# Dry hopping with a hop bag



## rossbaker (5/8/13)

This was recommended by the guy at my LHBS. Who does this? If so, how do you go about sanitizing the bag?

FYI, I bottle directly from the primary fermentation vessel.


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## pyrosx (5/8/13)

Boil it and/or clean it with no rinse sanitizer?


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## Helles (5/8/13)

boil bag in pot of water for a few minutes 
drain water add hops straight into fermenter
With a couple of stainless steal bolts (sanitised) to stop it from floating


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## shmang (5/8/13)

Soak it in star-san or your choice of sanitizer,
Fill with hops and a sanitized weight (stainless bolt as helles said),
Add to your fermenter,
Wait for delicious beer


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## Rocker1986 (5/8/13)

I used one once, never again. Too much of a pain in the arse cleaning the hop matter out of it after bottling the brew. Now I use stainless steel tea strainer 'balls'. You can pick em up cheap as on eBay. I have found them to be really good, they keep the hop matter out of the brew but still turn out a nice hop aroma in the finished beer. They're way easy to clean as well. The only downside is depending on the size of them they don't hold a lot - I put 10g max in mine so often have 3 or 4 of them in the brew. You have to be wary of constraining the hops too much with these things. They usually sink on their own, although I have noticed one ends up floating after a day or so, but the hops are all submerged. They sink again when I cold crash though.

But, whatever works for your situation and as above posters have said, just boil the bag for a few mins to sterilize it. I guess it wouldn't hurt to star san it either. And good luck!


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## slash22000 (5/8/13)

Plain women's stockings from Woolies, cut off the legs and tie into disposable hop bags. I boil them for ~15 minutes just to make sure there's no weird fabric flavours or anything. Works out to something like 50 cents each. No need to try and fish your bag out and clean it and shit, just throw it away. It's how I dry hop in my kegs, works out fine.

Well, except for the looks you get as a grown ass bearded man buying stockings at Woolies.


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## Yob (5/8/13)

Do what I do and tell them you ran out of thigh high ones and need these as an emergency stop gap.. 

Priceless


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## JDW81 (5/8/13)

What is wrong with putting the hops straight in the fermenter? I bottle right out of the primary and don't end up with a glass full of hop particulate.


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## JDW81 (5/8/13)

slash22000 said:


> Well, except for the looks you get as a grown ass bearded man buying stockings at Woolies.


I buy stockings all the time. I use them to tie up my roses/tomatoes/whatever needs tying up. Cheaper than garden ties from the big green shed and softer on the plants cause they've got a bit of give.


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## slash22000 (5/8/13)

I just throw them in the fermenter if I'm dry hopping that way, but in my kegs I use stockings or else it clogs the dip tube. Been there, done that, never again. :unsure:


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## froidy (5/8/13)

JDW81 said:


> What is wrong with putting the hops straight in the fermenter? I bottle right out of the primary and don't end up with a glass full of hop particulate.


I did it this way the last two brews and it took me 2 extra hours to bottle because the hops kept clogging up the bottling tube, it was a nightmare! I think I'm gonna try the bag, string and sanitised marbles for the next one 
Tried the 'hop tea' method but it doesn't give nearly the same 'kick' for me


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## 431neb (5/8/13)

I have a hinged tea infuser thingy hanging by some dental floss in one of my kegs right now. First time I've dry hopped a keg. I only put 10 grams in it as I'm worried they will expand the hinged "ball" and clog the dip tube.

Hopefully it'll add a little something. 10 g of citra may not be enough to make much difference.


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## rossbaker (5/8/13)

Right, thanks fellas. I'll just soak the bag in some no rinse first. And I like the idea of using marbles as weights. Cheers!


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## Helles (5/8/13)

my marbles were broken last time when i took bag out of fermenter so switched back to stainless steal bolts


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## punkin (6/8/13)

Proffs said:


> Mate, just get some muslin cloth from spotlight and cut into something like 20x20cm squares. Also get some kitchen twine from woolies. Throw enough of both in some starsan and wrap your hops along with a sanitized fishing sinker in the cloth and tie it off into the fermenter.
> 
> Dry hop as long as you like and remove. Cut sinker out and throw the rest in the bin. Easy.
> 
> This is coming from a fella that used to chuck hops straight in the FV. Just feels gross spitting hop leaves off your tongue.



Highly recommend NOT putting lead sinkers in your brew. Really bad advice.


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## Yob (6/8/13)

froidy said:


> I did it this way the last two brews and it took me 2 extra hours to bottle because the hops kept clogging up the bottling tube, it was a nightmare! I think I'm gonna try the bag, string and sanitised marbles for the next one
> Tried the 'hop tea' method but it doesn't give nearly the same 'kick' for me


If you are able to cold condition the Brew the issue is solved as all the hop particulate drops and compacts with the yeast


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## Proffs (6/8/13)

What a dumbass. It only just dawned on me why you shouldn't put a LEAD sinker in your brew. Post deleted.


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## mmmyummybeer (6/8/13)

Rocker1986 said:


> Too much of a pain in the arse cleaning the hop matter out of it after bottling the brew.


I just empty out the hop matter and throw the bag in the washing machine. I found it cleaned up pretty good and was easy as.


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## brewbienewbie (6/8/13)

I never thought of weighing down my hop bag before, good idea!


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (6/8/13)

Used a hop tea bag by buying those tea bags for home made tisane, and filling them with hops and tied with cooking string.

Dropped into the bottom of a keg :chug: :icon_drool2:


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## Rocker1986 (6/8/13)

mmmyummybeer said:


> I just empty out the hop matter and throw the bag in the washing machine. I found it cleaned up pretty good and was easy as.


Yeah I guess that would work haha.. I'm happy with my tea strainers now though, just a quick rinse under the tap and the stuff falls right off. I usually boil them in a pot when I'm about to use them for a dry hop as well just to be safe.


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## jzabski (6/8/13)

I have never weighted my bags down either, I have an EIPA on the go now so I will try it this time and see how it goes. By the way if using the flowers (from Yob) will it change the flavour when dry hopping? I hope it doesnt taste grassy.


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## paulmclaren11 (6/8/13)

I just use a hop sock soaked in starsan, tied at one end and draped into the fermenter - the o-ring seal stops it from falling in (I use glad wrap as a lid). Once the hops are well soaked I find it doesn't float. Taste a few samples and when ready pull it out and keg away.

This way I get less crud at the bottom of my fermenter which means more beer into the keg.

Have keg hopped a couple of times now but I prefer dry hopping in the primary (each to their own).


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## wombil (6/8/13)

I put mine in a hop bag and it just sinks.Lost most of my marbles.


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## froidy (10/8/13)

I'm about to do my first proper dry hop with a bag, It's a Coopers IPA. When is the best time to put the bag in and for how long? I'm going to use a few sanitised marbles to weigh it down. It has been fermenting for four days now and seems to be clearing so I'm thinking of dry hopping in the next few days and leaving it another week....thoughts? Also I have Cascade, Saaz, Tettnang and Fuggles hops to choose from in the fridge.....what to use!! haha 
I have done this kit with Cascade before (50g) and it came out really nice, maybe I'll try the Tettnang this time, am after hop aroma!
Thanks guys


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