Dry hopping techniques

[Leard]

Yes, this topic has been done to death. But I'm interested in hearing what equipment everybody uses for their dry hopping.

For big hopped beers like NEIPAs, you risk oxidation, so I want to find the best way to dry hop that avoids this. Currently, what I do is use 2 corny kegs. After primary, I closed transfer to one that has a net bag hanging from the lid with hops in. Then, once I'm done with the dry hopping, I transfer to another keg. However, the issue with this is that firstly I've found I end up having the hops fairly tightly compact in the bag, so I can ensure the bag doesn't dip too far into the beer. I'm concerned it might clog up the drip tube. Last time I did this, I had nowhere near enough dry hop flavour than I'd have liked. I also only have 3 cornys, and if 2 are in the kegerator with beer, then I don't have a spare to do this technique with. This also doesn't allow for 2 dry hopping additions.

So I'm now considering the magnet idea I've seen thrown around. You place a stir bar in a net bag, and use a magnet to keep it stuck to the underside of the fermenter lid. Then after primary, you pull the magnet away and allow the bag to drop into the beer. This allows 2 additions of hops. My problem is that I've not been able to get hold of a magnet that actually allows this. I bought a smallish one and a smallish stir bar off eBay, but it just isn't strong enough to hold the bag of hops up when using a plastic lid. So what size magnets and stir bars are people using? I'd rather not keep buying them from eBay only to find out I bought another one that's too small.

What other techniques do people have? Are these floating drip tubes for cornys a good idea?

 

[Braumeister]

Yes, this topic has been done to death. But I'm interested in hearing what equipment everybody uses for their dry hopping.

For big hopped beers like NEIPAs, you risk oxidation, so I want to find the best way to dry hop that avoids this. Currently, what I do is use 2 corny kegs. After primary, I closed transfer to one that has a net bag hanging from the lid with hops in. Then, once I'm done with the dry hopping, I transfer to another keg. However, the issue with this is that firstly I've found I end up having the hops fairly tightly compact in the bag, so I can ensure the bag doesn't dip too far into the beer. I'm concerned it might clog up the drip tube. Last time I did this, I had nowhere near enough dry hop flavour than I'd have liked. I also only have 3 cornys, and if 2 are in the kegerator with beer, then I don't have a spare to do this technique with. This also doesn't allow for 2 dry hopping additions.

So I'm now considering the magnet idea I've seen thrown around. You place a stir bar in a net bag, and use a magnet to keep it stuck to the underside of the fermenter lid. Then after primary, you pull the magnet away and allow the bag to drop into the beer. This allows 2 additions of hops. My problem is that I've not been able to get hold of a magnet that actually allows this. I bought a smallish one and a smallish stir bar off eBay, but it just isn't strong enough to hold the bag of hops up when using a plastic lid. So what size magnets and stir bars are people using? I'd rather not keep buying them from eBay only to find out I bought another one that's too small.

What other techniques do people have? Are these floating drip tubes for cornys a good idea?

I actually bought some magnets just yesterday to prevent me needing to open the lid of the FV. I haven’t received them yet but I don’t see why they wouldn’t do the job, one on the inside one on the outside. You could even do a double dry hop with 2 bags and 4 magnets.

£8 on aliexpress and wait several weeks or £25 on Amazon to get them this week.

 

[Druncan]

For T90's I now use a 3l airpot with big muslin bag cooled boiled water @50*C leave 20mins then dump into FV. Trying Cryo Citra next AIPA.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I don't do NEIPAs. When I dry hop, I use hop canister I got cheaply of Amazon.

I normally just open up the fermenter about mid-way through fermentation and drop it slowly in. Mid-way through fermentation means that any oxygen exposure will likely be minimised by the active fermentation. T90 pellets, never more than 100g at a time. I leave it in until I've racked off the beer as I haven't found a way of easily removing it from the beer and haven't had any issues with it remaining in the beer.

I am thinking about using the magnet technique on my next brew, using similar plastic-coated immensely powerful neodymium magnets I already have - similar to the ones @Braumeister suggests.
£8 on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07P7LFP2L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[hoppyscotty]

Yes, this topic has been done to death. But I'm interested in hearing what equipment everybody uses for their dry hopping.

