Dryhopping

budchx · 12-09-2011, 03:36 AM

Hi there,
I've got a beginner question to ask,
Can I use pellets for dry hopping?
if yes,should I use a hop-bag or just throw the pellets into my fermenter?
I'm not racking to a second fermenter,still ok for dry hopping?!
Thanks

**HbgBill** · 12-09-2011, 03:48 AM

Yes, you can use pellets. No issue there.
Should you use a bag.. probably will be very helpful to keep 90% of the gunk out of the bottom of the FV. This makes it nice when you are ready to rack to the bottling bucket... not as much cr@p to deal with.

You are on the right track.....

BTW, what are you brewing? What type of hops are you considering for the DH?.. and for how long.. A week DH is usually great.. at least for the ales I'm messin' with.

budchx · 12-09-2011, 03:53 AM

I'm ready to brew an IPA,
With Amarillo gold and simcoe for dry hopping

**unionrdr** · 12-09-2011, 06:18 PM

A 1 week dry hop worked out fantastic for my BuckIPA. I had used 4.5oz total of Columbus,Nugget,& Cascade in the boil. 1/2oz each in the one week dry hop after FG was reached. And I used hop sacks for pellets,grain bags for whole leaf. The whole leaf by the same weight takes up way more room. But boy,that smell hit you as soon as you cracked it. Wish I had 6 or 8 left for tonight. The Cascade was whole leaf,as it was all my LHBS had left in that one. Turns out that raw,or whole leaf hops are good for flavor & aroma additions. Dosen't seem to be the same quality of bitterness so readily apparent in pellet hops. To my taste buds,anyway. But pellets are good too,as the other 2 hops used were those.
It seems to me the lupulins are made sharper by the pelletizing process...

Calder · 12-09-2011, 07:02 PM

I prefer to dry hop with pellets rather than leaf. Leaf tends to suck up a lot of the beer, and I need to strain the wort as I siphon it out of the fermenter or the leaves will plug the siphon.

I let the pellets swim free. They usually drop in 10 days to 2 weeks. Some may say that is too long, but I have not seen any issues. I have not had any grassy flavors, even when they have been left in for a couple of months.

I don't use bags and have no problems racking the beer and leaving the hops behind. They eventually drop to the bottom of the fermenter and stay there.

kyleobie · 12-09-2011, 07:33 PM

I also prefer to dry hop with pellets for the same reasons as Calder. I just pour them in 7 days before I want to bottle. I do not like the amount of beer the whole leaf hops and pellets tend to absorb.

ChadChaney · 12-09-2011, 07:49 PM

I dry hopped with pellets last time and just let them float, racked to a keg and I have a ton of floaties! Taste and aroma are killer though, this time I am going to put some nylons over the end of my racking cane to act as a filter and put a stainless scrubbie at the end of my dip tube for the same reason. Also plan on cold crashing with some gelatin to help clear it up some more.