Adding hops

[archno1]

Hi, I am due to add hops to my Mangrove Jack's Juicy IPA in a few days time. The last time I added hops, I used a muslin bag to put them in. I was going to just add them loose this time,
in order to get more hop flavour in to the beer, but wondered if my basic syphon tubing, with a sediment trap is man enough to stop the hops when it comes to bottling? I just bottle
straight from the FV, rather than transfer it to a second FV.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Galena]

Posted in error

 

[DavidDetroit]

If there's a way to have a backup trap ready to go, that might work. It's the hop floaters that can do the clogging.
I would use a large muslin bag to give the hops room to breathe.

 

[Richie_asg1]

I'm still struggling with hop debris from pellet hops. What worked (sort of) was to drain it all from the kettle through a large strainer bag into the FV. So you are straining on the exit of the pipe rather than going into it. If dry hopping most of mine dropped to the bottom, so I just used a small filter on the end of the syphon tube.
I would recommend batch priming in a secondary FV or PB as it gives you another chance to filter things if you cock it up.

Asda are doing nice veggie net bags that are ideal hop sacks. 3 for £1. Plus you can boil with them.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

This is what I do. Sanitise a supermarket nylon fruit and veg bag, put the hops in that and put them in the FV. Three days before kegging I cold crash which usually drops the bag of hops to the bottom. During the transfer to keg I use a sanitised glove to lift the hop bag upwards give it a gentle squeeze to release the goodness as soon as it comes into view, taking care not to disturb the sediment.

 

[terrym]

If you drop hop pellets directly into your beer for a dry hop you can (or at least could) buy small nylon mesh socks that fit over the end of the siphon tube over the trap like this which are very effective. Mine actually came from a Festival kit.

If you can't buy one you could try getting someone with a sewing machine to cut down one of the supermarket mesh bags described above* which have more or less the same mesh size and make you one. When laid flat mine measures 70mm x 170mm.
* The mesh size on these bags looks about the same as my hop sock.
The other alternative without using a bag is to rap the sizes of the FV from time to time at the liquid level to disperse any floating hop bits (no need to open the FV to do this), and then after say thee days dry hopping in the warm find the coldest place you have and move the FV there for say 2 to 3 days and this usually sends most of any floating hop bits to the bottom, although you still have to be careful when siphoning and you might suck up a few bits at the end.
But in the end I reckon using a weighted hop bag is the easiest way of doing things and Ill bet you couldn't really tell the difference between the two methods. However if you are concerned about hop goodness uptake just use slightly more hops if you go with a bag, say an extra 10%.

 

[MagnusTS]

@archno1 are the hops leaf or pellet?

I don't use a bag, I just chuck the hops in loose (leaf or pellet). But I do a cold crash before bottling, and that settles everything out to the bottom of the FV and leaves the beer nice and clear for bottling.

Sometimes with hop leaf I get a rogue floating hop or two that didn't settle out, and as @DavidDetroit says these can clog your tap or syphon. I usually just fish out any rogue floaters using a (sterile) slotted spoon before bottling. I prefer to use pellets now as they always settle out, and I think they absorb less of my precious beer.

Those hop socks on the outflow do stop any small matter that makes it through your syphon. But I found it tricky to get the syphon primed and working properly with a sock on it, and have stopped using them since very little matter went through after a cold crash. I might be able to find my old hop sock if you'd like me to post it to you.

Happy bottling!
Magnus

 

[Ale House Rock]

@archno1 are the hops leaf or pellet?

I don't use a bag, I just chuck the hops in loose (leaf or pellet). But I do a cold crash before bottling, and that settles everything out to the bottom of the FV and leaves the beer nice and clear for bottling.

Sometimes with hop leaf I get a rogue floating hop or two that didn't settle out, and as @DavidDetroit says these can clog your tap or syphon. I usually just fish out any rogue floaters using a (sterile) slotted spoon before bottling. I prefer to use pellets now as they always settle out, and I think they absorb less of my precious beer.

Those hop socks on the outflow do stop any small matter that makes it through your syphon. But I found it tricky to get the syphon primed and working properly with a sock on it, and have stopped using them since very little matter went through after a cold crash. I might be able to find my old hop sock if you'd like me to post it to you.

Happy bottling!
Magnus

If you put one of those wire cages from a champagne or prosecco bottle inside your hop sock first it will stop the sock being drawn into the opening of your siphon and prevent it clogging.

 

[archno1]

If you drop hop pellets directly into your beer for a dry hop you can (or at least could) buy small nylon mesh socks that fit over the end of the siphon tube over the trap like this which are very effective. Mine actually came from a Festival kit.
View attachment 34639
If you can't buy one you could try getting someone with a sewing machine to cut down one of the supermarket mesh bags described above* which have more or less the same mesh size and make you one. When laid flat mine measures 70mm x 170mm.
* The mesh size on these bags looks about the same as my hop sock.
The other alternative without using a bag is to rap the sizes of the FV from time to time at the liquid level to disperse any floating hop bits (no need to open the FV to do this), and then after say thee days dry hopping in the warm find the coldest place you have and move the FV there for say 2 to 3 days and this usually sends most of any floating hop bits to the bottom, although you still have to be careful when siphoning and you might suck up a few bits at the end.
But in the end I reckon using a weighted hop bag is the easiest way of doing things and Ill bet you couldn't really tell the difference between the two methods. However if you are concerned about hop goodness uptake just use slightly more hops if you go with a bag, say an extra 10%.

Thanks a lot terrym. Just a quick question. Is it okay to put the FV in my garage for those couple of days, to cold crash, prior to bottling? I wondered if that would be too cold at this time of year? I have a couple of muslin socks I can use to put over the syphon tube. Cheers.

 

[archno1]

@archno1 are the hops leaf or pellet?

I don't use a bag, I just chuck the hops in loose (leaf or pellet). But I do a cold crash before bottling, and that settles everything out to the bottom of the FV and leaves the beer nice and clear for bottling.

Sometimes with hop leaf I get a rogue floating hop or two that didn't settle out, and as @DavidDetroit says these can clog your tap or syphon. I usually just fish out any rogue floaters using a (sterile) slotted spoon before bottling. I prefer to use pellets now as they always settle out, and I think they absorb less of my precious beer.

Those hop socks on the outflow do stop any small matter that makes it through your syphon. But I found it tricky to get the syphon primed and working properly with a sock on it, and have stopped using them since very little matter went through after a cold crash. I might be able to find my old hop sock if you'd like me to post it to you.

Happy bottling!
Magnus

Thanks MagnusTS, I think it is hop pellets. I will probably cold crash and see how it looks before deciding on whether to use a hop sock. Cheers

 

[terrym]

Thanks a lot terrym. Just a quick question. Is it okay to put the FV in my garage for those couple of days, to cold crash, prior to bottling? I wondered if that would be too cold at this time of year? I have a couple of muslin socks I can use to put over the syphon tube. Cheers.

The colder the better. The aim is to send the residual yeast in suspension to sleep so that it drops. Some folks use their fridge.