Dry Hop & Oxygen Concern

[RandallFlag]

Hi there.

Still on my first couple of brews and I decided to make a 1 Gal DIPA that called for dry hoping. Now the top of my 1 Gal fermenter has an inch of expanded hop pellets.

Questions:

1. It's time to bottle, so do I just run my mini-auto siphon through the sludge to start pulling beer? Should i cover the end with muslin?

2. If I siphon the beer into another 1 Gal jug before bottling, will this be too much oxygen exposure? (Note: I have no CO2 system)

Thank you for your help.

 

[govner1]

If you gently shake your carboy over a couple of days the sludge should settle to the bottom.

 

[soccerdad]

keep in mind that O2 is lighter than CO2 and will layer above the CO2 ... so whenever you have an active fermenting beer a layer of CO2 above the beer drives the oxygen up - toward the airlock if you are using one, and pushes the O2 out

IMHO, the value of a narrow neck (carboy or gallon jug) over a bucket, is that there is less surface area for the oxygen to even try getting through the CO2 layer

As for your transfer, I would steer the siphon below the hop layer and above the trub layer. When you start getting obvious sediment, pull the siphon .. you will leave a slurry in the bottom with some good beer among the waste, but hopefully not much

 

[EuBrew]

You won't know if it's time to bottle unless you take a hydrometer reading.

Gently shaking the bottle as govner1 stated will help move the hops.

More info is needed to answer your questions though.

How long was your fermentation before you dry hopped?

How long was your dry hop schedule?

What was your OG?

What is your expected FG, and have you hit that number?

There is a layer of CO2 on your beer from fermentation so you shouldn't worry too much about oxygenation.

 

[smizak]

keep in mind that O2 is lighter than CO2 and will layer above the CO2 ... so whenever you have an active fermenting beer a layer of CO2 above the beer drives the oxygen up

Sorry, but this is just ridiculous homebrewer urban legend. Wouldn't air then start to stratify and separate on it's own?

 

[soccerdad]

There may be some myth for homebrewers but CO2 is definitely heavier than oxygen ... from UC Santa Barbara "For oxygen, a molecule consists of two oxygen atoms, and has a weight of 2 x 16 = 32. For carbon dioxide, there is one carbon atom (weight 12) and two oxygen atoms (mass 16 x 2) for a total of 44. This means that carbon dioxide should be about 44/32 = 1.375 times as heavy as an equivalent volume of oxygen. In reality, oxygen gas has a density of 1.429 grams/liter at the so-called standard pressure and temperature (basically room temperature and atmospheric pressure) while carbon dioxide has a density of 1.977 grams/liter. If you do the math, you will find that carbon dioxide is 1.383 times as heavy as oxygen"

I am not a scientist and cannot say how CO2 mixes in the air we breathe, but it is generally considered to be one tenth of a percent of the gaseous mixes in the air.

 

[govner1]

Sorry, but this is just ridiculous homebrewer urban legend. Wouldn't air then start to stratify and separate on it's own?

As soccer dad said CO2 is definitely heavier than O2. Simple P Chem, not ridiculous at all.
Remember atmospheric O2 & CO2 plus the other gases that make up the "air" we breath is constantly mixed by currents & pressure changes in the atmosphere.
When you put a CO2 layer in your keg(s) while transferring your beer you have a somewhat shielded environment. In fact, you can see the smoky layer of CO2.
Again, not ridiculous, just FACT!

 

[helibrewer]

As soccer dad said CO2 is definitely heavier than O2. Simple P Chem, not ridiculous at all.
Remember atmospheric O2 & CO2 plus the other gases that make up the "air" we breath is constantly mixed by currents & pressure changes in the atmosphere.
When you put a CO2 layer in your keg(s) while transferring your beer you have a somewhat shielded environment. In fact, you can see the smoky layer of CO2.
Again, not ridiculous, just FACT!

True...try this: put a small candle in a glass container or small bowl. Now "fill" a flask with CO2. Now "pour" the flask into the glass container holding the candle...the candle will extinguish.

 

[govner1]

^^^ This. Simple 7th grade Science!

 

[smizak]

Guys guys guys....This just doesn't happen in your carboy/bucket that's been sitting in around for weeks with the lids being taken off periodically and such. My point is that you're not working in controlled lab conditions and it is ridiculous to rely on a blanket of gas not being disturbed in your homebrew setup as oxidation protection.

 

[EuBrew]

So what is your solution to avoiding oxidation if you don't rely on science?