Dry hopping.

[CycloneLogan]

Hi folks,

Recently brewed my first beer ever, it is a kit to get me used to the basics.
The recipe calls for adding the hops to the fermenter on day 7. Kit came with hop pellets. Is it worth putting these in a muslin bag or just straight into the fermenter? Would prefer to have as little gunk in the beer as possible.

Thanks.

 

[Pkrd]

Use a bag, weigh it down with a couple of marbles so it sinks.

I use these too...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...rewing-Filter-Hop-Strainer-m/32858972200.html

 

[kh54s10]

It's your choice. You may get more hop presence without the bag. The hop debris will settle to the bottom, then if you are careful in siphoning, the beer will be clear. It may not be a big issue if the amount of hops is an ounce or two.

I do bag my hops. I use 1 gallon paint strainer bags - one ounce per bag. I don't weigh them down. I use a sanitized spoon to push them under the surface and to move the bag to make sure there aren't hops in the center that aren't wet.

Either way is good.

 

[Brewers Hardware]

The best reason to bag them is if you plan on pulling them out before you transfer out of the fermentor. Otherwise I've usually just thrown them in, but either way works.

 

[JimRausch]

Throw them in loose. Then after 1 week, cold crash her, +/- add gelatin and it will settle to the bottom.

 

[Morrey]

Some folks toss 'em in loose, others use muslin bags, paint strainers, Wilser hop bags, etc to contain. I am in the "containment camp".

Cold Crashing (per JimRausch above) does help everything that is suspended to drop out of suspension and settle to the bottom. Provided you have a means to put your fermenter into a chiller or any other way to drop temps down into the 30's, loose hopping may be ideal for you. If cold crashing is not easily available, you may want to consider containment until you get a better feel for the dry hopping process. Hops will settle out some if left at fermenting temps when racking, but crashing really helps drop sediment.

Good luck!

 

[JimRausch]

Simple ghetto cold crashing= put the fermenter in a bucket large enough to hold it (horse stall 'muck-out' buckets work well). Add cold water and 4 or more qt size or larger ice bottles. Last time I did it, my room thermometer read 75*, but the swamp cooler got down to 45* overnight. Ithen added 1/2 tsp of prepared gelatin and bottled 4 days later. Results= a beautifully clear RyeCentennial PA.