To squeeze the bag, or not to squeeze the bag ... that is the question

[Jtvann]

Thinking of trying something different for absolutely no reason other than to mix things up.

Going to use a strainer bag for my hops during the boil. I’ll circulate via whirlpool during the entire boil to get flow through the bag.

At the end, squeeze the bag or no?

If so, how to squeeze and maintain sanitation.

When do you squeeze, how do you squeeze ... or do you squeeze at all.

I’m bored and 88oz in. I think I need another 22.

 

[rekoob]

Don't see a reason to squeeze a hop bag.

I say not.

 

[Jtvann]

But there’s so much juice left behind if you don’t ...

I’m just stirring the pot for the sake of conversation.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

clean and then Star san hands, and squeeze? Seems fine to me just don't burn your paws off.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Squeeze the bag, but do it in a coffee mug and then you can sip on your hop tea while you finish brewing! Genius!

 

[Jtvann]

Thus the question of when. You could burn your paws off, or you could chill and whirlpool with the hop bag suspended ... then squeeze while transferring to fermenter. It’d be nice and cool, but ripe for infection.

If so, when and how?

110 in now. From here on, I wouldn’t trust my math. Pure entertainment purposes.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Sanitize some latex gloves then squeeze it like it owes you money. Personally, I don't worry about the hops in the boil. It's the dry hopped bags that get the squeeze treatment from me.

 

[Jtvann]

Ohhh, squeezing the dry hop bag. I wasn’t even going there. Risk of O2 oxidation is off the charts for my liking.

Since you opened that can of worms though ... I’m game to see where it goes

 

[day_trippr]

Leaving the sanitation issues aside, I don't see how one could avoid introducing a lot of oxygen when squeezing dry-hop bags.
I always use free swimming pellets (not leaf) for dry hopping, then cold-crash them to the bottom under light CO2 pressure for 2-3 days and then pushed through a mesh filter to a purged keg leaving the pellet mush behind. If I had to guess the remaining hoppy mush might hold onto a cup of beer when I'm done. Considering there's typically 6 ounces of "bio" & dry hop pellets in each fermentor, I don't begrudge them that

This OC process really cuts down the opportunity for oxygen uptake - and as 75% of my brews these days are hop 'splosion neipas just waiting for a stray oxygen molecule to come by and turn everything brown it's pretty much mandatory if I don't want kegs of browned beer.

I'm just finishing up a keg of Julius that I brewed at the end of February. It's still that bright juicy color...

Cheers!

 

[Jtvann]

Yeah, I’m trying to be on the same page as you as far as oxidation goes. I really meant squeezing the bag after the boil. Just seems like that bag of full of concentrated hop flavor and I’d have to squeeze it.

I haven’t used bags for the last year that I’ve boiled and I just thought I’d give it a try. Can’t hurt in keeping hop material out of the fermenter.

 

[day_trippr]

Ah, well, squeezing boil hop bags is on the much safer end of the process.
I will admit to mashing hop bags against the kettle wall with my spoon back when I used bags

[edit] Since I switched to a 400 micron ss spider I just prop it up and let it drizzle as I'm draining the kettle. What is left in the spider (and it could be as much as 10 ounces of pellets for these neipas) is a cake of pellet fragments - it's not dry but there's not much moisture retained...

Cheers!

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I just let my hops roam free during the boil (actually, all my hops are free range: boil, whirlpool, dry hop). The only time I've caged them is for keg hopping.

 

[nobadays]

Right at the end of the boil I pull the bag - or bags up to the edge of the kettle and squeeze them against the side to get all the goodness out. If there are whirlpool hops they go in by themselves and get squeezed after the hop stand. Yep... don't squeeze the dry hop bags... they stay in the fermenter until after the transfer to the keg.

Cheers!