These disposable muslin bags are a time saver! When you're done steeping, just toss them in the composter. At this price you can afford to keep a few extra on hand!
Note: These bags are better suited for grains and whole hops due to the looser weave. If using pellet hops, try our tighter mesh, reusable nylon bags.
OK so they're not thick, I wouldn't put 5lbs of grain in one of these, because 5lbs of wet grain weighs almost 17lbs after all. But they're great for hops or specialty grain additions. I keep a supply on hand for hopping. They aren't loose-fibered in my experience, they hold in all the hops well, and since they're compostable, they go right in the yard waste can. One of my brewing peeves is realizing I'm out of disposable mesh bags and will have to break out Old Man Nylon. Don't let it happen to you.
They work great! I like tying a knot and then cutting the extra tail into two ears with scissors and then tying the bag to the handle on my kettle. Super easy!
Weak and easily ripped when grain is wet after soaking.
I dislike this product. It ripped when removing from the wert spilling 5 lbs of grain back into the liquid (frustrating). Would make more sense to double bag of I was going the tea bag route next time
Firstly be aware that, when brand new, these can shed off synthetic material into your wort, so wash them first to prevent this. Secondly, as others have mentioned, tiny hop and/or grain material will go through the mesh holes. Take that for what it's worth. Thirdly, and most importantly, be VERY CAREFUL not to allow these bags to touch the hot bottom of the wort pot while steeping. If these contact the hot bottom of the pot, they will melt/burn. The burn results in a nasty gunk sticking to the bottom which will contaminate the wort. The bag will then burst open, spilling the grains or hops or whatever into the wort. CAREFUL!!!! However, they still work really well with all this considered! Can re-use a couple times, too (only need one for a whole batch).
I bought some of these a long time ago and I've been waiting to find something they are useful for. Pellet hops simply pass through the bag beacuse the weave is too open. At the end of a boil, there'll be virtually nothing left in the bag. If you are considering using these for pellet hops, just throw the hops in and forget the bag.
I have some that I've used for a long time that came from kits I bought, I'm not sure from where any more. Those are more of a closed weave and hold all the hops in. But mine are getting old and I wanted new ones. The search is still on.
I brewed a couple of the Pliney kits and these really came in handy. That kit has about 5 hop addition throughout the boil so you can't go wrong with these babies!
can't steep without it if doing a partial mash. throw away when done, not worth trying to clean out. don't try to stuff it with more than 2lbs of milled grains, just not big enough.
This product has changed. The bags are now 5" x 8" and barely hold any grain. I may have ruined a batch using these tiny bags. Do not purchase until this problem is corrected.
These bags are great for spices or steeping specialty grains. They're so cheap, it makes sense to always buy a few extras.
While the product is exactly as described, I feel that the 15" length is a little on the small side for how I like to use the bags. I like to have extra length to after I tie it off, there's a length of bag to attach to the outside of the brew kettle. I guess I should stop complaining and just split my grain bill between multiple bags. (Easy to manage at such a cheap price)