

[haighter]

I took the lid off of my currently-fermenting brew last night to check how things were going (and because I'm curious). I noticed there was a very thick layer of the whole-leaf hops I used in the boil. They appeared to be mixed in with the trub, but mostly totally covering the trub with a little foam poking out here and there. They are a nasty pale green color (not like the lush green when they started).

Will these hops eventually sink? Should I filter them out after I chill the wort but before I pour into the fermenter? I think I read somewhere on here that once you chill the wort, the hops won't add anything to your brew.

 

[dontman]

I won't say with final authority that you have to filter them but I definitely do.

I have never left them in to see if this happens but I have heard that leaving whole leaf in during the ferment can lead to some vegetal off flavors.

To filter them I pour the wort through a mesh colander set in a funnel. This has the excellent side benefit of aerating the wort really well and the leaf hops serve as an excellent filter bed for the wort in general. I get clearer beer when I use leaf hops and then strain through them.