dry hop question

[Machiavelli]

I dry hopped for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was 10 days in primary and a week in secondary, when I chucked in a small package of pellet hops. Planned to keep another week in secondary and then bottle.

Anyway, I should have read up a bit more on dry hopping. I'd have known to use a weighted hop bag. I peeked at my beer last night and I now have about a quarter inch of hop scum floating at the top of the carboy. I gave the carboy a light shake and lots of it started falling....its really a mess in there now. Some of it appears to be rising again.

Anyone ever dry hop like this? ......without a bag?

Will this eventually settle out, to the bottom?

Should I transfer again?

Thanks
M

 

[Yooper]

I never use a hops bag. I dryhop with both pellets and leaf hops (sometimes at the same time!). I tried using a hops bag but I had a heck of a time getting it in the carboy, and even a worse time getting it out. So, in the beer they go!

If they are floating on top, just push your racking cane down below them. I usually start siphoning from the middle, anyway, above the trub line and under the floating hops. If you're afraid you'll suck up too many leaf hops and clog up your bottling wand, you could use a sanitized paint strainning bag over the racking cane. I've tried that, and managed to clog up my siphon that way, so I don't bother.

With practice, you can get the beer out of the carboy without sucking up hops debris. Here's one of my IPAs (i've posted this picture before but I just love this beer!):

 

[david_42]

Yes, yes
Most likely you'll have a layer on the bottom and a layer on the top.
No, not until it separates out again.

 

[shortyjacobs]

What Yoop said .

I never use a bag. I just dump mine in primary after 3 weeks, let sit 1 wk, siphon into a keg. Just don't stick your siphon into all the crap at the bottom. At least with me, with 2-3 oz of pellets in there, I get a LOT of trub, and can easily clog my siphon if I just stick it down in the bottom like I normally do with non-dry-hopped beer.

 

[norwegiangeek]

I picked up a little stainless steal mesh that sits on the end of the racking cane and don't really worry about it. I've never used a hop bag. Here is a link to what I bought; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/racking-cane-steel-mesh-filter.html

I just wash and sanitize it with the racking cane and it's good to go each time.

 

[Machiavelli]

I never use a hops bag. I dryhop with both pellets and leaf hops (sometimes at the same time!). I tried using a hops bag but I had a heck of a time getting it in the carboy, and even a worse time getting it out. So, in the beer they go!

If they are floating on top, just push your racking cane down below them. I usually start siphoning from the middle, anyway, above the trub line and under the floating hops. If you're afraid you'll suck up too many leaf hops and clog up your bottling wand, you could use a sanitized paint strainning bag over the racking cane. I've tried that, and managed to clog up my siphon that way, so I don't bother.

With practice, you can get the beer out of the carboy without sucking up hops debris. Here's one of my IPAs (i've posted this picture before but I just love this beer!):

Thanks for the advice, all.

Thats amazing........I cant ever seem to get that kind of clarity!

 

[zman]

I recently got a brew infuser. I did Yoopers all Cascade APA yesterday. I am going to use it to dry hop and see how well it works