Any advice on dry hopping during active fermentation?

[J2W2]

Hi,

I've brewed several batches of a Pliny the Elder clone, which has two dry hop additions in the secondary. I use a five-gallon Big Mouth Bubbler when I use a secondary, and I have a Big Mouth Bubbler Depth Charge that I use when I dry hop in the secondary. That has worked well for me, except I lose close to half a gallon from the hop absorption.

In a few days I'm going to brew a Pliny the Elder Double Dry-Hopped clone for the first time. It's basically the same recipe, except it's dry hopped in the primary. The first edition goes in once active fermentation begins; the second addition goes in five days later. The hop additions are also doubled from the original recipe (hence the name). The first addition consists of seven ounces of hop pellets. The second addition has three more ounces of hop pellets.

I've debated back and forth on bagging / not bagging the hop additions. Right now I'm leaning toward tossing them in loose.

Does anyone have any advice on whether to bag them or not, or on anything else about dry hopping during active fermentation?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Jag75]

I can tell you from my experience it's been headache free bagging. The one and only time I dry hopped commando it was a nightmare, even though I cold crashed. It probably would have helped to cold crash longer the 2 days.

I used to dry hop during active fermentation when brewing a NEIPA. It's a biotransformation thing . I stopped doing that a while ago. One thing about dry hopping early is it blows off some aroma.

I've since just dry hop a few days before packaging. I find the hops shine better, buts that's just me.

 

[J2W2]

I can tell you from my experience it's been headache free bagging. The one and only time I dry hopped commando it was a nightmare, even though I cold crashed. It probably would have helped to cold crash longer the 2 days.

I used to dry hop during active fermentation when brewing a NEIPA. It's a biotransformation thing . I stopped doing that a while ago. One thing about dry hopping early is it blows off some aroma.

I've since just dry hop a few days before packaging. I find the hops shine better, buts that's just me.

When you bagged your hops, did they float or sink? I read that once the pellets get saturated, they sink. My fermenter has a conical bottom, so it seems like the hops would collect down there and reduce their exposure to the wort. I guess I could tie a sanitized piece of thread to the bag, and shut it in the fermenter's lid. That would at least keep them suspended in the wort. Or maybe it's better to let them sink so they do have less overall exposure.

The normal recipe comes out crystal clear. I just read that dry hopping in active fermentation can produce haze, so I'll be curious how this one turns out. I'll also be curious how the aroma comes out. I know there will be a loss; that's why they double the amount of hops in the recipe. I always have Pliny on tap, so I thought it would be fun to mix it up this time. Double Dry-Hopped seems to be a popular one at Russian River.

 

[Jag75]

They will float . The bag wants to float. I tie a stainless washer to the string of the bag. That washer drops to the bottom of my fermenter (cf5) while the bag suspends in the middle of the beer.