Dry hopping with pellets

[Dr Jacoby]

I used to be very suspicious about dry hopping (leaf and pellet), but some recent experiments have converted me. There's just no other way to get that unique fresh hop aroma.

I've found that unless you use a filter or cold crash the beer and age it for a few weeks (by which time the main hop impact will be lessened) you will nearly always have some haze in a dry hopped beer.

I don't get any grassy flavours by dry hopping with pellet hops but I think that's because I only ever leave them in there for 4 or 5 days. What I normally do is throw the hops into my corny about 3/4 of the way through fermentation and then once I'm happy with the flavour and aroma I cold crash for 3 days at 0C and then draw the beer gently away through the dip tube (which has been cut short). This usually yields a reasonably clear beer but there is nearly always some level of haze, especially in massively hopped beers.

I plan on getting a proper filter at some stage to see what difference it makes to both the appearance and flavour but I don't think it's essential.

[Rossa]

I use pellets to dry hop. I put them in after fermentation has complete but still with the beer still on the yeast. If they don't sink I stir them in then do a secondary with isinglass.

I never get grassy flavours as I only leave them in for 2/3 days. Max 4 if I forget.

I'm a big fan of it. It really gives ipa and pale ales a fresh  hoppy kick.

[Eoin]

It makes perfect sense that pellets would impart more vegetal/grassy notes. It's chopped up and has a greater surface area and exposes the cell insides to the beer directly and that's where the chlorophyll lives.

Simple physics.

[Hop Bomb]

More than one way to skin a cat. I dry hop with pellets in the corny keg. 3 or 4 days in a stainless dry hopper tube (stainlessbrewing.com)  I have just lobbed them naked into the corny too & auto syphon the beer off the hop gunk into a clean co2 purged corny & then cold crash. Worked very well also but its another keg to clean & sanitize. I dont get any particles in my pints but the kegs do get to sit in the keggerator for a few days at 3 or 4c. The first pint is cloudy then everything is lovely after that one.

[LordEoin]

I have tried it many times myself and never had any problem with grassy flavors. Sometimes resinous, but that's to be expected if putting in too much. After all, the pellets keep the oils better.
The reason for this thread is to find solutions for the debris/particle problem.

Teabags/tights seem to be the right direction for simplicity and ease of use.
Or maybe a drawstring fine mesh bag or something similar if they can get a good seal.

@HopBomb - you mean the 'dryhopper with twist cap? http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Dry-Hopper-with-twist-cap_p_155.html
That looks the business alright. Any idea if you can get shorter ones that'd fit in an FV?

[irish_goat]

@HopBomb - you mean the 'dryhopper with twist cap? http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Dry-Hopper-with-twist-cap_p_155.html
That looks the business alright. Any idea if you can get shorter ones that'd fit in an FV?

You can get something very similar in kitchen shops, it's basically a big salt shaker with a mesh lid that restaurants. I'd imagine it'd keep the pellets in.

[Hop Bomb]

@lordeoin: Im sure they'd make one to your spec.

Only time I had grassy vegetal flavours from dry hop pellets was my summer session beer last year. Tried to dry hop the shite out of it several times & left the hops in waaaaaay too long. I was new to pellets at the time & pretty much turned poor Kevco5 off Mosaic for life haha.

[CARA]

I dry hopped for the first time on a 5% historic pale ale on Monday. I put a handful(roughly 20g or so) into the bottom of the secondary and transferred in on top. I forgot to transfer into a corney last night and wont get a chance now till Tuesday. Will the beer be fuked grassiness wise?? Should I be ringing the missus and giving her step by step transferring & sanitising instructions on the phone?!?! EEEEPP

[irish_goat]

I dry hopped for the first time on a 5% historic pale ale on Monday. I put a handful(roughly 20g or so) into the bottom of the secondary and transferred in on top. I forgot to transfer into a corney last night and wont get a chance now till Tuesday. Will the beer be fuked grassiness wise?? Should I be ringing the missus and giving her step by step transferring & sanitising instructions on the phone?!?! EEEEPP

It'll be fine, my 46/50 APA was dryhopped with a shit load of pellets for 8-9 days.

[Garry]

irish_goat's post got me thinking

Get a Stainless Steel Shaker/Duster.

Separate the lid from the "cup" and wrap some stainless mesh around both.

Fix the mesh with stainless jubilee clips.

[Damien M]

Garry, I was thinking the same,  cut the cylinder in half and then there is a natural closed bottom, top with a lid, and something to keep the form.

Ikea anybody:
http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/80102919/

[Pliskin]

Is it important to weigh down the muslin bag for dry hopping or will you get the same effect by allowing it float at the top?

[LordEoin]

better to have them submerged so that they're completely surrounded by beer.

i like this shaker idea. nice cheap version of the stainlessbrewing product.

[Partridge9]

No one has commented on the difference between dry hopping with pettets and dry hopping with whole hops in a hop bag.

Personally I have found whole hops in a bag floating at the top works well - causes less 'cloudyness'.
I do give it a little stir to ensure the hops are all wet. Generally it floats at the top imparting its goodness from there.

However, whole leaf hops dont seem to be trendy anymore,everything seems to be in pellets these days. 

[Hop Bomb]

More of a convenience thing than a trend thing. If Tube was selling fresh leaf citra & simcoe we'd all have that Im sure.