Dry Hopping?

[Brycey]

A few questions guys

I was going to do the coopers european lager kit following Scottm's how to guide.The problem is i don't have a big enough pot to do a boil,so i was wondering at what stage would i dry hop and could i put them in a muslin bag so that i don't have to strain them out!!

I was having a look on the malt miller site and came across a bag of liquid malt extract for £6.25(or there abouts),is this the same stuff sold in the tins as a replacment for dextrose and dme to bulk out the one can kits.The reason i ask is it seems alot cheaper than any of the tins i've came across.

I'm not much of a bitter or ale drinker but i quite like a pint of Deuchers ipa and Belhaven best can any one suggest a kit that resembles these?

Cheers
B

 

[joe1002]

For dry hopping hops are usually added to the fv after the initial fermentation has finished, usually after 7 days. They are better chucked in loose but you can use a muslin bag if you want.

The malt extract in the tins is just that but the beer kits you buy will be the malt extract and hops etc, hence all you need to add is sugar (or DME etc) and water :thumb:

 

[Brycey]

Do they get stirred in or just sprinkel them on top?

B

 

[joe1002]

I think its down to preference. If you do stir them be very gentle and be sure not to splash.

Some people use muslin gage weighted down with a sterilised tea spoon or marbles :thumb:

 

[Brycey]

Cheers for the advice on the hops joey!!

B

 

[Andyhull]

Hi all,

Just been thinking about dry hopping (as you do early on a Saturday morning whilst at work) and the fact they are usually put into a bag and suspended in the brew!

Is there not a strong possibility of introducing an infection into the brew from either the bag the hops or both, or am i missing something?

Sorry about jumping in here with another Q

Andy

 

[Biddulphbrewer]

I'm far far from an expert Andy, but having read a bit about it and dry hopped a few times myself, I dont think its too much of a concern as long as you sanatise the hop bag first.

There's a good podcast on dry hopping available on iTunes, just search for Brew Strong Podcast and you will find it amongst the episodes. I found it interesting anyhow :-)

 

[joe1002]

You will need to sterilise the bag and any weights you use. The hops themselves will not cause any infections (they have some super powers that prevent it)

 

[Andyhull]

Thanks guys :

 

[Brycey]

Does anyone have an opion on the hop aroma oils you get instead of dry hopping?

B

 

[Brycey]

Oops just noticed the terrible spelling

Opinion

 

[gollyfish]

i tend not to rack my brews off to a second fermentor just leave it in first for a week and a half, then i bottle condition it.... is it ok to dry hop in the first ferment? in a bitter, roughly how much hop pellet (ball park)would people recommend in a 25 ltr batch?

 

[Biddulphbrewer]

Its fine to dry hop in the primary fermenter but the recommendation is to wait until the main bulk of fermentation is complete. So maybe after the first week of your primary check the gravity and then if it's near to your target finishing gravity go ahead and put some hops in.

For a bitter I think the amounts for 5 gallons are around 10-20g, but this I suppose is down to preference. The best way I have found is to experiment a little. Graham Wheelers book has quite a few recipes where dry hopping is included and most are a pretty low amount compared to say some of American styles.

Just remember that if you use less hops they need to be in there for longer to get the same amount of flavour as more hops for less time. I tend to dry hop for 7 days. So if I was dry hopping for only 3 day I'd add twice as many hops.