do you agitate your FV when dry hopping?

[fluketamer]

i tried cool dry hopping a la janish at 50 degrees for the last few batches and have concluded that without a way to rouse the hops (with co2 burping or some other method) i am not getting nearly as much aroma and flavor then when i dry hop at 68. at 50 the hops immediately sink to the bottom and i am convinced that they are not giving up there goodness down there.

i currently have a pale ale with 3 ounces of dry hops in a thick 2 inch mat on top of the beer. at 68 degrees and i am pretty sure i am back on the right track since the chamber smells amazing.

however i am thinking that the contact area isnt that great because of all the floating hop material and was wondering if you guys bump or smack the fermenter or shake it a little or something to get more contact.

i have had really good results with loose hops instead of bagging so i am not looking to bag them with magnets., just wondering if its worth knocking it about every once in a while a little.

thanks in advance

 

[day_trippr]

I had the exact same observation when I started down the "cool and short" Janish dry hopping strategy. I didn't want to disturb the fermentor as I had invested the time and care to "soft crash" the beer to drop the yeast prior to adding the hops to minimize potential creep. So I started pulverizing the pellets in our ancient Cuisinart with the steel blade before adding them to the carboys and I just leave the pile to slowly soak up beer and gradually sink, which can take many hours - it looks like raining hop fragments bit by bit.

My experience since has been quite positive as the hop character is bold, beautiful - and persistent

Cheers!

 

[mac_1103]

i am pretty sure i am back on the right track since the chamber smells amazing

Aroma in your fermentation chamber is not in your beer anymore and it ain't goin' back.

 

[fluketamer]

Aroma in your fermentation chamber is not in your beer anymore and it ain't goin' back

yes but i have noticed that if the chamber doesnt smell as potent the beer wont be either.

 

[day_trippr]

Are your fermentors open while dry hopping? Mine are sealed with uber low pressure CO2 applied for the whole soft-crash/dry-hop/hard-crash sequence, so I don't smell anything inside the chamber...

Cheers!

 

[fluketamer]

Are your fermentors open while dry hopping? Mine are sealed with uber low pressure CO2 applied for the whole soft-crash/dry-hop/hard-crash sequence, so I don't smell anything inside the chamber...

Cheers!

at the moment i have an ale fermenting with an air lock .
when i ferment in oxebars i spund with low pressure after dry hopping so yeah no smell.

 

[shoengine]

My fermentor is 85lbs dry, so definitely no agitating. I've never dry hopped under 60° so I have no anecdotal thoughts, but one thing that is important is that temperature affects flavor and aroma. With lower temperatures it is conceivable the aroma out the airlock is going to be lessened vs at 68°. I'm not sure if that is what is responsible but I'm not sure anything less than a spectacular amount of movement will rouse anything that has settled out on the bottom.

 

[fluketamer]

the hops arent on the bottom they are still on the top.

i think if the aroma is lessened it is prolly less extraction. anywho i am pretty convicned that i am getting better hop flavor at 68 then 50. ill have a taste next week and see if this holds true for me.

i understand the 50 but i think without rousing it may not be as good as 68. at least in my experience so far,.