Dry Hopping

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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brewmeisterintng
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Dry Hopping

Post by brewmeisterintng »

I have just dry hopped in the secondary. 1/2oz of Cascade pellets. I just poured the pellets in the bottom of the carboy before I transfered the beer. My question is will the hops ever settle down to the bottom? They seem to be hanging suspended. It's only been 4 days and I am going to leave it for 2 weeks in the secondary.

James
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Post by yakimicki »

i'm no real help to you on this batch, but for future batches:

I use a hop bag for dry hopping. You can buy them at homebrew shops for a couple dollars. Its basiically a mesh bag w/ a drawstring. It saves you from having all the hops floating around in the secondary. I use the same bag when hopping during the boil. Obviously care must be taken when using the bag during dry hopping so that you don't introduce any unwanted guests in to spoil your beer. I just throw a sauce pan w/ a cup or two of water on the stove and boil the bag (empty) for a minute or two. As an added measure against contamination you can steam your hops over the boiling water for 5 minutes or so to cut your chances of infection due to contaminated hops. I usually don't worry about steaming the hops and have never had a problem w/ infection.

If your too cheap to buy a hop bag, you can do what i did for my other 3 hop bags. I took a pair of panty hose (btw, these were not mine!) and cut the legs into sections 10" or so long. The feet part are already closed at one end, but your open end tubes can be closed with a good old knot. I boiled the hell out of these before I used them, just in case. I usually measure my hops out, add the right amount to each of these 'hop bags', tie a knot in the top and set them out in order of my hop schedule. When its time to add them to the boil just plop them in!
At the end of the boil I pull them out one at a time and let them drain. If I'm feeling militant, I'll 'sparge' them w/ some of the wort a few times. I don't think this is necessary though.

I've done this on more than a couple batches and the results made me happy.

BTW, the hop bags, both store bought and home engineered are reuseable!

Hope this helps,
Joe
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Careful with those panty hose

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Yak and Brew

Industry uses some pretty strong dyes for those hose, even the "nude" ones. I would not recommend using panty hose for any part of homebrewing.

I always dry hop just throwing the hops in the bottom of the carboy and let it go. They WILL settle out, I promise. I know from experience if you chill the carboy, (I have a temp controlled chest frezzer big enough to house 3 kegs and two carboys for lagering, or 6 kegs alone with no problems) the hops will drop like a rock in just a day or so.

If I am going to transfer from carboy to keg I will place the carboy in the cooler 3-4 days before tranfer and all of the remaing hops settle out as soon as the temp drops, this allows me to put c02 to the kegs quicker because the beer is already chilled.

Good luck,

Paul.
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brewmeisterintng
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Thanks Guys

Post by brewmeisterintng »

I have heard of using a bag to keep the hops together but I was betting that after they swelled you would play heck getting them out of the carboy.
This is only my second attempt at dry hopping. My first attempt was in the primary. It seemed to go just fine and left most of the hops behind when I transfered. What was left dropped out in the secondary.
If the temp stays what it is right now (27) outside. I will carry the carboy outside and let it cool for awhile.
Thanks for the info guys.

James

P.S. There is just something not manly about using pantyhose in my beer :lol:
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Post by caosesvida »

I have dry hopped for the first time also. PUt pellets into the carboy before putting beer in (secondary) the beer seems very cloudy, but the hops are not floatiing around. I got a lot of bubbling for a few days afterward. What is the gas coming off?? is this more co2 that is ativated by the hops? or some outgassing from the hops? or something that is not supposed to happen?? thanks. i will put in cooler today and bring the temp down.
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Post by djanrchy »

brewing for first time and also dry hopped in secondary. I also had a lot of bubbling, but the first night a head and sediment reformed and actually had beeer in airlock. not bubbling so much now, but either two are right or wrong. any tips are helpful. thanx.
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