dry hopping question

[jjp36]

I have an IPA that i'm going to be transferring to secondary soon because i plan on dry hopping. This will be my first attempt at it and i have a quick question. I was planning on putting the hops in muslin bags and was wondering what the best way to sanitize them would be? I was planning on just dunking the bags in a star san solution then wringing them out, filling with the hops and then tossing in the bags. I'm trying to keep the hops from making a mess when i try to rack to the bottling bucket later. Is this the best way to do it? Anyone else have a different method?

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

what sort of vessel are you using for the secondary?

 

[jjp36]

a 5 gallon glass carboy. Why, would that make a difference?

 

[beerthirty]

That will work fine. Or you can throw them in loose and but the bag over the racking cane when you rack. If you decide to keg you can just throw the bag of hops into the keg. Some say unless removed you can develop grassy flavors from over exposure, but if you hop at about 1- 1.5 oz per 5G (as I do) you can leave them in the keg until cleaning time.

 

[jjp36]

Although i would love to keg, i currently don't have the equipment.

I was planning on using 1oz. each of cascade and centennial for a week and then bottling.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Don't bother with the bag if you're using a carboy. Just drop the hops in, then rack on top of them. It's not worth the hassle of trying to get the bag in to or out of the opening.

 

[Shonuff]

They expand in the carboy. Keep an eye out.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Don't bother with the bag if you're using a carboy. Just drop the hops in, then rack on top of them. It's not worth the hassle of trying to get the bag in to or out of the opening.

+1 to this...I've done it both ways, and the damn bag is for the birds unless they are in pellet form. Trying to get 1-3 oz of hops into a bag then squeeze through a 1" hole is retarded. But trying to get that same bag out, after 1-2 weeks of soaking in beer is even retardeder(?). I prefer to just thow the hops in, rack underneath them come bottling/kegging time, and then pour them out. And if you use pellets, you'll just have to be more careful about racking so you don't suck them through the siphon.

 

[jjp36]

They are pellets. The LHBS didn't have any whole leaf cascades or centennials when i was there.

I have a nylon grain bag that is a pretty fine mesh. I think i'll just throw the hops in and then use that over the autosiphon when i rack out later.

 

[PKingRoch]

Let me know how this works out for you. I have the same situation as well.

 

[The Pol]

I just toss in LEAF hops and put the cap on my autosyphon, the leaves make a filter around the end of the syphon and noting gets in, excpet beer. If I were using pellets, Id let them settle out and rack off the top.

When I plan to dry hop, I send 5.3 gallons to my fermentor and not my typicsl 5 gallons, for this reason alone.

 

[jjp36]

Let me know how this works out for you. I have the same situation as well.

I just finished bottling, and it worked perfectly.

I rubberbanded a fine nylon grain bag around the end of the autosiphon, and put that into the carboy. I was careful when i was racking, but i was watching the whole time and it appeared that i didn't pick up any hop sediment at all.

 

[Joe416]

I did some brewing in early 80s, made some very good stuff with Blue Ribbon malt, away from brewing for 25 years, decided to start again after being in Belgium and drinking some great beers- I had a mustard colored book about home brewing, about 90-100 pages, I think black print title, would have been copyrighted before about 1982, does anyone know name of book and author?

 

[desertbronze]

I did some brewing in early 80s, made some very good stuff with Blue Ribbon malt, away from brewing for 25 years, decided to start again after being in Belgium and drinking some great beers- I had a mustard colored book about home brewing, about 90-100 pages, I think black print title, would have been copyrighted before about 1982, does anyone know name of book and author?

Can't help with your question about the old book. However, there are plenty of sources of updated information for you. Read the FAQ's on this website.

Check out How to Brew

How to Brew - By John Palmer

That should get you started.

 

[lordbeermestrength]

I'll tell ya, the easiest way is to dry hop into a corny with a bad, and wedge it between the wall and dip tube.

You need to get into kegging, so easy

 

[SenorWanderer]

I did some brewing in early 80s, made some very good stuff with Blue Ribbon malt, away from brewing for 25 years, decided to start again after being in Belgium and drinking some great beers- I had a mustard colored book about home brewing, about 90-100 pages, I think black print title, would have been copyrighted before about 1982, does anyone know name of book and author?

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