What happens to hop pellets and whole hops?

[Polcho]

What happens to hop pellets and whole in the fv if they are not in a bag?
Do they sink or do bits float?
I’ve only used with a bag so far.

 

[chillipickle]

Pellets break up and float on the top for a while, they all sink to the bottom when you cold crash.I never use any bags for pellets

 

[Polcho]

Can someone give me the proper definition of ‘dry hopping’ please.

I assumed it was pellets, as they are not fresh cones. Further reading indicates that it refers to the late addition of hops.

If the latter is correct, how late are we talking about? Brew day late, or during fermentation?

 

[Leon103]

Can someone give me the proper definition of ‘dry hopping’ please.

I assumed it was pellets, as they are not fresh cones. Further reading indicates that it refers to the late addition of hops.

If the latter is correct, how late are we talking about? Brew day late, or during fermentation?

Typically after fermentation.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Further reading indicates that it refers to the late addition of hops.

If the latter is correct, how late are we talking about? Brew day late, or during fermentation?

Either - any time once the wort has been cooled to the temperature at which you pitch the yeast. Historically hop cones were sometimes added to cask beers when they were in the pub cellar, but these days it typically refers to adding hops (usually pellets) either during fermentation or just after. In fact Cloudwater's DIPA v4/5 tested which people preferred - and the conclusion was...both!

Although yeast can do some interesting things to hop flavours, the current trend for NEIPAs is away from dry-hopping during fermentation and more towards cool-crashing to cellar temperature to drop out the yeast and then dry hop.

If you really want to geek out, have a read of Scott Janish's thoughts on the matter :
http://scottjanish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/TQ-58-1-0402-01.pdfwhich get pretty technical but these are his suggestions (1lb per barrel works out at just under 4g/l) :

• Match heavy dry hopping rates with whirlpool hopping at a rate of 1.5–2.5 pounds per barrel at 180°F (82°C) for better bittering balance and increased hop-derived flavor complexity. The reduction in whirlpool temperature helps retain more oil going into the fermenter while also keeping the IBUs down.
• For increased hop-saturated flavor to pair and balance heavy dry hopping rates, consider using hops high in total survivable compounds, (i.e., hop-derived esters, thiols, and oxygen-containing monoterpene alcohols)in the whirlpool, such as Idaho 7™, Mosaic®, Bravo, Citra®, Millennium, Mount Hood, Ekuanot®, and Simcoe®, as well as brewing practices that promote hop oil retention.
• Consider adding additional acid (like phosphoric acid) to the kettle (targeting 4.8–4.9 post-boil pH) when brewing higher alcohol and highly dryhopped DIPAs to counter dry hop pH rise for better drinkability. Post-fermentation acid adjustment to 4.2–4.4 pH can also help.
• Duration of dry hopping for no longer than 3 days, removing spent dryhops from the cone before doing additional dry hopcharges.
• Dry hop at cool temperatures,50–58°F (10–14°C),to improve foam and to reduce excessive hydrocarbon extraction, polyphenols, and hop creep.
• Minimize the oxygen exposure to the beer when dry hoping by purging the dry hops with CO2 before dropping them into the fermentor. Likewise, adding them to aclosed, purged tank, such as with a hopdoser, will prevent eruptions and beer showers.
• Agitate dryhops at least once a day to increase extraction efficiency and reduce the extraction time. Consider agitating high alpha-acid hop varieties and low-ABV beers multiple times a day to help with extraction due to the nonpolar nature of hop oils.
• Agitate dryhops with 60 s bursts of ~30 PSI from the bottom of the cone while keeping the tank under 8–15 PSI of pressure.
• Consider dryhopping mid-fermentation to soften or reduce strong resin and/or green-tasting hydrocarbons from hop varieties that have that potential (like Sabro™) that could otherwise dominate the palate.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Dry hopping is where hops are added to the fermenter. For most beers you add the hops after the main fermentation has finished so some time after day 5. For some beers you add some hops at the height of fermentation (day 2 or 3) where the hops make the beer very hazy through a process called bio-transformation.

The main point to dry hopping is to add aroma, and to an extent flavour.

Some people add more than one dry hop addition but you need to be a little careful with multiple additions because of the exposure of your beer to oxygen.

It makes little difference whether you use pellets or leaf hops, whether you sink the hops in a bag or let them float, whether you leave the hops in for two days or ten days. People do have their own ways and preferences though