grain/hop bags

[AndyG4]

i bought some of thee mesh bags from craft brewer this week. they might be the best thing i've ever bought, because it made the whole brewing experience much cleaner and easier.

 

a total noob question though - are these things supposed to be reusable? i'm having a hell of a time getting mine clean.

 

if they are re-usable, how do others clean them?

[Smithy]

I believe they're reusable. I reuse mine anyway. I just flip them inside out and hose them, then dry on the line. They're going to be boiled off anyway.

 

They do tend to split at the seams easily, though. I've had to get the old needle and thread out and bung up some repairs...

[CaribooSpeed]

I use a 'cheesecloth' bag once for grains. Most of what I do is partial mash, so I always use a a Kg or 2 of grain. Anything that escapes the mesh is heavy enough to stay on the kettle bottom.

 

I use nylon mesh bags for hops, as for now I'm using pellet hops. The nylon bag works well to contain them. I use a paper clip to hang one from the top of the kettle, and just add hops per recipe.

 

 

[Muddy Waters]

I tend to boil my bags before reuse to sterilise them - you can never get all the crap off so boiling at least makes the crap sterile.