As I've had a couple of issues the last few times I tried dry hopping, I wanted to get some advice from the community on what the best approach is to maximize the flavor and aroma while dry hopping. I will be experimenting with hopstands in the near future, but I have some concerns that my dry hopping techniques are not up to snuff.
1) Do you transfer to a secondary vessel before you dry hop? I understand that precluding oxidation is of paramount importance when dry hopping. So does it even make sense to use a secondary vessel with a APA / IPA / DIPA? What is the preferred vessel (bucket or carboy) for dry hopping?
2) How do you prevent hop excrement from contaminating your bottles / keg after the beer has been dry hopped? I usually use a muslin bag in my fermenter, but I've found that it doesn't diffuse aroma as well as I would like it to, and they are extremely difficult to remove from a glass carboy.
3) How do you avoid vegetal flavors in beer when keg hopping? I would like to experiment with keg hopping, but I am concerned that my slow consumption rate (1 keg / 2 months) would allow vegetal flavors to develop due to extended contact with hops.
4) Lastly, what are the repercussions from using whole cone hops over pelletized hops? I would also like to experiment using whole hops (especially in keg hopping), but I am not sure about the implications with regards to hopping rates and how they affect the final flavor.
Help a dry hopping newb out!
1) Do you transfer to a secondary vessel before you dry hop? I understand that precluding oxidation is of paramount importance when dry hopping. So does it even make sense to use a secondary vessel with a APA / IPA / DIPA? What is the preferred vessel (bucket or carboy) for dry hopping?
2) How do you prevent hop excrement from contaminating your bottles / keg after the beer has been dry hopped? I usually use a muslin bag in my fermenter, but I've found that it doesn't diffuse aroma as well as I would like it to, and they are extremely difficult to remove from a glass carboy.
3) How do you avoid vegetal flavors in beer when keg hopping? I would like to experiment with keg hopping, but I am concerned that my slow consumption rate (1 keg / 2 months) would allow vegetal flavors to develop due to extended contact with hops.
4) Lastly, what are the repercussions from using whole cone hops over pelletized hops? I would also like to experiment using whole hops (especially in keg hopping), but I am not sure about the implications with regards to hopping rates and how they affect the final flavor.
Help a dry hopping newb out!