Best Dry Hop Technique For Me

[kyoun1e]

So, yeah...I know this has been asked a ton on this forum. I've read a lot of threads on this topic and it seems like opinions are all over the map. Just dump 'em in...use a hops bag...muslin bag...paint strainer bag...marbles...stainless steel nuts, etc.

Couple things for my situation:

1. I have a narrow neck carboy. Does this make using any kind of a bag a problem?

2. I'm using pellet hops for the dry hoping.

3. This is for a Tank 7 clone. Saison.

4. Hops are Amarillo and Citra. 1 oz each.

Would like to balance what would be best for the beer with what can best minimize risk for a new brewer. Kind of lacking confidence after batch #1 early sampling returns seem unimpressive (although hopefully that changes with bottle conditioning).

Kind of like the idea of just dumping them in and saying the hell with the bag. Would there really be great risk of clog if I'm using pellets?

On the flip side, sanitizing a bag, dumping a couple nuts in there, notting it and adding hops into the bag, and dumping it in seems straightforward.

Although one question: If you dump the bag in do you pull the bag out? And how would you do that? Via string? Which is just left hanging in the beer or is it coming out of the carboy neck? Think most go right to bottling after dry hoping.

Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[40ozBreWing]

yes, after you rack your beer to your bottling bucket you can then, later, pull the bag(s) out when you are washing/cleaning out your otherwise empty carboy. Although i may change to just adding the hops 'naked' / bag-less, i have been distributing my hops across two bags simply for the ease of getting them back out at cleanup.

 

[eadavis80]

All I do is throw the hops in the carboy and let 'em do their thing for a week. On bottling day (today in my case) I sanitize a paint strainer bag and twist tie and put them on the end of the siphon that I put in the carboy when it's time to transfer the dry hopped beer my bottling bucket. At the end of the transfer I have to be a little gentle/careful when removing the siphon so the bag stays on the siphon and can easily be removed, but in over a dozen dry hopped and/or fruit beers this technique has never failed me - no oxidation and no clogged siphons.

 

[40ozBreWing]

All I do is throw the hops in the carboy and let 'em do their thing for a week. On bottling day (today in my case) I sanitize a paint strainer bag and twist tie and put them on the end of the siphon that I put in the carboy when it's time to transfer the dry hopped beer my bottling bucket. At the end of the transfer I have to be a little gentle/careful when removing the siphon so the bag stays on the siphon and can easily be removed, but in over a dozen dry hopped and/or fruit beers this technique has never failed me - no oxidation and no clogged siphons.

Wow, no oxidation? I had thought about doing something similar----actually, when racking from the fermentor, to the bottling bucket----and that is running my wort/beer through my hopback with yet more fresh hops in it. BUT, i FEAR I would oxidize the heck out of it. Otherwise, i thought it would be a good idea to get some last minute hop oils in the mix.

thoughts?

 

[kristiismean]

when I dry hop I dump them in and leave them for 5 days, whether it's pellets, hash or lupallin cryo hop powder.

 

[eadavis80]

Wow, no oxidation? I had thought about doing something similar----actually, when racking from the fermentor, to the bottling bucket----and that is running my wort/beer through my hopback with yet more fresh hops in it. BUT, i FEAR I would oxidize the heck out of it. Otherwise, i thought it would be a good idea to get some last minute hop oils in the mix.

thoughts?

All I can do is share my experiences which have worked for me and my friends seem to like my beer. Like anything in homebrewing - people offer up what's worked for them. You'll have to learn through your own experience what practices you trust. This works for me.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I just recently finished my first batch. I fermented in a plastic bucket so it was easy to just put the pellet hops in a bag and drop it in. It worked OK but the effects were unimpressive. Next time, I may just try throwing them in or splitting them up in multiple bags.

 

[TungstenBeer]

So I have literally done all of those dry hop techniques and then some that aren't listed. They all work and I honestly think it's personal preference.

The big thing is to make sure you leave plenty of room in your bag for the hops to expand (if you use a bag). My favorite is probably the muslin sack. If you do that, tie it off at the highest point possible so the hops can fill it up.

Couple things for my situation:

1. I have a narrow neck carboy. Does this make using any kind of a bag a problem?

No, but it will be a problem if you put things in that don't easily come out. This is why I like marbles - they're small. Stainless steel nuts work too, but the larger ones don't easily come out and that will be a pain later. My rule of thumb is if you can put it in easily, it won't come out easily. That means if you have to turn it a certain way for it to go in, forget it. Remember when you're pulling the bag out that you'll have several of these things bunched up together WITH hops in them.