For big hopped beers like NEIPAs, you risk oxidation, so I want to find the best way to dry hop that avoids this. Currently, what I do is use 2 corny kegs. After primary, I closed transfer to one that has a net bag hanging from the lid with hops in. Then, once I'm done with the dry hopping, I transfer to another keg. However, the issue with this is that firstly I've found I end up having the hops fairly tightly compact in the bag, so I can ensure the bag doesn't dip too far into the beer. I'm concerned it might clog up the drip tube. Last time I did this, I had nowhere near enough dry hop flavour than I'd have liked. I also only have 3 cornys, and if 2 are in the kegerator with beer, then I don't have a spare to do this technique with. This also doesn't allow for 2 dry hopping additions.

So I'm now considering the magnet idea I've seen thrown around. You place a stir bar in a net bag, and use a magnet to keep it stuck to the underside of the fermenter lid. Then after primary, you pull the magnet away and allow the bag to drop into the beer. This allows 2 additions of hops. My problem is that I've not been able to get hold of a magnet that actually allows this. I bought a smallish one and a smallish stir bar off eBay, but it just isn't strong enough to hold the bag of hops up when using a plastic lid. So what size magnets and stir bars are people using? I'd rather not keep buying them from eBay only to find out I bought another one that's too small.

What other techniques do people have? Are these floating drip tubes for cornys a good idea?

I do keg hopping with my smaller system and have had best and very good results with this. Currently I use a stainless steel hop tube as pictured above. I do find these are a bit restrictive for bigger NEIPIAS when you're hopping upto 15 - 20g per litre and once they expand they're pretty wedged in there so I suspect I'm not getting max utilisation.
My other experience is with hops is its always best to let them free in your beer, so next time I'll be ditching the hop tube and using a floating dip tube...so transfer been onto the hops in a purged keg (maybe with 0.3g of Sodium Metabisulphate for good measure), three days contact time (with a good swirl a couple of times a day) then cold crash to 1 degree C for a couple of days or so for the hop matter to settle as much as possible then transfer to a serving keg.

In my larger system I dump trub once fermentation has finished. Dry hop via a hop drop, after a few days contact time dump the hops then cold crash in preparation for packaging.

Problem I see with the magnet and bag technique is the hops can dry out a bit during fermentation ahead of you dropping them losing freshness through the airlock - these things come in nitrogen purged bags and kept in fridges and freezers to maintain their freshness, so the ideal scenario is they stay in that condition right up until the point they are dropped in the beer.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Problem I see with the magnet and bag technique is the hops can dry out a bit during fermentation ahead of you dropping them losing freshness through the airlock - these things come in nitrogen purged bags and kept in fridges and freezers to maintain their freshness, so the ideal scenario is they stay in that condition right up until the point they are dropped in the beer.

They will be exposed to air, but to be honest, a lot of us open the bags, use some of the hops, then reseal without the aid of a vacuum sealer and keep for many months until the next brew - all without noticeable loss of flavour.

Whilst there is undoubtedly some drying out of the hops, I don't think it will be noticeable at all for the few days they are out of the bag before they go into the beer.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Check out my dry hoppers in action….
The Chaos that is a Buffers Brewery brew day

This shows the latest version…
Dry hopper

 

[Andrew Booth]

Personally I pressure ferment using both 20l fermenters and 30. On day 10 I normally force transfer using co2 to another fermenter with the hops in it as a method it’s good for Neipa or my latest Brew EIPA (English Juicy IPA) and I never get oxidation in my brews. On Day 12 I cold crash down to 2 degrees and everything falls to the bottom and force transfer to keg.

 

[MrJay83]

I recently done a DDH NEIPA. First dry hop was day 2 and second DH was day 5. I just opened my Fermzilla and dropped them in with no issue. I think you need to catch the second DH just as fermentation is finishing up to drive out the oxygen.
The picture doesn't do the colour justice. Really bright and night & day difference from last attempt when bottling (kegging now).