Dry hop in bag vs stainless steel filter

[Brewtallica]

Thought I'd share my experience I had with some dry hopping techniques. I usually dry hop with a 10"x23" mesh bag that I boil and soak in starsan. I use (boil and sanitized) marbles to weigh it down and never had any issues. All my IPAs and IIPAs smell and taste amazing.

So, I bought a cheap 2.7"x10" stainless steel hop filter because I thougt I could dry hop with it
(and it was only 5 bucks). I used it on a 3 oz pellet dry hop charge for 4 days. The beer smelled amazing and now I'm waiting for the bottles to carb. This was a new recipe so I have no comparison on what it should smell like but it was dank. When I started to clean the hop filter I noticed that there was a good amout of hops compacted at the top of the tube. When I broke up the compact hops there was a ton of aroma. Now I'm thinking I may have lost a good amount of aroma by using the stainless steel filter.

Bottom line, I think I'm going back to the large mesh bag and will try the recipe again to compare. The plus for the hop filter is that it's easy to clean, but it may not have utilization of a lage mesh bag with more surface area.

 

[wilserbrewer]

My experience also. I tried one of the narrow stainless tubes that will fit in a sanke keg or carbon. I likely overfilled it and when the pellets expanded they were packed tight lines like concrete. I had a helluva time chopping them out with a sharp screwdriver.

Dry hops need some room.

 

[kh54s10]

Too much hops for the size of the cylinder.....

 

[Brewtallica]

There was plenty of room, they just all floated to the top and expanded. I was thinking of turning it sideways, but my fermenter is too narrow.

 

[kh54s10]

There was plenty of room, they just all floated to the top and expanded. I was thinking of turning it sideways, but my fermenter is too narrow.

When you put the cylinder into the fermenter plunge it up, gently, and down to wet all the hops. If the hops still expand to fill the cylinder there is too much hops.

I have used 1 gallon paint strainer bags. I will only put one ounce in each bag. The hops swell enough that they are at least half filled.

I have a cylinder that I put 2 ounces in, don't know the dimensions, or how compacted the hops and I cannot find out because it is inside a keg.

 

[Brewtallica]

I may try that plunge technique. You don't think that will introduce oxygen? There was plenty of room in there for 4 times the charge even after swelling, they just floated to the very top.