Dry Hopping - Whole vs Pellets

[stuknkrvl]

Gonna dry hop an IPA with an ounce of Willamette.

Does it make any difference if I use pellet hops instead of whole?

 

[tlucarelli]

I've never been able to use whole hops but I've dry hopped 3 IPAs now with pellet hops and they've all come out great. You'll be fine to use pellet hops for sure.

Take note how many days you dry hop though. I've read some tests that as little as 3 days gives maximum flavor, 5-7 days is also good with no discernable difference, and anything over 14 days has almost no hop aroma from the dry hops.

 

[stuknkrvl]

Thanks. I've used whole hops before. I ordered whole on line and ended up with pellets. Figured I'd see if I could use them anyway.
Cheers!

 

[MagicMatt]

It depends on where you dry hop. If you're doing it in a carboy, pellets or plugs are definitely preferred. Toss them right in (no bag), and after a few days they'll settle out (a good cold crash will also ensure that). Whole leaf hops can be a real pain to work with (and clean out of) a carboy.

If you're using a bucket, then either will work fine.

If you're using a keg, then I would suggest using a hop sack and tying it off with unflavored dental floss. Make the floss long enough to tie to the keg handle on top of the keg, so that when you put the sack in the keg it's hanging 1/4 - 1/2 way the height of the keg. The keg lid will seal right over the floss without issue. You can use whole leaf or pellet this way (provided your hop sack is a fine enough mesh to stop the pellet particles from getting into the beer).