I’ve got some nylon sacks that I use for my boiling hops. Is it safe to dry hop with it? I’m assuming so, but ya never know.
Make sure they’re clean first, then either boil or soak in sanitizer before adding the hops. If they have a sewn seam, make sure it’s on the outside to make cleaning off the hop goop easier when you’re done dry-hopping.
What about dry hopping with nothing at all, just pitching the leaves in there?
I dryhop in fermenters with loose hops - they’ll eventually sink, but if you can cold-crash you can get them to drop faster and when you want.
A lesson I learned the hard way tonight: if you boil your hop bag to sanitize it, don’t walk away and forget about it while it’s boiling. When the water is gone, it will melt. Not sure I’ll be able to salvage the sauce pan. It’s that bad. I’m pretty sure I win the bonehead award for today.
From now on, it’s Starsan for my hop bags.
I just dry hopped for the first time. I just added my hop pellets to a mesh bag and dropped it into my secondary. I thought that the bag would sink due to the weight of the hop pellets , but to my dismay they are floating on top in the mesh bag. Is this ok ? or should i push them down into my secondary ?
-Sorry for asking a question in your thread Hoppenheimer
I use nylon bags for keg dry hopping all the time. I do a soak in pbw (if it’s really discolored) and a soak in Starsan to sanitize. I suspend the bag from the lid using monofilament fishing line and a hose clamp. I always throw in a couple stainless pipe fittings to help the bag sink.
For dry hops you can just chuck them into your fermenter - no bag needed. Some people prefer to use a bag to make it easy to retrieve the hops, but I just throw them in. Pellets will eventually sink on top of the trub and leaf hops will tend to float. Either way it will work.
[quote=“CobiaTower”]I just dry hopped for the first time. I just added my hop pellets to a mesh bag and dropped it into my secondary. I thought that the bag would sink due to the weight of the hop pellets , but to my dismay they are floating on top in the mesh bag. Is this ok ? or should i push them down into my secondary ?
-Sorry for asking a question in your thread Hoppenheimer[/quote]
If dry hopping in your primary or secondary, just toss the hops in. Pellet or whole. If in a keg I would suggest NOT just tossing either in the keg. I’ve had the dip tube clog. I now use a hop sack. I just give it a soak in starsan first. And I throw a few marbles in to weigh it down.
[quote=“CobiaTower”]I just dry hopped for the first time. I just added my hop pellets to a mesh bag and dropped it into my secondary. I thought that the bag would sink due to the weight of the hop pellets , but to my dismay they are floating on top in the mesh bag. Is this ok ? or should i push them down into my secondary ?
-Sorry for asking a question in your thread Hoppenheimer[/quote]
It may take a while before they begin to sink, or they may not even sink at all. Give it a few days. If it doesn’t sink, then you can gently press the bag down with a sanitized spoon. In the end, it doesn’t matter so much whether the bag is floating or not, I’d just want to make sure that the pellets have absorbed enough liquid to break up and start steeping out their hoppy goodness.
[quote=“CobiaTower”]I just dry hopped for the first time. I just added my hop pellets to a mesh bag and dropped it into my secondary. I thought that the bag would sink due to the weight of the hop pellets , but to my dismay they are floating on top in the mesh bag. Is this ok ? or should i push them down into my secondary ?
-Sorry for asking a question in your thread Hoppenheimer[/quote]
GET THE #$@! OUT OF MY THREAD! :lol: I was actually wondering the same thing. Glad you asked.
So, in the event that my hops refuse to sink, what would be my approach then? I always rack an hour before bottling, and I’d prefer not to have “Hop-Leaf Surprise” as my first IPA.
Wrap a hop sock loosely around your racking cane’s hose end.
Solid.
I go to the dollar store and buy womens knee high nylon stockings, 6 disposable hop bags for a buck. I cut the elastic off of the top, rinse them under hot water then a short soak in sanitizer and toss them in the keg.
1+ Exactly what I do but I don’t bother cutting the elastic off.
