Dry Hopping Options

[BeerAddikt]

I've been making quite a few IPAs lately that call for lots of dry hop additions. Unfortunately I don't have the means to cold crash, so when it's time to rack to my bottling bucket I end up with hop particles partially clogging my autosiphon and causing oxygen bubbles (a tiny amount of hop debris even makes it into the bucket).

I'm thinking of adding my dry hop additions in a sanitized muslin bag for my current IPA fermenting. Will the bag help contain hops particles if I'm using pellets? Will I get the same amount of flavor and aroma extraction compared to just dumping the pellets into the fermenter?

Thanks for any advice as always.

 

[BGHSmt7]

The bag will help contain the hop debris, however, your extraction efficiency of the hop oils / flavors / aromas will be diminished to a point. If you have a second carboy / vessel, I'd let the hops run loose, then rack to that, let it sit for a day or so, then bottle. Last time I put hop pellets in a bag; it was in a keg and the debris was a hassle forever. Just make sure everything is super clean. Good Luck!

 

[C-Rider]

I've been making quite a few IPAs lately that call for lots of dry hop additions. Unfortunately I don't have the means to cold crash, so when it's time to rack to my bottling bucket I end up with hop particles partially clogging my autosiphon and causing oxygen bubbles (a tiny amount of hop debris even makes it into the bucket).

I'm thinking of adding my dry hop additions in a sanitized muslin bag for my current IPA fermenting. Will the bag help contain hops particles if I'm using pellets? Will I get the same amount of flavor and aroma extraction compared to just dumping the pellets into the fermenter?

Thanks for any advice as always.

I've dry hopped by dumping the pellets right in the primary thru the air lock hole. Never had that problem. Why not cold crash for a few days. Oops, my bad...didn't pay attention. Much easier than moving to a secondary or using the bag.
I never had problem w/the pellets clogging the auto syphon. Perhaps you are keeping it to close to the surface. Get it DEEP but not into the trub.

 

[BGHSmt7]

The OP said that they are unable to cold crash.

 

[C-Rider]

The OP said that they are unable to cold crash.

oops

 

[BGHSmt7]

After doing some research for another thread, I had a thought. Couldn't you use an auto siphon filter or a fine mesh bag as a siphon filter to help reduce your hop transfer?

 

[oceanic_brew]

I tried using a mesh bag over end of my autosiphon once and it was terrible, kept clogging it up and restricting the flow.

 

[C-Rider]

I never had problem w/the pellets clogging the auto syphon. Perhaps you are keeping it to close to the surface. Get it DEEP but not into the trub.

 

[brewuuhu]

I tried using a mesh bag over end of my autosiphon once and it was terrible, kept clogging it up and restricting the flow.

Exactly this, siphoning with a hop bag over the end when you have lots of hop pellets in the brew is quite the hassle imo, so with big dry hops I usually prefer to put them in a bag, just make sure that it's sanitized. Might be less efficient I don't know, I still got great aroma from the hops.

 

[LateraLex]

I've tried a lot of things, and ultimately didn't want to add a lot of unnecessary steps (like secondary fermentation in a carboy). My advice is to do your primary in a large bottling bucket and toss the siphon. The location of the spigot is above the trub in all but the hoppiest beers, and if a bit of trub makes into the keg it's not a big deal. The flow of the spigot will never get clogged, and I find this speeds up the transfer process significantly.