Using Leaf Hops for the first time

[kingmebrewing]

Hello all
I'm new to the forums here and been brewing for about two years now. I'm about to make a session ale using all cascade leaf hops. Always used pellets before and wanted to give leaf a whirl. I've seen some mixed opinions on what's better, etc...

My question is what kind of compensation do you need to make when transforming your recipe from pellet utilization to whole leaf?

Thanks for any response!

 

[RobInOre]

I think the books say the rule of thumb is 80%. For 1oz of leaf you can use .8oz of pellets. In my limited experience and with my limited pallet, it doesn't matter. An ounce is an ounce and I drink (almost) everything I brew. If you're really particular there are calculators available. To use those you also need the specific analysis of your hops and other ingredients though.

 

[bleme]

Download a trial of BeerSmith 2. Not only will it help you get the hop weights right, it will help you figure out how much extra liquid the leaf hops are going to absorb.

 

[NastyN8]

I've been brewing whole flower hops for months now, and almost exclusively Cascade as well. I just bought a house and am going to grow Cascade all around it, so I wanted to get a feel for fresh cascade in my beer.

I think it works out just using an ounce for an ounce, but then again, the flavor does tend to dissipate if they're left in the freezer too long. I love whole leaf far more than pellets now!! In fact, I'd rather brew with only Cascade than go back to pellets. But that's just me.

 

[jeff13]

The default adjustment from Beersmith is 10% more AA utilization from pellet versus whole leaf. Whole leaf AA degrade faster than pellet so I always adjust to add more depending on the time from harvest.

 

[kingmebrewing]

Thanks for the replies. I'll share my results (to bad only by type and not a pint) when I get this one done.

 

[kingmebrewing]

Lil update. Brewed this one up and absolutely love the aroma! It's fermenting away respectively in my chamber at 65-68. Bottling really soon