Dry Hop Bag for 6.5 Gallon Big Mouth Bubbler

[Imhoppy]

I was looking at getting a "Depth Charge" Dry Hop Filter to use for my 6.5 gallon plastic Big Mouth Bubblers (BMB). Some of the product reviews on this item included, but not limited to, being delicate, hard to clean, some sharp edges, and $$$.

So, I wanted to try something different to use that negates these annoying (to me) issues. My solution was to contact Wilser for some custom-made hop bags that would fit on lid of my BMB and be held firmly in place by the universal lid and seal when installed in the BMB. Dimensions were 16" in length (sized not to extend past the BMB 2-gallon mark), and slightly less than 8" width at the top (which is about half of the circumference of the 5" diameter universal lid). I purchased 4 bags for only $18, as compared to the Depth Charge thing that cost about 3-4 times as much $$$. Many thanks to Wilser!!!!

My first attempt at using this new idea worked great. It was a bit tricky installing the bag on the lid, but after a few tries, it worked out just fine. I added a sterilized 1.5" tri-clamp end cap (79 grams) to weigh down the hop bag, and added my tincture of cocoa nibs, finely-diced habaneros, and 6 oz. vodka to the fermenter for the "dry hop" period following 14 days of fermentation.

The extra bonus idea is to be able to easily "reclaim" the cocoa nibs and habaneros, to use in some culinary treats yet to be determined. Or maybe toss in as an additive to a smoothie, who knows? It's great to not let these things go to waste.

 

[passedpawn]

That's an interesting solution!

I've got two of the depth charges and LOVE them (delicate? No. Sharp edges? No. $$$? Subjective). One of the nice things about the depth charge is the plunger that lets you agitate the dry hops without opening the fermentor. In fact I've got two of them full of centennial right now!