Need advice on process, bottling directly from vessel used for dry hopping.

[p_p]

Hi everybody, I wonder if you could offer some advice. First time dry-hopping.

I have a beer in primary fermenter (bucket) to which I've added whole hops in a bag (~2oz+ in 5.5 gal). The bag is hanging from the side, submerged mid-way in the wort. I will be bottling directly from this bucket, I will not transfer to a bottling vessel. I will add sugar directly to the bottles for carbonation.

I wasn't planning on squeezing the bag to avoid the dripping beer picking up oxygen. I probably need to give the beer a gentle stir to make sure the hop aromas are uniformly distributed prior bottling, however.

I wonder if you could offer advice on how to proceed?

Should I remove the bag without squeezing and then give the beer a stir?
Should I squeeze whilst removing the bag trying to avoid any splashing and then stir?

Normally, I would bottle without opening the FV at all to minimize exposure to O2... Should I just rock the FV without opening it to get the beer mixed up and bottle without removing the hops? (probably best practice from the point of view of leaving oxygen out, but not sure if I will get homogeneous hops distribution).

Thanks,
pp

 

[flars]

I would leave everything as is and begin bottling. The beer will drain from the bag as the level of the beer decreases. The bag could be removed when the level of the beer reaches the bottom of the bag. No dripping this way if it worries you.

Don't stir the beer in the fermentor. By this time what is in the fermentor will have reached equilibrium. Stirring will mix the trub/yeast layer giving you a very dirty beer to bottle.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Subdivisions]

^^^^ +1 Leave the hop bag alone. Buy a bottling bucket in the future. It's inconvenient to bottle from the fermenter.

 

[C-Rider]

Above statements good. But really you should invest in a Bottling Bucket. So much easier and you leave the trub behind.

 

[p_p]

Thanks everybody for the advice, bag will be left alone. It has not fully sunk so I can just swirl the bucket periodically to get a bit more contact.

@Subdivisions @C-Rider
I guess in your bottling days, you guys fermented in a carboy and then transferred to a bucket where you added priming sugar, in which case, using a bottling bucket is almost a must.

I don't have enough experience to say that transferring to a bottling vessel is bad given the risk of oxidation, but I've read many wiser brewers swearing by it, so for now I am sticking to bottling from primary .. Normally, my bucket gets closed right after the yeast is pitched and opened for the first time after the beer has been packaged. The bucket is fitted with a spigot that sits above the yeast cake and it sits inclined so more sediment settles away from spigot. I usually get about 1-2mm of sediment in the bottles after carbonation. I am happy with that.

Obviously, now that I decided to dry hop, the process needs re-formulation. If I do not get uniform distribution of the oils, well, I am screwed and will have to inevitably decide to stir or transfer.

Again, thanks for the advice.

 

[PartagasD4]

Here is what I do and for me it has had pretty good success.
I ferment right in the bottling bucket. I use something I bought from Williamsbrewing I use on the back of the spigot

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/INVERT-TUBE-BACKNUT-P179.aspx

I attach a 5 gallon paint strainer inside the bucket during fermentation with the lid just resting on top, not snapped down. I also have a 12" thermowell thru my bucket lid, it helps keep the paint strainer bag pushed down. I ferment in a 5 cf freezer with a home-built brew-pi setup.

When I dry hop I throw the pellet hops in and slip the bag off and let it fall into the bucket and seal the bucket. I use the domino sugar cubes 1 per bottle, make sure you get the 2.3 gram cubes

I also use a 5 inch piece of 1 x 2 board under the bucket at the spigot to tilt it so the yeast settle away from the spigot. I have done this maybe 5 times or more. It keeps me from having to transfer. I disassemble and sanatize my spigot thoroughly and seal a sandwich bag (sanitized also) around the spigot until I bottle.

And like I stated above I have had no problems at all with carbonation or infection with this process. I don't know if not sealing the bucket or the strainer bag use but the yeast never goes crazy with excess blow-off either, I started a IPA several days ago with Wyeast 1318 and I have a nice layer of krausen but nothing crazy.

