Dry hop method in a small fermenter

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Alf34

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2024
Messages
12
Reaction score
2
Location
Spain
Hello brewers

I have brewing 1 gallon batches for five years now, improving my setup little by little. And I could not be happier. Im using a 1 gallon fermenter with a wide opening from northern brewer, and a 12 liters kettle from the Malt Miller with a thermometer and Ball Valve Weldless tap that I use to BIAB and mash full volume. Im also kegging my beers with a semi closed transfer.

Regarding dry hopping, I use a tilt to know when the gravity is within 4-5 points the expected final gravity, and then I quickly remove the airlock and use that small hole to toss the hops in. The hops are in a big bag, with some marbles and enough space to expand and get all wet. The bag is mostly sunk. The whole process takes around 30-40 seconds, hopefully not enough to cause any problems down the road.

I want to use magnets to dry hop without needing to ever open the fermenter. That way I could also dry hop after fermentation is done, safely double dry hop etc.

The only issue I see is that since it is a small fermenter, the space between the lid and the beer itselft is pretty small, around 2-3 inches. I have managed to fold the bag with the hops and tie it up so it's small and stable enough to fit hanging with the magnets in that small space until I need to drop it.

Is it really worth it? I mean the hops are clearly very tight and they dont have space to really expand and let beer flow.

Should I simply keep doing what I have been doing until now? And how big of a difference would it be to dry hop at the end of fermentation versus towards the end of fermentation?

Thanks for your help!
 
This is what the bag and hops looks like
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20241221_172417.jpg
    IMG_20241221_172417.jpg
    2.8 MB
Add a little bit of sugar together with the hops and the yeast will take care of the little oxygen that's getting introduced with the hops. That's what I've been doing since ages and it seems to work.
 
This is what the bag and hops looks like [...]
That baggie is much too tight!
The beer needs to be able to thoroughly permeate the bag, which will hydrate the hops and makes them swell up to a loose pulp. That way the goodness from the hops can be extracted by the beer.

A little, careful agitation a few times a day can speed up that extraction process. Just a gentle swirl should do that.
 
That baggie is much too tight!
The beer needs to be able to thoroughly permeate the bag, which will hydrate the hops and makes them swell up to a loose pulp. That way the goodness from the hops can be extracted by the beer.

A little, careful agitation a few times a day can speed up that extraction process. Just a gentle swirl should do that.
Or a quick burst of CO2 from a bottom port.
 
If you have 5 points until completion, the inevitable inadvertent O2 you add with the hops will blow off those last few points. I do the same thing except open the entire fermenter lid and drop the hops. In less than a minute the blowoff bucket is bubbling indicating the ferment CO2 has begun the headspace flush.
 
Back
Top