Dry hopped - what a mess!

[scrabbler]

So I decided to dry hop with pellets (after fermenting for 2 weeks), and after 4 days, still a massive mess floating on top. I read the forum posts, and found tips like rocking, tapping, etc, and they will fall. Well they did, somewhat, but here I am at day 11, and have given up, still a solid (smaller) layer on top.

Bottled and managed to get by, but next time I'll use I bag I guess? Just dumping them in seemed to not go so well.

Smelled great however!

 

[terrapinj]

as long as they are wet it doesn't matter if they float or not, i usually always have some pellet sludge on top. cold crashing usually helps them sink before racking - you can always use a bag over the siphon as well to keep them out of your keg/bottling bucket when you rack

 

[sudsmcgee]

Just put a nylon bag over the siphon tube inlet. It will filter out the hops.

 

[Yooper]

You don't have to rock/shake/etc. Some will float, some will fall. Just rack from between the layers, and lower the racking cane as the level of the beer drops. It works great. By moving the fermenter, it causes the ones on the bottom to get stirred up, so it's actually counterproductive. Just leave it alone, and it'll be fine. I usually package 3-7 days after dryhopping and I never have any problems.

 

[jonmohno]

The only way they have dropped for me is luck or cold crashing.Using a filter bag over the siphon only clogged it causing it to bubble terribly(so much i ended up taking it off) I just cold crash if i do loose pellots now, i also have a big tea ball ive been dryhopping with-lovin it so far.

 

[lumpher]

You don't have to rock/shake/etc. Some will float, some will fall. Just rack from between the layers, and lower the racking cane as the level of the beer drops. It works great. By moving the fermenter, it causes the ones on the bottom to get stirred up, so it's actually counterproductive. Just leave it alone, and it'll be fine. I usually package 3-7 days after dryhopping and I never have any problems.

+1. this is what i do. if some gets in the keg, great; extra dry-hopping

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

My last 2 batches Ive been using a large cheese cloth thats big enough to fit my bottling bucket. I put it in there and rack, prime, and bottle like normal. As the beer is drained from the spigot it runs through the cloth filtering it as it goes into the bottling wand. Its worked well to get anything I accidentally racked over.

 

[Greenbasterd]

a problem i ran into with dry hops was when i was racking with an auto siphon it got a lil clogged so it started pulling air bubbles from the outer tube of racking kane along with the beer.. so there i was with my co2 tank pumping co2 into the auto siphon lol.. i ended up loosing that beer to a leaky keg. it wasn't that good anyway..

i guess the moral of the story is don't use an auto siphon if you dry hop

 

[Brewskii]

If I'm dry hopping with whole cones I use my ale pale and a steep bag soaked in starsan with a couple of stainless washers in it.

If pellets, I use the same bag tied on the discharge of my siphon hose. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I haven't had issues with pelletized hops plugging my auto siphon... Yet

 

[brewit2it]

With whole hops, I just toss them in. With pellets I always use a bag.

 

[Calder]

Never had a problem. When I use pellets, they sink in about 10 days, and settle nicely on the bottom. No special measures taken for racking.

With leaf, I use a nylon bag over the cane.