Kind of like the idea of just dumping them in and saying the hell with the bag. Would there really be great risk of clog if I'm using pellets?

I don't think so. I have never clogged using that method. Will you be cold crashing?

On the flip side, sanitizing a bag, dumping a couple nuts in there, notting it and adding hops into the bag, and dumping it in seems straightforward.

I really recommend marbles. That being said, you need more than you think you need.

Although one question: If you dump the bag in do you pull the bag out? And how would you do that? Via string? Which is just left hanging in the beer or is it coming out of the carboy neck? Think most go right to bottling after dry hoping.

I'm honestly not sure if other brewers do this the same as me, but I always rack the beer to keg (or bottling bucket) while the bag is still in there. Even when using marbles, I still sometimes struggle to get the bag out, so in my opinion it's better to do it when the beer is safe and sound in its final destination. Sometimes I have to cut part of the muslin sack with scissors to get a bulge of hops through the neck.

 

[helibrewer]

I use these, Dry Hoppers

 

[Coathanger]

I pull my hop bags out after I've transferred the beer (bottled) using needle nose pliers, elbow grease, and curse words.

I ensure I leave room in the bags when putting them in for flexibility when removing (so don't overpack the bag).

 

[kyoun1e]

I use these, Dry Hoppers

What is this thing? How do you use it?

 

[helibrewer]

What is this thing? How do you use it?

It is a stainless steel mesh cylinder made to fit various vessels, you put the hop pellets in the tube and put the tube in the vessel....makes the hops easy to remove also....which I do when doing multiple dry hops in a batch....like Pliny the Younger.

 

[kyoun1e]

It is a stainless steel mesh cylinder made to fit various vessels, you put the hop pellets in the tube and put the tube in the vessel....makes the hops easy to remove also....which I do when doing multiple dry hops in a batch....like Pliny the Younger.

I've read a ton of threads about dry hoping and this is the first I've seen of this type of tool. Curious why others don't use this.

What's the catch?

Or is it just more money to spend and you could just dump the pellets in there anyway.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Or is it just more money to spend and you could just dump the pellets in there anyway.

Ding Ding Ding! We've got a winner!

 

[TungstenBeer]

I've read a ton of threads about dry hoping and this is the first I've seen of this type of tool. Curious why others don't use this.

What's the catch?

Or is it just more money to spend and you could just dump the pellets in there anyway.

I use this occasionally to dry hop directly in a keg. But it's not necessary.

 

[kyoun1e]

All I do is throw the hops in the carboy and let 'em do their thing for a week. On bottling day (today in my case) I sanitize a paint strainer bag and twist tie and put them on the end of the siphon that I put in the carboy when it's time to transfer the dry hopped beer my bottling bucket. At the end of the transfer I have to be a little gentle/careful when removing the siphon so the bag stays on the siphon and can easily be removed, but in over a dozen dry hopped and/or fruit beers this technique has never failed me - no oxidation and no clogged siphons.

Starting to come around to this approach. I like the idea of just dumping the hops in the narrow carboy neck this first time and seeing how it goes.

Also, on batch #1, I had a decent amount of sediment. Wouldn't using a paint strainer bag on the end of the racking cane minimize this risk as well?

Wouldn't mind seeing a picture of how you rig up the paint strainer bag on the racking cane.

 

[thehaze]

I too use a poliester bag with the auto-siphon. I simply tie it length wise to the auto-siphon and insert it in the fermenter. I then transfer to the bottling bucket, where the priming sugar was already added. The whirlpool created by the beer being siphoned out ensures the sugar solution mixes evenly ( almost ) with the beer. I do however give the beer and sugar solution a gentle, gentle, gentle stir once in a whilem to get an even carbonation throughout.

 

[Morrey]

It is a stainless steel mesh cylinder made to fit various vessels, you put the hop pellets in the tube and put the tube in the vessel....makes the hops easy to remove also....which I do when doing multiple dry hops in a batch....like Pliny the Younger.

Plus 1+. I use these every time I dry hop.

I've read a ton of threads about dry hoping and this is the first I've seen of this type of tool. Curious why others don't use this.

What's the catch?

Or is it just more money to spend and you could just dump the pellets in there anyway.

No catch. These strainers are perfect for my particular tastes and needs. There are more of them out there being used than you may think. I use mine in a keg or uni tank, but they do make ones for carboys. Sure you can save the money and dump right on in. I like clean wort/beer, and the direct dump route makes a mess...at least to me. But to each their own.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I just dump 'em in the fermenter (and I have a wide mouth carboy). I've done some batches cold crashing and some not. I think I get better hop flavor when I don't cold crash. I think this is because some of the hops in suspension end up in the keg which mimics keg hopping to some extent. The first couple glasses come out a but mucky, but after that, yumm.