 

[p_p]

Here is what I do and for me it has had pretty good success.
I ferment right in the bottling bucket. I use something I bought from Williamsbrewing I use on the back of the spigot

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/INVERT-TUBE-BACKNUT-P179.aspx

I attach a 5 gallon paint strainer inside the bucket during fermentation with the lid just resting on top, not snapped down. I also have a 12" thermowell thru my bucket lid, it helps keep the paint strainer bag pushed down. I ferment in a 5 cf freezer with a home-built brew-pi setup.

When I dry hop I throw the pellet hops in and slip the bag off and let it fall into the bucket and seal the bucket. I use the domino sugar cubes 1 per bottle, make sure you get the 2.3 gram cubes

I also use a 5 inch piece of 1 x 2 board under the bucket at the spigot to tilt it so the yeast settle away from the spigot. I have done this maybe 5 times or more. It keeps me from having to transfer. I disassemble and sanatize my spigot thoroughly and seal a sandwich bag (sanitized also) around the spigot until I bottle.

And like I stated above I have had no problems at all with carbonation or infection with this process. I don't know if not sealing the bucket or the strainer bag use but the yeast never goes crazy with excess blow-off either, I started a IPA several days ago with Wyeast 1318 and I have a nice layer of krausen but nothing crazy.

This is interesting, thanks for sharing.
Would you mind describing a bit more the configuration whilst fermentation is on-going? I didn't fully understand. Is the bag in the bucket during fermentation, but not submerged?

 

[PartagasD4]

This is interesting, thanks for sharing.
Would you mind describing a bit more the configuration whilst fermentation is on-going? I didn't fully understand. Is the bag in the bucket during fermentation, but not submerged?

Sure, I will try. After everything is complete.. wort transfer, oxygenation etc. I wrap the elastic opening of the paint strainer bag around the top of the bucket. The bottom of the paint strainer bag does kind of float on top of the wort. I have a 12" stainless steel thermowell inserted into my bucket lid so that does help push the bottom of the bag down into the beer somewhat but I don't think this makes much difference.

Now 7-10 days later when I dry hop I purge the hops that I have in a ball jar with CO2, toss them in and flip the elastic off the bucket lip and seal the bucket lid on. No depending on how long I dry hop for when I am done bottling the hops are nicely contained in the strainer bag.

This is all about keeping as much oxygen out of my process as possible, I am getting up to 3 months out of my IPA's now that I do this. Before I was lucky to get 3 weeks before they had very sharp decline in aroma and taste and 2 of those weeks were bottle conditioning.
I will also mention I think keeping the bucket in a 5 cf chest freezer fermenting has helped also, there is a lot of CO2 produced and laying inside it.

Oh also I take my first 6-8 ounces and do a gravity reading with it since it is a little cloudy. But it clears up quick after I draw my hydrometer sample out of the spigot

Hope this helps

 

[C-Rider]

Thanks everybody for the advice, bag will be left alone. It has not fully sunk so I can just swirl the bucket periodically to get a bit more contact.

@Subdivisions @C-Rider
I guess in your bottling days, you guys fermented in a carboy and then transferred to a bucket where you added priming sugar, in which case, using a bottling bucket is almost a must.

I don't have enough experience to say that transferring to a bottling vessel is bad given the risk of oxidation, but I've read many wiser brewers swearing by it, so for now I am sticking to bottling from primary .. Normally, my bucket gets closed right after the yeast is pitched and opened for the first time after the beer has been packaged. The bucket is fitted with a spigot that sits above the yeast cake and it sits inclined so more sediment settles away from spigot. I usually get about 1-2mm of sediment in the bottles after carbonation. I am happy with that.

Obviously, now that I decided to dry hop, the process needs re-formulation. If I do not get uniform distribution of the oils, well, I am screwed and will have to inevitably decide to stir or transfer.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Not trying to argue but the risk of oxidation going from a fermenting bucket (which I use) to a bottling bucket in not an issue. I use an auto syphon to transfer the beer to the bottling bucket leaving 99% of the trub behind, the transfer is smooth w/no air mixed in and it also mixes the carbonating sugar evenly w/the beer. But what ever works for you is best for you. I also dry hop in the primary as well as cold crash it.