Dry Hopping - Bag or not?

So, noticing a lot of my IPA's are a little light in the loafers on aroma. This after DH in a bag. I actually just use a paint strainer bag (the small 1 gallon ones) Sanitize, knot, then drop in. I like to layer the bags in and do a couple charges of hops but just don't feel the hop love like our commercial examples.

So, If I were to go sans bag, how do I keep all that hop sediment out of the bottled final product. I don't mind a little yeast settling on the bottom of the bottle. I nice dusting in fine. But I don't like when the slightest movement brings all of in to suspension.

SO what do you do to clarify you beer? keep most of the junk out of the bottles? can I dry hop, cold crash, rack to secondary, cold crash again, bottle?

You could try using a bag over your siphon. I prefer to use hop bags. For clarity I run off my mash tun slowly, recirculate some, get a rolling boil, use Irish moss, cold crash after fermentation is complete, and sometimes use Knox gelatin.

I've never used a bag to dry hop... I just nudge the fermenter once or twice a day to get them started dropping out, then (when I bottled) I would cold crash for a few days to get everything to drop clear.

Always all in the primary.

Use the bag on your siphon. I tied one to the end of my hose for my last batch and caught a ton of hop flakes. Game changer after half the bottles of my APA looked like I was breeding sea monkeys. If you can cold crash at all (I can't, swamp cooler 4 life), that would def. help get all the hops out of suspension.

I wouldn't recomend using a bag over your siphon after fermentation has taken place due to high chance of oxidation. I personally use hop bags and am extremely happy.

How much are you dry hopping? How long?

How does oxidation occur if the bag is submerged in wort along with the tip of the siphon?

BurntOrngeLonghorn84 said:

How does oxidation occur if the bag is submerged in wort along with the tip of the siphon?

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2 ways.

First, when you start the siphon there is air in between the mesh mixing with the beer, granted at this point is minimal oxidation.

Second, if you are to siphon the bag has to be tight against the siphon because if not as you pull the bag/siphon out of the bottling bucket the beer will be oxidized due to the beer being pulled through the bag on the way up and out.

With that being said, filtering with a tight fit of the nylon bag against the siphon will likely clog very easily.

-Cody

I have two 11.5" stainless dry hoppers that I purchased from UBD, they are fantastic.

I like to bag them also. Easier to add marbles to make them sink.

1) No bag. Add hops directly to primary.

2) Keg, do not bottle condition, if you are serious about getting explosive hop character in a particular beer.

I have no kegging equipment and no way to cold crash, so I bag. The one time I tossed dry hops directly into the primary without a bag, bottling was a huge pain - the racking cane kept getting clogged and I got a ton of hops material in the bottles, which makes for an ugly pour.

My bags aren't huge, so I use one per ounce of hops (always pellets because that's what I can get readily). I boil the bags in advance of adding the hops and tossing them into the fermenter to prevent infection.

I would think that boiling your hops before dry hopping is not necessary. They are a preservative. You are boiling away the essential oils. I have never done that. I also use one gallon paint strainer bags to dry hop.

BitterSweetBrews said:

I would think that boiling your hops before dry hopping is not necessary. They are a preservative. You are boiling away the essential oils. I have never done that. I also use one gallon paint strainer bags to dry hop.

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Might not have been clear there: I boil the bags, not the hops. Boil the bag, add the hops, tie off the bags, toss into the fermenter.

BitterSweetBrews said:

I would think that boiling your hops before dry hopping is not necessary. They are a preservative. You are boiling away the essential oils. I have never done that. I also use one gallon paint strainer bags to dry hop.

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If there were any buggers on those hops that could survive the hop's natural antiseptic property, the alcohol content of your beer would keep them in check. Please don't boil your hop for dry hopping...

PrinceOfThePoint said:

1) No bag. Add hops directly to primary.

2) Keg, do not bottle condition, if you are serious about getting explosive hop character in a particular beer.

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If you'll pay for my kegging set-up, I'll go for it.