Hops amount per gallon & timing...

[bmd2k1]

gonna give dry hopping a dry cider of mine a whirl and am wondering what amount of hops (g/oz) do peeps recommend for 1gal and how long to leave in the cider?

Plan to use a disposable tea bag to hold the Mosaic hop pellets.

Thanks and Cheers!

 

[Chalkyt]

Hops are a bit like mustard... a little bit goes a long way!

I use 3g/litre (0.25oz per gallon). This is about 2 teaspoons per gallon in secondary just before bottling for 3-7 days. The cider takes on the hop flavour quite quickly so it is a case of taste, taste, taste frequently and pull them out when the flavour profile is what you want. I found that a higher concentration of hops simply releases the flavour too fast to finesse the taste, i.e. two days and BOOM it is too late (too "hoppy"). So like many things with cider, low and slow is the way to go.

Something that you need to be aware of is that the pellet hops in the bag will float, so I attach several large stainless steel nuts or a length of stainless steel rod to the bag and drop it all in on a string so that I can jiggle it (and get it out easily). I had been looking for a hops "torpedo" but they all seem to be too large to fit through a 1 gallon carboy neck. I did try marbles or nuts in the bag but they tend to bunch up and make it hard to get the bag out through the neck of the carboy because by then the pellets have disintegrated and you end up with a mushy hops and nuts glug in the bag.

A slight hoppy flavour makes a really nice cider IMO.

 

[bmd2k1]

Hops are a bit like mustard... a little bit goes a long way!

I use 3g/litre (0.25oz per gallon). This is about 2 teaspoons per gallon in secondary just before bottling for 3-7 days. The cider takes on the hop flavour quite quickly so it is a case of taste, taste, taste frequently and pull them out when the flavour profile is what you want. I found that a higher concentration of hops simply releases the flavour too fast to finesse the taste, i.e. two days and BOOM it is too late (too "hoppy"). So like many things with cider, low and slow is the way to go.

Something that you need to be aware of is that the pellet hops in the bag will float, so I attach several large stainless steel nuts or a length of stainless steel rod to the bag and drop it all in on a string so that I can jiggle it (and get it out easily). I had been looking for a hops "torpedo" but they all seem to be too large to fit through a 1 gallon carboy neck. I did try marbles or nuts in the bag but they tend to bunch up and make it hard to get the bag out through the neck of the carboy because by then the pellets have disintegrated and you end up with a mushy hops and nuts glug in the bag.

A slight hoppy flavour makes a really nice cider IMO.

Thanks! I'm NOT an IPA fan....so I did a bit of research and that's why Mosaic was my choice.

What hops do you tend to use?

 

[Chalkyt]

I have used cascade and galaxy but don't really notice any difference as I just use the hops for a "taste" rather than full-on flavour if the cider is a bit bland (it happens sometimes with apples that are O.K. for eating like Pink Lady and I don't have many Cox's Orange Pippin or crabs to add). I generally do it if the cider needs a bit of "something".

 

[Raptor99]

I did try marbles or nuts in the bag but they tend to bunch up and make it hard to get the bag out through the neck of the carboy because by then the pellets have disintegrated and you end up with a mushy hops and nuts glug in the bag.

I also use 1 gallon carboys, and I had the same problem with marbles and spices. I'm still looking for a better solution.

 

[bmd2k1]

Hops are a bit like mustard... a little bit goes a long way!

I use 3g/litre (0.25oz per gallon). This is about 2 teaspoons per gallon in secondary just before bottling for 3-7 days. The cider takes on the hop flavour quite quickly so it is a case of taste, taste, taste frequently and pull them out when the flavour profile is what you want. I found that a higher concentration of hops simply releases the flavour too fast to finesse the taste, i.e. two days and BOOM it is too late (too "hoppy"). So like many things with cider, low and slow is the way to go.

Something that you need to be aware of is that the pellet hops in the bag will float, so I attach several large stainless steel nuts or a length of stainless steel rod to the bag and drop it all in on a string so that I can jiggle it (and get it out easily). I had been looking for a hops "torpedo" but they all seem to be too large to fit through a 1 gallon carboy neck. I did try marbles or nuts in the bag but they tend to bunch up and make it hard to get the bag out through the neck of the carboy because by then the pellets have disintegrated and you end up with a mushy hops and nuts glug in the bag.

A slight hoppy flavour makes a really nice cider IMO.

While dry hopping do u let vessel just sit still or do you swirl/agitate it periodically?

Cheers!

 

[CKuhns]

I have used Citra hops with some good success. I like a very light hop flavor, I have settled on 2oz leaves for a 5 gallon batch dry hopped in secondary vs. pellets in a small mesh bag for 4 - 5 days. Turns out pretty nice.

Edited to answer your next question - Just chucked them in and let them sit.

 

[Chalkyt]

I just jiggle it every day or so until the flavour profile is what I want. The string hangs out of the top of the carboy and is held in place with the airlock cork (suspended above the bottom so that juggling doesn't stir up anything that has settled out). I don't find that removing the cork for a few seconds of jiggling poses any O2 issue if the carboy is full to the neck. Bear in mind that the hops, bag, weights etc will displace cider. That is why I do it just before bottling otherwise when the hops etc are removed the remaining cider level will be below the neck and so more susceptible to O2 effects if left like that for too long.

 

[TkmLinus]

Last 1 gallon batch I did I dropped in 6 grams of cascade pellets into a 1 gallon batch 1 week before bottling. I swirled it around after 3-4 days to help the hops drop. I then siphoned from the top of the hop layer. I do like to siphon into a paint strainer bag that I have in my bottling bucket to catch any stray hops. Hope that helps!