Plinian Legacy IIPA / Dry Hopping

[gnome]

Brewed this on 3/8, fermentation has slowed a lot but still quite a layer of the foam on top, I am planning or racking to the secondary on 3/22. However it still seems really cloudy hasn’t really cleared up yet. I know there was a lot of hop additions and figuring it will drop out in the next week or so. Anyone else who brewed this noticed that?

It calls for 2 additions of dry hopping, 1 at 10-12 days prior to bottle and the last at 4-6 days before bottling. I have never dry hopped before and would like to hear your suggestions. I know from reading on the forums, this can be one of those topics where if you ask 3 people their opinions you will receive 5 answers, but here goes.

1)Should I put the hops in a nylon mesh bag, just throw them in there?
2) throw the first addition in, with hopes they will drop out before bottle day and bag the 2nd addition for fear of looking like it does now?
3) if I throw both in with no bag, what is the best way to filter the beer as I am racking to the bottling bucket? I have a funnel with a filter in it, but it would not be a smooth transition and would be adding extra O2 to the beer which I always thought was a bad thing at this stage?

Thanks for the input…

[geneticbrew]

It doesn’t hurt to use a nylon mesh bag, plus it helps to control the hops. If you’re using a glass carboy you may not want to use a bag as they are difficult to remove through the small opening.

Throwing the hops in doesn’t hurt anything. No need to fear the floating hops.

Don’t use a funnel when racking, you’ll likely oxidize your beer. Instead, take your fine mesh nylon bag and place it around the hose output of your racking cane. You might have to manually hold the bag on while racking and keep it just under the level of your beer.

You can also place the bag around the suction end of your racking cane. That has it’s own nuances. I usually just try to keep the suction away from the hops. Seems to work well.

If you’re a professional juggler you can put a fine mesh bag on both ends of the racking cane.

If you have a hop spider, you could sterilize it and rack into it, thus retaining the hops in the spider.

Mostly it depends on your equipment and a little experimentation.

[eichen323]

[quote=“gnome”]Brewed this on 3/8, fermentation has slowed a lot but still quite a layer of the foam on top, I am planning or racking to the secondary on 3/22. However it still seems really cloudy hasn’t really cleared up yet. I know there was a lot of hop additions and figuring it will drop out in the next week or so. Anyone else who brewed this noticed that?

It calls for 2 additions of dry hopping, 1 at 10-12 days prior to bottle and the last at 4-6 days before bottling. I have never dry hopped before and would like to hear your suggestions. I know from reading on the forums, this can be one of those topics where if you ask 3 people their opinions you will receive 5 answers, but here goes.

1)Should I put the hops in a nylon mesh bag, just throw them in there?
2) throw the first addition in, with hopes they will drop out before bottle day and bag the 2nd addition for fear of looking like it does now?
3) if I throw both in with no bag, what is the best way to filter the beer as I am racking to the bottling bucket? I have a funnel with a filter in it, but it would not be a smooth transition and would be adding extra O2 to the beer which I always thought was a bad thing at this stage?

Thanks for the input…[/quote]

When you transfer to secondary, it will clear up a bit. So don’t worry about that. 2-3 weeks primary was plenty for me.

1/2) Just throw them in there. Both additions. Don’t worry about the nylon mesh. When you’re done with the dry hoping, transfer to tertiary for a few days on your basement floor and it should clear up nicely. You could always add some gelatin if it isn’t.

3. Do not strain while you transfer. Hops oxidize very easily and with as much as are in this recipe you don’t want to risk that. As I said, your best bet is to tertiary after the dry hop. do it as smoothly as possible as to not introduce excess oxygen into the beer.

I just kegged mine last night. I can’t wait!

[gnome]

Thanks, for the insight.

So racking to a tertiary? I have never heard of that, though it seems like it would eliminate the issue of having the hops get in to the bottling bucket/bottles, however, isn’t that a chance to oxidize more with the extra racking (from secondary to tertiary, then to the bottling bucket)?

Anyways, I just racked tonight from the primary(6.5 gallon) to secondary (5 gallon) and it is quite full. I installed a bubbler. I am wondering when it is time to dry hop, is the lack of head space going to be an issue? Is there any violent reactions when you put the hops in or do they just start breaking apart? Will I need to re-install a blow off tube when I put in the dry hops? Or should I re-rack it back in to the bigger carboy?

thanks.

[eichen323]

[quote=“gnome”]Thanks, for the insight.

So racking to a tertiary? I have never heard of that, though it seems like it would eliminate the issue of having the hops get in to the bottling bucket/bottles, however, isn’t that a chance to oxidize more with the extra racking (from secondary to tertiary, then to the bottling bucket)?

Anyways, I just racked tonight from the primary(6.5 gallon) to secondary (5 gallon) and it is quite full. I installed a bubbler. I am wondering when it is time to dry hop, is the lack of head space going to be an issue? Is there any violent reactions when you put the hops in or do they just start breaking apart? Will I need to re-install a blow off tube when I put in the dry hops? Or should I re-rack it back in to the bigger carboy?

thanks.[/quote]

Tertiary is something that I do on occasion. Something that is heavily dry hopped or sometimes if I’ve done done an actual 2nd fermentation. With a heavy dry hop, i’m mostly worried about my keg popets getting clogged. Bottling, it’s up to you.
it does increase the risk of oxidation but if you’re careful it should be fine. Just keep your sanitation up to par.

As for adding the dry hops, do it when ever the hop schedule works for you. I’d do it within the next week. There will be little to no reaction. Just add and they’ll break up. No need for a blow off but keep the airlock installed.