Dry hopping

[Dj labby]

Hey just a question. When dry hopping, do you just throw the hops straight in the brew or best to put it in a bag then add?? Just wondering if you get any hop parts in with the brew when you bottle it.

I'm guessing you just throw it in and let it do its thing and eventually it will settle?

Thanks

Rob

[Hairy]

You can do it either way. If you drop the loose pellets in they should settle out over time.

 

I use a hop bag though. I just like to keep things neat & tidy. And I also don't have to worry about any hop material getting in the bottles.

[GregT5]

A common method used by brewers here is to put the hops in a chux cloth and tie into a bundle.

 

You can use a chux straight from a newly opened packet.

[Muddy Waters]

I recommend constraining your hops in something (chux, muslin, stocking). I find not enough hop matter drops out for my liking if I just chuck them in.

[Dj labby]

Ah kewl. Yah will try the chux method i think. (mental note, don't use the one off the sink)

Well i have heaps more bottles now, and just got a sparkling ale kit with 1kg of malt to go it, just going to put some POR and maybe some cascade in. maybe 10g of each for 10 min boil or POR 10min boil, cascade steeped.

I'm just waiting on a coopers online delivery to make a APA with either Nelson or Amarillo.

 

Thanks guys.

Rob

 

[StewartS2]

All my dry hopping is done by putting the pellets straight in the fermentor. I tried using a big teaball but found the liquid did not get into the centre. I have no problems with hops in the bottles, just leave your brew a good 3 weeks in primary. If you do use a bag/chux just make sure there is plenty of room for them to get wet.

[LeonardC2]

I use the muslin hop sacks. Looks like cheese cloth to me? I don't put more than 30g in one bag. Then tie the knot all the way at the end to give'em plenty of room,since they swell up to about the size of a baseball.

When I'm done with all my hop additions,i put a large strainer over the brew kettle,then use tongs to put them in the strainer to drain.

Once they've done so,I push down on them to get more liquid out. You'd be surprised how much squeezes out.

[Dj labby]

Alright, i just threw about 15g of nelson hops in a sparkling ale brew, after 2 days of fermentation. (just don't want to just taste malt), but will be putting it in a second fermenter after 7 days, so will strain it as it goes in to the second. Hopefully most of it will have settled. Might look into muslin bags. Think i can get some cheese cloth from work.

Cheers

Rob

[Muddy Waters]

Just out of curiosity why are you moving it to a second fermentor after 7 days? I reckon you'd be much better just leaving it in primary to let the hops settle out. There generally isn't any benefit gained from moving to a secondary fermentor.

 

Also, how do you plan to move it to the second fermentor - The thought of straining your beer at this stage sounds like it would agitate and oxygenate your beer (not a good thing after pitching stage).

[NewtownClown]

so will strain it as it goes in to the second. Hopefully most of it will have settled.

Rob

 

+1 against straining ! It WILL aerate your beer therefore introducing O2.

 

+1 using Chux. Cheap and disposable. Better alternative to re-useable cloth bags/socks which I believe should be sanitized before use.

 

[LeonardC2]

On this last brew,I cut the dry hop & did 1.5lbs (.681kg) of plain amber DME into the BK with 2.5G (9.5L) of boiling water. 20min hop addition of 30g (1oz),10min addition of 15g(.5oz),then 10min steep at flame out with 15g (.5oz) of hops.

My OS Draught based Sunset Gold Came out the best of all I've done so far this way. The hops are on the middle to the back,& not harsh at all,since I used flavor/aroma hops to start with.

[Dj labby]

Just out of curiosity why are you moving it to a second fermentor after 7 days? I reckon you'd be much better just leaving it in primary to let the hops settle out. There generally isn't any benefit gained from moving to a secondary fermentor.

 

Ok kewl. Well as i may have mentioned i'm only new to this and noticed that people have racked and gone to second fermentation, was guessing this is what people have done...

Thanks for the info. I was trying to reduce most of the yeast as i have a fair bit in mine after opening bottles. Maybe i should just try and let it ferment and settle for longer than a week. with the strainer, its not a kitchen strainer. Was going to put it low in the second fermenter so that it didn't really aerate. Sure it prob would, but was going to lessen the effect.

No worries, i'll just leave it all for 2 weeks or so. I have spare fermenters now to brew more in. :-)

 

 

Also, how do you plan to move it to the second fermentor - The thought of straining your beer at this stage sounds like it would agitate and oxygenate your beer (not a good thing after pitching stage).

 

[Dj labby]

Ooops, put this in the middle of the last post.

 

Ok kewl. Well as i may have mentioned i'm only new to this and noticed that people have racked and gone to second fermentation, was guessing this is what people have done...

Thanks for the info. I was trying to reduce most of the yeast as i have a fair bit in mine after opening bottles. Maybe i should just try and let it ferment and settle for longer than a week. with the strainer, its not a kitchen strainer. Was going to put it low in the second fermenter so that it didn't really aerate. Sure it prob would, but was going to lessen the effect.

No worries, i'll just leave it all for 2 weeks or so. I have spare fermenters now to brew more in. :-)

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hi Labby,

 

I rack every one of my brews to a secondary and then to a bottling bucket with a tap. I know i'm only going to get the hackles up on the necks of the other guys around here.[bandit]

 

I use a large plastic can(40L) with a lid as my primary FV. This FV allows me to mix all my ingredients easily without having to use a funnel and there is plenty of head space for the krausen. Once the high krausen settled down i use a racking cane and siphon hose to transfer the brews to one of two glass carboys (with an airlock[devil] )for another week or more. Using the siphon method keeps the oxidizing to a minium. I do all my dry hopping in the secondary FV. I personally like the glass carboy for the longer storage.

