Weights for hop bag

[Richie_asg1]

Will they float forever without a weight? I presume this is whole flowers and not pellets.
Lost my marbles years ago.

 

[fury_tea]

I'm dry hopping at the moment, I often do it without a bag but have started using one the last few years, just chucked in.

Is there any proof that weighing the bag down makes a difference or is it just another one of those brewing rumours that perpetuates?

If the hops are floating a certain percentage might not be in contact with the wort. Weighing them down just ensures that they are all covered.
I've done both ways, for leaf hops I definitely weigh them, but usually do for pellets as well. It's easy enough to do on the off chance it does improve hop flavour

 

[Rodcx500z]

I just chuck em in then cold crash after 3 days

 

[foxy]

Posted this last week in another dry hopping thread. bags and magnets. I would imagine floating or sinking bags wouldn't make much difference the capillary action will soak the hops in a floating bag and in cold crashing they sink anyway. The good thing with the magnet method is put them in and out of the fermenting wort at your leisure.

 

[dwhite60]

I have a number of generic one ounce pieces of .9999 fine silver to use for this.

Silver is somewhat anti-bacterial too. $15/ounce (bought some time ago) but well worth it. No question about what it is.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I used a mellon baller.

 

[Pavros]

I like foxy's magnet idea - genius!

 

[AXW123]

I use a granite pebble especially selected for size from the beach outside. Scrubbed it and boiled it and sprayed it with StarSan - now lives in my brew kit.

Very cheap. plenty more there if I lose it.

however I do like the magnet idea.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I can see the attraction of the magnet but it's poles apart from a stone.

 

[The Baron]

SPOONS!!!
no cost involved at all and stainless

 

[Victor Churchill]

I've made the Range's MYO kit a few times, and that comes with a foil sachet of pellets for dry hopping.

The first couple of times I just chucked the pellets in and ended up with hop bits in my bottles even after going via a bottling bucket.

This last time, when fermentation was close to done, I did the following:-
1. pour boling water over *unopened* foil hop sachet and stand in a bowl for a few minutes (the sachet, not me)
2. stab the sachet many times with a long thin small kitchen knife, previously dishwasher-sterilised. Go at it as if it was a voodoo doll likeness of your favourite politician :-)
3. chuck the perforated foil sachet in the FV. The weight of the foil sachet makes it sink once the hops have absorbed a bit of liquid.
4. bottle after a few days as usual

I had wanted to do step 2 with one of those hand held leather punches but I could not find it.

Result: nice hoppy touch, no bits.

 

[jceg316]

I'm not terribly into hoppy styles anymore so I don't dry hop, but it always caused a lot of trouble. Often found it difficult to sink the bag, and when it floated on top it would get infected and ruin the brew on occasions. If I DH with pellets or whole cones loose they would end up in my bottles. Now I have a fermentation fridge I'm considering dry hopping a beer and drying out leaving them in loose and cold crashing, seeing if that sinks all matter to the bottom.

 

[The Baron]

I can only give you my advice and bag the hops if it is any largish quantity, Just put 2 or 3 large SS spoons from the cutlery tray in and that will sink them. I have found slinging them in loose does not always get the hops to the bottom all the time cones especially. Good luck I am sure you will find something to work for you

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I can only give you my advice and bag the hops if it is any largish quantity, Just put 2 or 3 large SS spoons from the cutlery tray in and that will sink them.

I have seen marbles mentioned in similar threads.

 

[The Baron]

I use spoons because I lost my marbles years ago

 

[terrym]

SPOONS!!!
no cost involved at all and stainless

Some homebrewers seem to avoid the bleedin obvious

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I'm not terribly into hoppy styles anymore so I don't dry hop, but it always caused a lot of trouble. Often found it difficult to sink the bag, and when it floated on top it would get infected and ruin the brew on occasions. If I DH with pellets or whole cones loose they would end up in my bottles. Now I have a fermentation fridge I'm considering dry hopping a beer and drying out leaving them in loose and cold crashing, seeing if that sinks all matter to the bottom.

If you’re using a plastic bucket for fermenting you can just throw hop flowers in - they will float on top and will still be floating on the top several days later but now they will be big and fluffy.

A syphon with a small drawstring net sock over the end will allow you to draw off clean clear beer with no bits. I use these on the end of my syphon:

https://www.home-brew-online.com/eq...-nylon-hop-straining-bag-with-pull-cord-p2336

 

[terrym]

A syphon with a small drawstring net sock over the end will allow you to draw off clean clear beer with no bits. I use these on the end of my syphon:

https://www.home-brew-online.com/eq...-nylon-hop-straining-bag-with-pull-cord-p2336

Or free with a Festival kit, assuming they still provide them, thats where mine came from.

 

[foxy]

Spoons, marbles or floating hop bags doesn't make any difference. The magnets have their place for those with a BrewZilla or Fermentasaurus, the hops have to be in the fermenter prior to filling as the ferment dies down and the pressure is applied to start to carbonate the beer that is when to immerse the hops. The aroma doesn't get scrubbed by exiting gas and can be drinking a fresh hoppy beer within a week to ten days.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Or free with a Festival kit, assuming they still provide them, thats where mine came from.

I think they are supplied in BeerWorks kits too.