Pantyhose hop holder

TroubleShooting

Doug Moyer • Salem, Virginia asks,

I’ve been using sections cut out of pantyhose, knotted at each end, as a hop bag during boil. How does this affect hop utilization? It seems logical that there would be less utilization because the hops contact a smaller volume of water per unit of time than if they were loose in the wort. But then, logic isn’t always the best tool. If there is a reduction in utilization, is it enough to require an adjustment to the hop quantity? On a related note, for other boil additions, such as the coriander in a Belgian witbier, is it a bad idea for me to make use of my seemingly endless supply of recycled pantyhose?