Dry Hopping?

I would like to dry hop my next brew - an American Pale Ale. Can anyone help me find a good guide on doing this. I have heard of a number of ways to do it - tossing the whole leaves into secondary, putting them in a bag with some marbles, etc.

Should I take steps to sanitize the whole hops I am using? How do I do it?

No need to sanitize the hops...they have some natural anti-bacterial properties, plus you've got a decent level of alcohol in the beer by the time it reaches the secondary.

How to apply them is largely a matter of personal taste. Most of us just toss the whole hops straight into the secondary (sans bag) and let them float. If you use pellets they will eventually settle into the trub.

sonvolt said:

I would like to dry hop my next brew - an American Pale Ale. Can anyone help me find a good guide on doing this. I have heard of a number of ways to do it - tossing the whole leaves into secondary, putting them in a bag with some marbles, etc.

Should I take steps to sanitize the whole hops I am using? How do I do it?

Click to expand...

I've tried dumping whole hops straight into the fermenter. This was a PITA for me. The hops clogged my siphon inlet and it sucked air into the beer. If I do it again, I will put them in a bag and weigh them down.

There is no need to sanitize the hops before use.

I've heard of putting them in a muslin bag with a marble in it. But I've only just tossed them into secondary to float on top. I used a muslin bag rubber banded on the end of the siphon to strain when racking to keg (or bottling bucket)

sonvolt said:

...putting them in a bag with your marbles, etc.

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putting the hops in a bag with your marbles! Gross!

Like most brewers in the UK I use a 5(imp) gallon FV or 5-6(imp) gallon cask as a secondary, or clearing vessel to be more accurate, both are fitted with taps/faucets. The back of the tap can be fitted with a rolled up piece of stainless steel gauze (extracted from a frying pan spatter guard).
If whole hops are used, transfer to a bottling bucket or keg can be done as normal by fitting a poly tube to the tap (to avoid splashing) and opening the tap. Straining is done automaticaly.
If youre using a 6 usg carboy, copper wire a stainless scrubby on the end of your racking cane. In my experience whole hops float so flow should be normal right up until the last few pints.
Alternatively, if using a 6 gal FV, simply lift the lid and scoop up the whole hops with a strainer.

I dont think hop bags are necessary, just one more thing to clean.

No need to sanitize hops though, they contain a mild anti-septic and were used as a preservative as well as flavoring originaly.

sonvolt said:

I would like to dry hop my next brew - an American Pale Ale. Can anyone help me find a good guide on doing this. I have heard of a number of ways to do it - tossing the whole leaves into secondary, putting them in a bag with some marbles, etc.

Click to expand...

Do you keg or bottle? If you keg, put a handful of marbles in a nylon hop bag (sanitize the marbles and bag first) and then fill the bag with your hops. Toss it in the keg, seal it up, and let it condition for a couple weeks. Tap and enjoy. Definitely makes for a nice, hoppy PA.