Dry hopping and Cold crashing

[Nuggethead]

After dry hopping with whole hops, will cold crashing send them to the bottom and make racking easier or will they still float. I usually rack while they're floating and wrap the cane with a filter bag and always end up plugged. Racking from above would be easier but don't know if it will work.

 

[drkered]

Does the bag on the racking cane slow down the flow? Sounds like a good idea thanks I'll try it, I usually just rack from the bottom. If anything gets in the keg it gets sucked out from the first pour after tapping it.

 

[schristian619]

cold crashing will help to an extent. I always do it. It doesn't send all of the hops to the bottom, but most of them. I also wrap a fine mesh bag around the base of the siphon and have never had a problem getting plugged. FWIW I alway dry hop with leaf hops.

 

[rjwhite41]

Cold Crashing settles most of it but not all. I just use the "straining tip" that came with my auto siphon and I don't really have a problem. I find that pellet hops are much easier to get out of my carboy though (they also settle better and absorb less liquid) and I will not be using leaf hops again unless I am keg hopping.

 

[coypoo]

If you can cold crash at all, I would recommend it. Even if all of the whole leaf hops dont drop, a lot of other stuff will drop out leaving a clearer beer.

 

[tcory77]

Cold crashing will help settle them. Also, when I dry hop with pellets I swirl my better bottle several times throughout the dry hopping week. This helps to break them up off the surface and sends them to the bottom. By the end of the dry hopping week most if not all the hops are on the bottom.