Agitating dry hopping in primary....advice.

[PissyFingers]

My question is, if im dry hopping my IPA's with say 6oz of pellet hops, is it possible to fit a SS ball valve and a SS dip tube half way up the side of my primary vessel so i could purge CO2 into the wort to mobilise the hops into the wort. Other wise they just sit up on top of the wort like a 2 inch high green blanket. If i was able to purge the vessel once or twice a day and get the hops more contact with more of the beer i am hoping to get more aroma into the finished product and shorten the dry hop down to say 3-4 days with out introducing O2 into solution.

Any advice or pros vs cons from anyone who has tried this or any "i wouldn't do this because......?

Cheers!

Harley

 

[day_trippr]

How big - or immobile - of a vessel are we talking about?

I ferment in 6.5g glass and almost always use free-swimming pellets. I'll rock the carboy whenever it occurs to me, probably around a half-dozen times a day (the ferm fridge is near 'nuff to the keezer so that's at least four times right there ) After four days of that at least 3/4 of the mush has sunk near the bottom, and the rest will join them during the cold crash (I won't push dry hopping more than 5 days at ~68°F).

There were some posts a couple/few weeks ago on how some pro's have gotten into recirculating the fermented beer through hopping vessels and getting bigger results from the hops than just letting 'em float around on their own. So you're definitely thinking in the right direction if you want to shorten the dry hopping duration, get a bigger bang for your hop buck, or both...

Cheers!

[edit] ...although I question the method of using CO2, as it won't be absorbed by the beer, so it's going to escape, likely flushing some of the aroma character you're trying to add right out of the fermenter...

 

[oakbarn]

If you like really good flavor and aroma hops, get the Blickman Hop Rocket and use leaf hops. The difference is amazing. We are going to do a "wet hop" IPA in early September when the hops arrive!

 

[day_trippr]

A wet-hopped beer will be significantly different than its cousin using dried hops, even if using the same methodology.
I think the methodology is what the OP is wondering about.

So, do you use the hop rocket post-fermentation?

Cheers!

 

[PissyFingers]

How big - or immobile - of a vessel are we talking about?

I ferment in 6.5g glass and almost always use free-swimming pellets. I'll rock the carboy whenever it occurs to me, probably around a half-dozen times a day (the ferm fridge is near 'nuff to the keezer so that's at least four times right there ) After four days of that at least 3/4 of the mush has sunk near the bottom, and the rest will join them during the cold crash (I won't push dry hopping more than 5 days at ~68°F).

There were some posts a couple/few weeks ago on how some pro's have gotten into recirculating the fermented beer through hopping vessels and getting bigger results from the hops than just letting 'em float around on their own. So you're definitely thinking in the right direction if you want to shorten the dry hopping duration, get a bigger bang for your hop buck, or both...

Cheers!

[edit] ...although I question the method of using CO2, as it won't be absorbed by the beer, so it's going to escape, likely flushing some of the aroma character you're trying to add right out of the fermenter...

Cheers for the reply. Im only fermenting 30Litre batches at a time but want to get as much hop aroma flavour as possible. I just think letting the pellets swell up with wort and sit at the top isn't utilizing them to their full potential. Yeah ive tried rocking the bucket during dry hop but there must be a better more efficient way, and controllable way to do this. Yes the CO2 will have to escape out the airlock but im not talking about an hour long purge so im wondering how much will be washed out?

Im guessing it will be a trial and error test. Brew a batch of beer and split it into 2 fermenters, dry hop one the usual way and let them do their own thing and in the other push them around with CO2 and see what happens, do a side by side taste/aroma test.

 

[Demus]

I'm not 100% clear on what you're trying to do with the cO2. What type of fermentation vessel are you using? If it's not a carboy and has a wide opening like a bucket just put your dry hops in a mesh bag with a few sanitized weights. I use large glass marbles. This sinks your hops to the bottom ensuring they'll fully saturate....


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[beerdragon]

Just curious, have you tried first wort hopping? I do both first wort hopping and dry hop, both really hit the mark. But once, I did a first wort hop with a helles, no dry hop, and the aroma/flavor was amazing.

 

[jonkranked]

If you like really good flavor and aroma hops, get the Blickman Hop Rocket and use leaf hops. The difference is amazing. We are going to do a "wet hop" IPA in early September when the hops arrive!

i'm growing my own hops for the first time this year, and am planning on trying to add wet/fresh hops during secondary fermenation (is it still referred to as dry hopping this way?); do i need to account for any water absorption by the fresh hops?

 

[day_trippr]

i'm growing my own hops for the first time this year, and am planning on trying to add wet/fresh hops during secondary fermenation (is it still referred to as dry hopping this way?); do i need to account for any water absorption by the fresh hops?

Does anyone really plan out the water absorption by dried hops?

What you probably do want to do is consider your wet hops will weigh roughly 5 times as much as if they were dried down to the industry standard. So if an addition called for an ounce of dried hops you'll likely want to use 5 ounces wet...

Cheers!

 

[CanAusBrewer]

One thing I have tried with my ipas which seems to help with hop utilisation is to use a hop sack abd tie it in the middle with dental floss. I put glass marbles in either side to weigh it down. It really resembles testicles disturbingly. Then I route the floss through the hole in the lid for the air lock so the hop bag is suspended above the trub and below the surface. To agitate I just jiggle the dental floss a few times and the hops don't break the surface, therefore no oxidation issues.

 

[Demus]

Ball bag hopping, another new term... Great!!


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