 

Using one primary FV and two secondary FVs allows me to keep up a busy schedule (a brew every 5 days). The primary keeps working on the fermentation end of things while the secondaries do the dry hopping and settling. I can bottle at my leisure.

 

There are many ways to skin the cat. This is only one of them.

 

Chad

 

P.S. i hope i made some sense in my rambling.[crying]

 

This is the way I do it and always have. i have never found a problem with oxidization.

 

[Muddy Waters]

Chad, I think we have confirmed in the past that our thoughts on moving to secondary differ [lol] however in this occassion it wasn't the actual moving to a secondary vessel that concerned me. It was the use of a strainer that had me worried.

 

Labby - In the scenario you have described you will benefit from leaving it in your primary vessel for at least 2 weeks to let you loose hops settle out. As for yeast in your bottles if youage your bottles appropriately before drinking (months not weeks) the yeast matter should settle on the bottom - the longer it is on the bottle the more compact it becomes and you have to really agitate it for it to be transferred into your glass when drinking. You can further reduce sediment by chilling your beer dwon to refridgerator temps for 2-3 days before bottling but you'll need a fermentation fridge for this. Don't overdo the chilling or you may not have enough yeast for carbonation.

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hey Muddy,

 

I truly was just trying to see if I could get a reaction from you.[biggrin] I felt I needed to stick up for the minority.

 

Labby,

 

I do agree with Muddy, here. It would be a really bad idea to pour the wort through a strainer into a secondary. If you are planning to use a secondary make sure you use a racking cane and siphon hose. If you are wanting the loose hops from your dry hop to settle out simple tap the side of the FV every time you are passing by. This will make the hops head for the bottom. Oh, and be patient. Like Muddy said a beer takes months to develope into a fine brew so don't rush the small stuff![joyful]

 

Chad

 

P.S. Is there anyone else out there that racks to a secondary?[alien]

[Dj labby]

Ok thanks guys for the info. (not sure if i feel a little confused or not) but think the fermentation has stopped but i'll leave it all for a week or so more and let it settle out.

 

Yah i'm trying to get enough beer and bottles so that i have about a 3 month turn around on beer. Just takes time to brew that much, but have got nearly 200+long necks now, so with at least 2 fermenters going, should have a heap before summer.

 

Next brew, the Full Nelson!! thanks for the recipe!! looks tasty.

[weggl]

Labby, to get a 3 month turn around you will have to stop drinking. That is don\u2019t drink the stuff your brewing.

I started brewing last October and have now brewed over 1300 bottles. I only have around 5to6 hundred in stock and have about 50 bottles that are over 3 months.

So keep buying commercial beer if you want the stock to build up.

My problem is that I cant see the point in paying $4 or so for a longneck when I can drink one that\u2019s around $0.70.

 

Skinflint Warren

 

[Squishy]

Labby, to get a 3 month turn around you will have to stop drinking. That is don\u2019t drink the stuff your brewing.

I started brewing last October and have now brewed over 1300 bottles. I only have around 5to6 hundred in stock and have about 50 bottles that are over 3 months.

So keep buying commercial beer if you want the stock to build up.

My problem is that I cant see the point in paying $4 or so for a longneck when I can drink one that\u2019s around $0.70.

 

Skinflint Warren

But if you Buy Coopers Longnecks you get beer+bottle+yeast

its win win win[biggrin] [biggrin]

[Dj labby]

Hahaha yah why buy them for $4 each instead of .70c.

Yah well, how do i know what i want to make if i don't taste them. [biggrin]

Well i only had about 130-140 bottles, so turn around was pretty quick. I have since purchased more old school crown seal bottles(actually i have CUB and Tooheys bottles from 1955) So have around 250-300 bottles now... Oh i ended up getting a couple of bottles that had labels on them, tooheys Flag Ale, Reschs pilsner and KB labels, from early and mid seventys... Good score

 

I have 2 fermenters going atm, so should be able to get the bottles filled before summer, even if i'm drinking them. haha.

 

I have a heap of stuff coming from coopers, like liquid malts and can stocks. So its on!!

[YannickB]

I myself use the carboy right now. Can I dryhop in the FV without the cloth? I would assume you have to wait a couple of days before doing so so the alcohol level increase and protect the brew from any infection. I don't mind a grain or two of hops in my bottle unless someone has a good reason to prevent it (like the end of the beer... euh... the end of the world would come!!)

[Muddy Waters]

It'll usually take a few weeks for the hops to drop out enough for bottling if you don't use a cloth or stocking or something Yannick. Some people dry hop straight away but I usually wait about 72hrs. If everything is clean and sanitised infection shouldn't be an issue whether you dry hop early or late.

[YannickB]

Right now, when I dry hop, after about a week (in the carboy), some grains are still floating but most of it has sink. But about dryhopping in the first vessel, I realized that I would have to rack it into a second pail anyway for the bottling because of the sediments (I don't have a sink at the bottom of my bucket). And I don't use the CO2 pellets... I prime with sugar.

 

But thanks Muddy, I thought that hops could be dangerous when dryhopped in the beginning of the fermentation. Adding to that, the hops I buy is sealed in plastic so I guess there's less chance for bacteria.

 

Anyway, right now, I think I'm thinking out loud!! will shut up! ;o)

[Guest]

It's not the actual hops that may infect the brew it is the process of putting them in the fermenter. eg. take lid off and put them in etc.

 

 

[LeonardC2]

One of the reasons hops came into use was their preservative qualities,making the beer stay fresh over the time it took to ship them way back when. Not just their bittering qualities.