How do you Dry Hop?

[htims05]

I just started fermenting a recipe that calls for some dry hopping. I haven't dry hopped before or even racked to a secondary fermenter before.

How do I dry hop without adding a bunch of air into the fermenter - which I'm reading you shouldn't do?

 

[jhnmdahl]

What's your dry hop schedule? It's less an issue if the beer is still actively fermenting, as it will consume oxygen and blow gas out the airlock after adding the hops. If after active fermentation has ended, just be careful not to disturb it to the extent possible - drop in your hops, and close the carboy back up without unnecessary delay or agitation and you should be fine.

CO2 is heavier than air, but they do tend to mix somewhat rather than stay separated once you've opened the fermenter, so don't leave it open for longer than you need to for adding the hops.

 

[RoguePixels]

I soak a hop sack in a starsan solution before adding hops to the bag. I sanitize the fermenter lid before opening and dropping it in and sealing it back up. I like to dry hop 2-3 days into fermentation.

 

[htims05]

Schedule is after primary is done - 7 days in or so. Dry hop for 3 - 7 more days.

I ferment in buckets...I'm not sure I could get the lid off without sloshing it all around...it's a tight lid that dam near cuts my fingers each time I pry it off.

I do have a spigot on the fermeter I could just rack via a tube to the second, I only have one lid though so I'd have to fill it with the lid off/open.

Is the issue with sloshing the beer around and aerating it or just that it touches air once you break the seal?

 

[Dgallo]

Schedule is after primary is done - 7 days in or so. Dry hop for 3 - 7 more days.

I ferment in buckets...I'm not sure I could get the lid off without sloshing it all around...it's a tight lid that dam near cuts my fingers each time I pry it off.

I do have a spigot on the fermeter I could just rack via a tube to the second, I only have one lid though so I'd have to fill it that way.

Is the issue with sloshing the beer around and aerating it or just that it touches air once you break the seal?

Always dryhop loose for extraction. If you can minimize o2 pick up then dryhop at the tail end of fermentation

 

[Gulo_gulo]

Is the issue with sloshing the beer around and aerating it or just that it touches air once you break the seal?

It's the exposure to air that's the concern. Sloshing increases that exposure by increasing surface area. But if the sloshing occurs when the beer is surrounded by CO2 (like your beer is during/after fermentation until you remove the airlock or lid) it doesn't 'aerate' it at all.

I personally wouldn't use the spigot for transfers, I think it exposes the beer too much to the air.

If it was me, I would pop the top off to put the dry hops in, and give it the 3 to 7 days before packaging.

 

[Jag75]

Crack the lid and put your dry hops in 4 days out from packaging. If you have a co2 tank you could purge the headspace . Also if you dont have the ability to cold crash i would use a hop bag , muslin bag or paint strainer bag ect... because you will get hop particles unless you set up your racking syphon with a bag to filter as you transfer to your bottle bucket.

 

[IslandLizard]

You could drop the dry hop pellets through the airlock hole, work fast. I think that's minimally invasive, and may preserve the headspace better than cracking the lid just enough.

You still need to agitate the fermenter as the added dry hops tend to float. A gentle swirling once or twice a day.

After 4 days of dry hopping most if not all dry hops will be on the bottom, with the yeast. To complete settling out, put the bucket is a very cold area, if you have one, for another day, without agitating. Then rack or transfer to a bottling bucket and bottle away. You can tie a fine mesh hop bag around the output of your racking/transfer hose, and lie it flat on the bottom of the bottling bucket, it will trap any hop material that inadvertently got transferred.

Start racking/siphoning from around the center of your bucket, halfway between the bottom and the beer level. Slowly lower it as the beer level drops. Toward the end, tip the bucket toward the siphon/cane (held along the side) to keep the beer well deep. Don't be overly greedy. Use that flow-inverter tippy that comes with your cane/siphon. An extra pair of hands comes in handy, makes the whole bottling process more fun too and faster.

Train ahead of time with a bucket of water.

 

[htims05]

You could drop the dry hop pellets through the airlock hole, work fast. I think that's minimally invasive, and may preserve the headspace better than cracking the lid just enough.

You still need to agitate the fermenter as the added dry hops tend to float. A gentle swirling once or twice a day.

After 4 days of dry hopping most if not all dry hops will be on the bottom, with the yeast. To complete settling out, put the bucket is a very cold area, if you have one, for another day, without agitating. Then rack or transfer to a bottling bucket and bottle away. You can tie a fine mesh hop bag around the output of your racking/transfer hose, and lie it flat on the bottom of the bottling bucket, it will trap any hop material that inadvertently got transferred.

Start racking/siphoning from around the center of your bucket, halfway between the bottom and the beer level. Slowly lower it as the beer level drops. Toward the end, tip the bucket toward the siphon/cane (held along the side) to keep the beer well deep. Don't be overly greedy. Use that flow-inverter tippy that comes with your cane/siphon. An extra pair of hands comes in handy, makes the whole bottling process more fun too and faster.

