Too much dry hops?

[MagnusTS]

I've just brewed and bottled a batch of Hop Fiction using the DIYDog recipe from BrewDog.

The recipe called for 188g of dry hops (62.5g each of Mosaic, Chinook, and Amarillo). I don't know if anyone has tried putting that insane amount of dry hops into their FV, but the photos below show what it looks looks like. It smelt amazing.

I had a couple of problems though:

1. there was so much leaf matter in the FV it wouldn't sink into the brew. I had to stir it in to get it all wet. It kept rising up out of the brew so I ended up cracking open the FV very couple of days and stirring it back into the brew.

2. transfer to bottling bucket was a nightmare. The tap clogged; the siphon clogged. I ended up pouring it through a sieve, which was not great and it got oxygen and trub into the bottling bucket. And the hops soaked up a massive amount of my lovely brew. I think I lost over 2L from Fv to bottling bucket.

If anyone has any tips on how to handle extreme amounts of dry-hopping I'd be very grateful.

On the positive side the sample I had at bottling tasted fantastic, and not too far from the commercial Hop Fiction I think.

 

[Druncan]

Wow, hop heaven! I use a sanitised 30cm brewing muslin/nylon bag for my 100g dry hopping. Now mainly using D90 pellets. You can get the bags off Ebay. Then you can also squeeze all the goodness when draining the FV to get more hoppiness!

 

[Pawlo7671]

looks good. I'm doing a Guinness original clone next then I might treat my self to the DIY dog punk IPA kit

 

[TheQuokka]

Similar to Druncan, but add some weight into the bag to sink it. Marbles, ball bearings and large S/S nuts/washers can usually be sterilised by boiling.

 

[terrym]

Looking at your photos I'm glad I only use pellets for dry hopping and making up hop teas. They are also more efficient at giving up their goodness, due to the larger surface area.
When I used a bag to contain the pellets I used sanitised stainless steel cutlery to weigh it down, although some folks on here don't bother to add weights.
If you go the bag route I recommend nylon mesh over muslin, since nylon doesn't absorb liquid whereas muslin does
I don't bother with a bag now. I just chuck the hops in and then occasionally tap the side of the FV to send the floating hop bits to the bottom. By the end of the six days they have usually all sunk. Then I use a small nylon sock over the end of the siphon tube which is very efficient at removing hop bits. Mine came from a Festival kit but you can get them off ebay
3 x Home Brew Nylon Straining Bag With Pull Cord Beer Hop Wine Making Spice Herb | eBay

 

[Leon103]

Buy a hop bag, add the hops and a sanitised weight (spoon/marble) and no more issues.

 

[Sadfield]

Tips for dryhopping? Don't use leaf, use pellets and throw them straight in.

Nothing to sanitise, they stink to the bottom and I'd argue you'll get less oxidation, as you are not putting a big bouyant air filled sack into your fv.
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[MagnusTS]

looks good. I'm doing a Guinness original clone next then I might treat my self to the DIY dog punk IPA kit

I've got the official Punk IPA kit on the go in FV #2 right now.
I'll be dry hopping that one on Friday. It already smells great.
All the hops that came in the Punk kit were in pellet form, so hopefully more manageable than the Hop Fiction.

 

[IainM]

I've given up dry hopping with leaf, though if I did I would either (1) use a bag and weigh it down with a spoon (some people squeeze the bag too), this works whether you are siphoning off or using a tap, or (2) have some sort of hop strainer/filter attached to the tap (this won't work with pellets).

What I do now though, and it hasn't given me problems, is chucking the pellets in and they fall to the bottom during the cold crash. I just siphon off carefully into a bottling bucket, so what little does pass through the siphon ends up settling the bottling bucket. I'll pulled off some pretty big dry hopping like this, and I'll do the same with my current brew: 100g Amarillo, 100g Galaxy and 30g Simcoe.

 

[MagnusTS]

Thanks folks. Great advice.
I'll get myself a big nylon hop bag and/or use pellets for dry hopping next time.
:thumb:

 

[peteplus1]

Thanks folks. Great advice.
I'll get myself a big nylon hop bag and/or use pellets for dry hopping next time.
:thumb:

Most HB shops sell the hop socks (nylon bags) for dry hopping. A sanitized weight of some description and all problems solved. Whatever hop styles you use you will get the desires affect and no mess to syphon.

 

[foxbat]

Tip: for weights a shot glass with a heavy base will pull down a hop bag, is easily sanitized and is probably in your cupboard right now. For more hops you just need more or bigger glasses in the bag with them. No need to risk metal stuff in there that might not be a grade of stainless steel suitable for extended food contact.

 

[terrym]

No need to risk metal stuff in there that might not be a grade of stainless steel suitable for extended food contact.

Unless you buy cheap dodgy 'SS' cutlery with carbon steel inclusions (as found when you get small holes forming!) all good quality SS cutlery should be fine for immersion in beer for a few days, and I have no concerns whatsoever about using the SS spoons we own.
Further the grades of SS used for good quality cutlery are widely used in industrial applications for their corrosion resistance, including breweries.

 

[geetee]

I use stainless steel fitting, elbows etc that I have lying around to weight the bags down.

I also find that tying the bag to a bit of cord means you can dangle it at any height you like in the FV and swish it about a bit 2-3 times a day to help extraction of the hop oils. Also easier for removing when you can lift the bag and give it a hearty squeeze with clean hands.

 

[Godsdog]

Marbles is the way forward,I'd love to just chuck the pellets in without a bag but using a Fast Fermenter I think they would block the narrow neck of it above the catch bottle

 

[mr_bridger]

I'm dry hopping an Elvis Juice clone tomorrow, going to give these a bash. Hopefully be easier than the bags I was using. I do need to tweak the lids tho, as they aren't as tight as I'd have liked.

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[soupdragon]

Looking at your photos I'm glad I only use pellets for dry hopping and making up hop teas. They are also more efficient at giving up their goodness, due to the larger surface area.
I don't bother with a bag now. I just chuck the hops in and then occasionally tap the side of the FV to send the floating hop bits to the bottom. By the end of the six days they have usually all sunk. Then I use a small nylon sock over the end of the siphon tube which is very efficient at removing hop bits. Mine came from a Festival kit but you can get them off ebay
3 x Home Brew Nylon Straining Bag With Pull Cord Beer Hop Wine Making Spice Herb | eBay

+1 to that

I can't see me buying any more leaf hops. My last two brews have been all pellet and have been the tastiest I've made in a goooood long while :

Cheers Tom

 

[Leon103]

I forgot I have some of these for my next dry hop

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301888412949

 

[Godsdog]

I forgot I have some of these for my next dry hop

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301888412949

have two of the large ones and today took the lid off one and tied some dental floss to the two holes and lowered it in my fast fermenter conicle to sit above the narrow neck just above the shut off tap and im planning on throwing the pellets in free hand hoping the basket catches them as they sink and can be fished out with the tea ball basket afterwards before kegging,thats the plan anyway:whistle:somethings bound to go **** up though I reckon:thumb:

 

[Pawlo7671]

Fishing line is good to dangle hop bags in to fermentors. just not used fishing line