For the ones I cold crashed, the beer pours great from the first one, but they didn't seem to have as much hop flavor (even though some had higher quantities of hops added).

I just keep my racking cane above the trub line in the fermenter and lower it as the level drops. I did have some clogging issues with my sanke coupler when filling the keg when I didn't cold crash however.

 

[65C]

Starting to come around to this approach. I like the idea of just dumping the hops in the narrow carboy neck this first time and seeing how it goes.

I did this, it worked fine, they were leaf hops so it was a bit of a pain (I made a paper funnel in the end) - the only problem was it was harder to re-use the yeast - but after straining it worked out okay

I've gone off dry hop a bit - getting maximum hops was one of the reasons I got in to brewing - but now I've got a brew setup I'm preferring more subtle and traditional hopping - although I am going heavier than average on the bittering

 

[kyoun1e]

I too use a poliester bag with the auto-siphon. I simply tie it length wise to the auto-siphon and insert it in the fermenter. I then transfer to the bottling bucket, where the priming sugar was already added. The whirlpool created by the beer being siphoned out ensures the sugar solution mixes evenly ( almost ) with the beer. I do however give the beer and sugar solution a gentle, gentle, gentle stir once in a whilem to get an even carbonation throughout.

So I bought some paint strainer bags. Like the one attached below.

All I really need to do is wrap this around the end of the racking cane and secure via an elastic band right?

Strainer bag looks pretty fine.

Or am I missing something?

Only thing I could imagine screwing me up here is the bag being too big and the tip of the racking cane settles where the seem is in the bag.

 

[thehaze]

Yeah... Put the siphon in the bag and try to wrap as much as you can around the siphon. Maybe tie it with a plastic zip tie or something, so it stays put.

Take the siphon and put into the fermenter. Try not to disturb the thrub and siphon out. When the beer ( towards the end ) becomes cloudy, pull it out.

I however try to bottle that cloudy beer and label the bottles accordingly. Even if cloudy, is still beer. But usually, is only like a pint ( 500 ml ).

 

[40ozBreWing]

I too use a poliester bag with the auto-siphon. I simply tie it length wise to the auto-siphon and insert it in the fermenter. I then transfer to the bottling bucket, where the priming sugar was already added. The whirlpool created by the beer being siphoned out ensures the sugar solution mixes evenly ( almost ) with the beer. I do however give the beer and sugar solution a gentle, gentle, gentle stir once in a whilem to get an even carbonation throughout.

So, the process of the beer flowing through the mesh bag 'filter', does not oxygenate the beer or run the risk of oxygenating it?

 

[donk5]

So, the process of the beer flowing through the mesh bag 'filter', does not oxygenate the beer or run the risk of oxygenating it?

Not in my experience.

 

[thehaze]

So, the process of the beer flowing through the mesh bag 'filter', does not oxygenate the beer or run the risk of oxygenating it?

I cannot see how that would happen. The mesh will not do moree than say a thick layer of pellets or hop leaf, in which you rest the tip of the siphon.

I could be wrong however, but did not have any issues.

 

[helibrewer]

I've read a ton of threads about dry hoping and this is the first I've seen of this type of tool. Curious why others don't use this.

What's the catch?

Or is it just more money to spend and you could just dump the pellets in there anyway.

No catch, it makes it very easy to remove the hops. There is research that indicates that nothing positive happens with dry hops after about 48 hours and since I usually dry hop in the serving vessel, I don't want plant material in there any longer than 3 days.

 

[kyoun1e]

No catch, it makes it very easy to remove the hops. There is research that indicates that nothing positive happens with dry hops after about 48 hours and since I usually dry hop in the serving vessel, I don't want plant material in there any longer than 3 days.

Was at my local homebrew store and the guy showed me this thing. Didn't realize it was so big!

I have a narrow neck carboy. Can't seem to find one of these that fits in there (and that you can get out).

I'm dumping the hops in and using a paint strainer bag around my racking cane/siphon this first go round.

 

[helibrewer]

Was at my local homebrew store and the guy showed me this thing. Didn't realize it was so big!

I have a narrow neck carboy. Can't seem to find one of these that fits in there (and that you can get out).

I'm dumping the hops in and using a paint strainer bag around my racking cane/siphon this first go round.

Here is the glass carboy version, there is also one for Better Bottles: Carboy Dryhopper

 

[kyoun1e]

Here is the glass carboy version, there is also one for Better Bottles: Carboy Dryhopper

Damn.

Well, what's another $25 for this hobby?