Dry hopping with pellets in secondary

When I racked to my secondary yesterday I just dumped in the pellets that were called for during dry hopping. Thinking about it I'm wondering if I should have used a bag since now all the pellet scum has collected to the top of the carboy. Does it matter? Should I maybe put a cheese cloth over the end of my autosiphon when I go to the keg with this to catch all the scum?

Thanks.

Tim

I do that all the time- don't worry about it! You should have a little black tip on the end of your siphon that will help keep the pellets from getting sucked up too much. I've noticed that while the pellets disintegrate, some float and some sink. I usually start my siphon in the middle and lower the siphon as the top lowers. I find that you stay out of the trub and the pellet sludge pretty easily that way. You can sanitize a bag if you'd like, and some do that. I find that it clogs way too easily for me to be able to do it.

Cool, thanks. This is the DFH 60 Minute clone. I'm hoping it turns out good. It was also my first AG...

Tim

Yooper has a few more posts than I do and knows what's goin' on. I, too, have dry hopped with pellet/sludge and I personally always siphon from top down just out of habit/paranoia of the dreaded "stuff at the bottom...ick!"

(mostly, though, unless it is a price/supply issue--just a suggestion that whole/leaf hops may be better suited to dry hopping but that's just my two cents unsolicited)

You could always use a bag on the siphon tube, providing you're creative with attaching it (sanitized all 'round, sanitized rubber band, etc.) But perhaps that' what Yooper meant, when I read "clogs way too easily for me".

p.s. nice avatar shot, Yooper! Like the pose!

I don't even secondary. I just drop the pellets right into the primary at the tail end of the fermentation, then rack to the keg 3 weeks after brew day with a racking cane fitted with a nylon mesh bag. BREW ON!

tamoore said:

I don't even secondary. I just drop the pellets right into the primary at the tail end of the fermentation, then rack to the keg 3 weeks after brew day with a racking cane fitted with a nylon mesh bag. BREW ON!

Click to expand...

I used to do this till I got an herb ball

I actually just like to cram the siphon right into the yeast cake from the get-go, and get all the yeasty junk out of the way so the clear racking can commence. But dry hopping with pellets unrestrained is just fine, and my preferred method. FWIW I find the bag on the end of the racking cane too much hassle. What's a few hops in the keg?