Steel weight for dry hopping

[supergaijin]

Hello all, I was hoping for some insight on this.

When dry hopping a brew the bag tends to float on the surface. I was wondering if a large ball bearing would allow the bag to stay immersed (increasing contact with the beer) but have no idea what kind of steel would be appropriate and safe.

Any ideas?
Cheers

 

[Larse]

Stainless steel I would imagine. I have a hop ball that looks like galvanised steel. Could be stainless, never checked.

Edit: Checked, it's stainless.

 

[JockyBrewer]

304 (also known as A2 or 18/8) or 316 (also known as A4 or 18/10) stainless steel

Whatever you use it's likely to be covered in machine oil which will readily come off in your beer. Give it a multiple cleans and rinses with neat washing up liquid before use.

 

[MashBag]

Washed Stainless steel nuts are my choice.

But TBH stainless steel anything that's cheap enough or handy. Cutlery?

Ps. Test it. Quality stainless will not hold a magnet.

 

[Madhouse]

I just use a teaspoon or steal some marbles off the kids.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I used to use stainless steel balls but wished I had used spoons (after reading about using them on this forum ). Spoons will be much easier to retrieve than balls. I switched to pellets and don’t use bags at all now.

 

[YeastFace]

Used to use baking beads, but they're a ballache to separate from the hops. They also seem to have a small hole so I wonder if I ever got them properly clean.

Now I just use pellets, cold crush, and bottom dump. If dry hopping in keg I'd use a spoon (other cutlery is available).

 

[The Baron]

I use stainless steel dessert spoons

 

[MashBag]

Did I mention my nuts are 50mm




....ok I will go and sit in the car.

 

[DocAnna]

I use glass silver and pink pearlescent pebbles, the type that are used to decorate the inside of vases... hey you'd expect nothing less here

 

[fury_tea]

I use a stainless steel hop tube, no need to add anything because it just sinks on its own!

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I use a sous vide magnet and then can drag the hop bag below the surface.
Also can swish it around then pull hops out when finished.

 

[Clint]

Spoons for me....when I bagged hops. I reverted to just chucking them in.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I use a stainless steel hop tube, no need to add anything because it just sinks on its own!

I have one of those that may go in the bin. The problem is that it won't fit in the fermenter sideways - it's to wide. So it has to go in roughly vertically. At which point all the hops sink to the bottom. Then they sit there. Swell up as they absorb moisture and get compressed and held in place by the steel tube that can't expand.

Last brew there were a bunch of partly dry hops left in it at the end and no way near enough hop flavour in the beer. It's currently sat on its last try. If the same happens again, it's going in the bin

 

[Buffers brewery]

I have one of those that may go in the bin. The problem is that it won't fit in the fermenter sideways - it's to wide. So it has to go in roughly vertically. At which point all the hops sink to the bottom. Then they sit there. Swell up as they absorb moisture and get compressed and held in place by the steel tube that can't expand.

Last brew there were a bunch of partly dry hops left in it at the end and no way near enough hop flavour in the beer. It's currently sat on its last try. If the same happens again, it's going in the bin

Pellets

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Pellets

I think @Agentgonzo is using pellets.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I think @Agentgonzo is using pellets.

Yes. Pellets

 

[nickjdavis]

A handful of glass marbles will also work.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Yes. Pellets

Ok. Loose pellets