Train ahead of time with a bucket of water.

I like the airlock idea but I have 3 oz to put in...might take a while unless I can find a funnel that fits...might be a less invasive option.

As for racking/bottling. I tip the fermenter to a 45degree as soon as I start fermenting...so all the yeast ends up at one side of the bucket...usually after 2 - 3 week of sitting like that it's pretty solid and doesn't move much when you put it back flat. I'll then keg it up and let it go.

 

[IslandLizard]

You really don't need to use secondary. Do you have one, a carboy, plastic/glass, what size?

 

[htims05]

You really don't need to use secondary. Do you have one, a carboy, plastic/glass, what size?

Yes I have 2 - 6.5 gallon buckets...both are setup with a spigot...one is the fermenter other I use to bottle/keg or just go from the fermenter to the keg. I only have one lid for them though!

 

[IslandLizard]

I like the airlock idea but I have 3 oz to put in...might take a while unless I can find a funnel that fits...might be a less invasive option.

As for racking/bottling. I tip the fermenter to a 45degree as soon as I start fermenting...so all the yeast ends up at one side of the bucket...usually after 2 - 3 week of sitting like that it's pretty solid and doesn't move much when you put it back flat. I'll then keg it up and let it go.

Your bucket lid has a 1/2" hole with a rubber grommet for the airlock, right? Just drop the pellets through one by one? Yeah, there will be about a couple hundred of them.

Although it's not difficult to remove the grommet, in place, chances are it may drop into your bucket, if not careful. You'd also need a very thin walled funnel (e.g., metal) with a wide enough spout to prevent jamming.
A canning funnel is too wide to fit inside the hole, but may work if placed on top of the hole, with the grommet removed. Don't know, never tried.

I've drilled a 1" access hole in my bucket lids, closed with a regular 1" rubber universal carboy bung. I add dry hops through that. Also stir. But I have easy access to CO2 that gets streamed in while tinkering as such, which IMO is essential for those tricks.

 

[htims05]

Your bucket lid has a 1/2" hole with a rubber grommet for the airlock, right? Just drop the pellets through one by one? Yeah, there will be about a couple hundred of them.

Although it's not difficult to remove the grommet, in place, chances are it may drop into your bucket, if not careful. You'd also need a very thin walled funnel (e.g., metal) with a wide enough spout to prevent jamming.
A canning funnel is too wide to fit inside the hole, but may work if placed on top of the hole, with the grommet removed. Don't know, never tried.

I've drilled a 1" access hole in my bucket lids, closed with a regular 1" rubber universal carboy bung. I add dry hops through that. Also stir. But I have easy access to CO2 that gets streamed in while tinkering as such, which IMO is essential for those tricks.

Yeah I think after this I'll be putting another hole in the lid.

I have CO2 for my kegs...how's your setup work for this?

 

[IslandLizard]

Yes I have 2 - 6.5 gallon buckets...both are setup with a spigot...one is the fermenter other I use to bottle/keg ...

A bucket is not a secondary. Never.

... or just go from the fermenter to the keg. I only have one lid for them though!

Why didn't you mention before you're kegging? All problems solved! Well, most.

You won't need a bottling bucket when you're kegging.
BTW, they make a plastic tool to "pry off" bucket lids. Just not sure if it damages the lid or bucket rim in any way during use.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah I think after this I'll be putting another hole in the lid.

I have CO2 for my kegs...how's your setup work for this?

After removing the airlock I stick a piece of vinyl tubing into the grommet hole. It's a tight fit, I can pressurize the headspace to about 10-12 psi and the (tight fitting) lid will bulge but not fly off.
I just stream CO2 in gently, around 5-10 psi. It comes out the 1" access hole on the opposite side while I add dry hops, poured out straight from a plastic drinking cup, I use to weigh them.
I (gently) stir through that same hole using the back end of a long plastic brew spoon, it has a small rectangular "paddle" with a hole in it.

Everything is done counterstream, so not much, if any air can get in. I then flush/purge a few times for good measure.

 

[govner1]

If you’re going into a fermentor , I usually do in secondary but have been doing more during active fermentation, I use a plastic powder funnel and add directly to my beer.
If multiple additions are called for I will
Move to another vessel after 3-7 days.

 

[Dgallo]

If you’re going into a fermentor , I usually do in secondary but have been doing more during active fermentation, I use a plastic powder funnel and add directly to my beer.
If multiple additions are called for I will
Move to another vessel after 3-7 days.

Oh no. Don’t use a secondary when dryhoping. It’s so counter productive

 

[govner1]

I knew the mention of secondary would increase the pucker factor in many, but if you’re careful and/or can do CO2transfer there shouldn’t be any issues.
In almost 9 years of AG brewing I’ve never had an issue. I just started the CO2 transfer process, when practical, a couple of years ago.
You can always flush your secondary vessel with CO2 first. CO2is much denser than O2 and you should be fine.