Dry Hop (bagged) question

[Mothman]

I'm going to be dry hopping my current brew, first time I've dry hopped.

After quite a bit of reading pro's and con's of bagging the hops vs loose, I've decided to go ahead and use a bag (decent-sized mesh bag, lots of room for the hops to expand). I'll fully sanitize the bag, and likely toss a sanitized shot glass in there to weight the bag down.

I'll be doing it in primary (no secondary).

Question is, is there any value to attempting to suspend the hop bag in the middle (-ish) of the beer (have read of people using dental floss, or fishing line), or is it OK if it sinks right to the bottom?

Any difference in the result?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The dental floss is for keg hopping and nothing to do with what your doing.

I like using a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from home depot or big box store. I like it better than a hop bag because the bag takes up the whole bucket and the hops can float around and infuse the beer as if they weren't in a bag. A hop bag constrains the hops and I feel like the oils arent getting out of the bag and aren't infusing as well...no proof but it makes me feel better

 

[kh54s10]

I also use paint strainer bags. Usually one ounce in a one gallon bag. I use multiple bags for more hops. I don't weigh them down. I just submerge them with a sanitized utensil making sure all the hops are wet. Close it up and leave it alone. When removing the hops I squeeze out the liquid then let it settle again until it is pretty clear, then package.

The dental floss etc, is only for removing the hop bags from the vessel. If you use the shot glass to weigh it down the dental floss might make it easier to retrieve the bag.

 

[Mothman]

Thanks.

Jonny, are you saying you line the bucket with the big bag? I do have a couple full-sized grain bags/paint strainer bags... I'm trying to picture whether trying to get it in the bucket, submerged, etc, is going to cause me grief in terms of excessive disturbance/oxygenation.

Or are you saying you still just 'float' the bag in there... it's just that you use a big bag instead of a small one?

I was going to use my small bag, it's about 13" x 8" when laying flat. My recipe calls for 0.7 oz of hops. I was thinking this smaller bag would be large enough and easier to manage?

 

[Mothman]

When removing the hops I squeeze out the liquid then let it settle again until it is pretty clear, then package.

I wasn't even considering removing the bag... but that makes sense, to make sure the goodness stays in the beer and not in the hop goo ...

So if the recipe says to dry hop for ~ 4 days, you'd recommend leaving the bag in for 4 days, then removing/squeezing, then leaving for however long is required to clear, and then bottle?

How long are we talking in terms of that post-removal clearing?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Just go a paint strainer bag. It has elastic around the top. Snap it over the bucket,add the hops and put the lid on. No double bag or anything...its a real simple thing. The hops will float reguardless of if you hold the bag down. I give a real light swirl with a spoon to mix them in after a day or two. They kinda sink after the swirl. Then lift out the bag on transfer day...its simple stuff....many will not recommend swirling due to oxygen but I feel a simple swirl doesn't hurt

 

[Mothman]

Easy peasy! Cheers.

 

[kh54s10]

I wasn't even considering removing the bag... but that makes sense, to make sure the goodness stays in the beer and not in the hop goo ...

So if the recipe says to dry hop for ~ 4 days, you'd recommend leaving the bag in for 4 days, then removing/squeezing, then leaving for however long is required to clear, and then bottle?

How long are we talking in terms of that post-removal clearing?

I keg so an hour or so. The hop debris settles in the keg and the first pour or two is a lot of debris. Then it gets pretty clear. When bottling a little longer. I get a little more sediment in the bottles but they are clear. I probably should go longer. I don't worry too much about clarity so I don't cold crash or use gelatin etc.

 

[Mothman]

Ahh ok cool, if it's hours we're talking, that's all good... I was thinking you meant it might be days for things to settle back out.

 

[Mothman]

Then lift out the bag on transfer day...its simple stuff....

Jonny, with the full-sized bag, do you also squeeze the hops out when you lift the bag out, or just lift, let drain, and that's it?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Jonny, with the full-sized bag, do you also squeeze the hops out when you lift the bag out, or just lift, let drain, and that's it?

I squeeze it till its basically dry...only takes a few seconds. Keeping the bag almost touching the beer so it doesn't splash and has a light continuous "waterfall" type drain. When it starts dripping and stops flowing I stop

 

[Mothman]

Oh, sorry to keep this thread going, but I thought of another question.

The recipe I'm following says to primary for 2 weeks, the dry hop for 4 days, then package.

If I follow that to the letter, it's going to have me bottling mid-week which doesn't work, I need to do it on a weekend.

So, which of the following would be best to keep me with the intended result?

- Check for stable final gravity early, after, say, 10 days, and if I'm at FG, then dry hop for 3-4 days, bottle on the weekend.

- Let primary go for 2 weeks, dry hop for 4 days, pull hops, bottle a few days later.

- Let primary go for longer (2.5 weeks), then dry hop for 4 days, the bottle on the following weekend.

I'm thinking the last option, but I don't know if there's anything about dry hopping where it doesn't do as well with beer that is already well 'settled' into FG.