Dry hopping .... use a bag or not?

[trustyrusty]

Hi I am planning to dry hop in two days... should I use hop bag or not. I have seen a lot of videos and it checks chucked in but I wonder if it breaks up and gets into beer. Unless I filter from keg? Thoughts?
Thanks

 

[mofox1]

Hi I am planning to dry hop in two days... should I use hop bag or not. I have seen a lot of videos and it checks chucked in but I wonder if it breaks up and gets into beer. Unless I filter from keg? Thoughts?
Thanks

Just throw them in. A bag is an unnecessarily risk of infection (imo).

If you cold crash, you can start to chill immediately and keg once you you can see all the precipitate had dropped. Otherwise wait a few days for it to settle out properly.

For a big dry hop, just prop the tap end of the fermenter up a tad.

 

[trustyrusty]

Thanks - would you spary hops with sanistizer first?

Also I find that if I steep hops beer is cloudy, and never really clears 100% ..

is this true with dry hops, should I use gelatin? thanks

 

[Schikitar]

would you spary hops with sanistizer first?

Nope, straight in.

Also I find that if I steep hops beer is cloudy, and never really clears 100% ..

Haze can be attributed to a number of variables, this is a good watch/listen..


If clear beer is a concern then yeah, go for gelatin, it works well, otherwise don't fear the haze and enjoy the drink..

 

[mofox1]

Nope, straight in.


Haze can be attributed to a number of variables, this is a good watch/listen..


If clear beer is a concern then yeah, go for gelatin, it works well, otherwise don't fear the haze and enjoy the drink..

Or become a biofine fanboi like me. Super easy, super effective.

 

[onemorecell]

Not

 

[JDW81]

Throw them in commando.

If you're worried about keg post clogging (which does happen from time to time) there's a few options.
1: Ghetto option: stainless steel scourer from woolies, boiled in water for 10 minutes to sanitise then chuck in your fermenter and stick you dip tube into the middle of it. Works a treat, and is cheap as (this is what I use for hoppy beers)
2: Keg dip tube screen
3: Floating dip tube

JD

 

[ABG]

Or become a biofine fanboi like me. Super easy, super effective.

Agreed. Gelatine gives great results, but preparation is fiddy. Biofine is at least as good, better in my experience and so easy it's not funny. The only down side is it's more expensive, but for me the time savings are worth it.

Re the OP's question, throw your hops into your fermenter just as they are. I've found the best results are achieved towards the end of fermentation. Chuck some fining agent in a few days layer and then keg a day or two after that. You'll have lovely hops aromas and flavours and a nice clear beer to boot.

 

[jollster101]

Just expanding on this a little.....

I am about to ferment out a NEIPA that I bought in a fresh wort kit. I have two packs of hops to pitch and the LHBS advises one goes in at high krausen so likely day 2 or 3 and the second pack goes in around day 7. (They are going into a Fermentasaurus as well by the way)

From all the reading on this forum I have understood that pack one I am best to just drop into the top as the amount of oxygen entry would be minimal and the yeast would eat it all up anyway as they continue to ferment.

The second pack though is where I am not sure what to do. Would others just throw into the top same as the first? I can purge with gas post addition if required as I will have the pressure lid on (although not pressure fermenting as I am still fairly new into it all).

Could I please get the advice from some of the established brewers on how they would do this.

Thanks

 

[user 35653]

Would others just throw into the top same as the first?

Yes.

 

[jollster101]

Yes.

And purge with CO2 or just throw in and leave?

 

[Schikitar]

First addition just throw in as soon as fermentation is kicking into high gear (you can even add them at pitch so don't stress).

Second addition throw in and follow up with a CO2 purge..

 

[jollster101]

First addition just throw in as soon as fermentation is kicking into high gear (you can even add them at pitch so don't stress).

Second addition throw in and follow up with a CO2 purge..

Thanks.

 

[peterlonz]

A wee bit off topic but I think relevant:
When the dry hop bag is withdrawn (which is easy if a bag is used) should the bag be gently squeezed to extract more of the hop "extract".
I have definitely noticed a difference between a squeezed brew & one not squeezed, but its pretty much haphazard. I don't think I have seen mention of this on any brewing forums.
BYW I recognise that the hop bag could be put into the keg but I don't like the "messyness" of this.
And I don't want to have to put something under my dip tube.

 

[krz]

I have just completed an IPA, where I dropped unbagged 100g of hop pellets straight in the fermenter.
I left it at 17C for 3 days, then I crash cooled for 3 days. All the hops had settled to the bottom of the fermenter and I transferred to kegs without an issue

 

[jollster101]

So........I dropped into the fermentasaurus the 85g of first hops yesterday evening. Reading elsewhere I read that high krausen could be anywhere between 2 - 6 days (LHBS shop said after two days) but the foam appeared significant when I dropped it in. Also the SG had dropped from 1.052 down to 1.018 which I thought was a lot considering I only pitched 24 hours prior.

Next set of hops are supposed to go in towards the end of the ferment but will drop them in on Thursday night as I am away over Easter. Hopefully by the time I get back on Monday the ferment would be done and I can cold crash.

I haven't swapped out the bottle from my fermentasaurus since pitching the wort. I am thinking I will wait until Thursday night to do that and will then replace it with a clean bottle.

At which point I will drop the second hop set that came with the kit into the top of the FS, purge with CO2 this time around and Bob will be my new uncle.