Questions - Dry Hopping, Gelatin & Cold Crashing

[J2W2]

Hi,

I have an IPA in the primary right now, and I'll be trying several things for the first time in the secondary. And so, I have questions!

1. Dry Hopping. The recipe calls for additional hops in the secondary. I'm using pellet hops, so I'm planning to bag them (if I can get everything through the neck of the carboy). I assume I just need to sanitize the bag, hop packets and scissors, add them to the secondary and rack on top of them?

2. Gelatin. I plan to use this for the first time to help the clarity (I also plan to cold crash). The recipe calls for two to three weeks in the secondary; at what point should I add the gelatin, and does cold crashing effect the timing?

3. Cold Crashing. I use a Son of a Fermentation Chiller for my fermenting. This will be my first attempt to get it down any where near freezing, but I think I can do it with enough ice jugs. It holds temperature very well, so once I get it where I want it, it should be easy to maintain. How long should I hold it in the 32-36 degree range before I keg it?

Thanks as always for your help!

 

[atom]

1. Don't bother with a secondary...sanitize a bag and throw the hops directly in the primary.

2. i add gelatin to the keg (see below)

3. cold crash 2-3 days then keg. if my beer is cold and going directly in the keezer after kegging, i will add the gelatin at this point. if it has to wait for a spot to open up, i will wait until it has been in the keezer for about a day (to chill it back down) and then add gelatin. (it works best at cold temps.)

 

[JimRausch]

I've read a few posts that indicate to cold crash and gelatin 1st, then dryhop. The rational is that the gelatin may pull some of the aroma compounds with it when it settles. No personal experience, but perhaps those with opinions will chime in. If you do it that way, you could cold crash and gelatin in primary(after it's at FG of course!), then dryhop in the keg.

 

[mbbransc]

I've read a few posts that indicate to cold crash and gelatin 1st, then dryhop. The rational is that the gelatin may pull some of the aroma compounds with it when it settles. No personal experience, but perhaps those with opinions will chime in. If you do it that way, you could cold crash and gelatin in primary(after it's at FG of course!), then dryhop in the keg.

This

If you bottle like me and can't dryhop in the keg, then cold crash, gelatin, rack to secondary and then dry hop. I keep my dry hops in a sanitized paint strainer bag. Some debris still ends up in the bottle of the secondary but not much.

 

[Natdavis777]

Im my experience with dry hopping and using gelatin, some hop flavors are pulled out after the gelatin. On the other hand, if you dry hop post gelatin, hop particles can still cause a clarity issue. I just compensate with an extra ounce of hops for dry hopping. I always do my secondary in a keg, bc it is easier to get your hops in and out of opposed to the carboys. pull the hops out, cold crash for a few days, add gelatin, wait a few more days, and crystal clear beer.

 

[J2W2]

The recipe I'm following calls for adding the hops in the secondary, and reviews from others that have brewed this kit, and others that have used this particular yeast, say the yeast really stays in suspension with this one so you need to rack to a secondary and then bottle or keg to get any kind of clarity.

It's also recommended to leave it in the primary for two weeks, then another two to three weeks in the secondary, which I believe would be way too long in the primary on the yeast cake? It's been in the primary for ten days now, and it's still pretty murky.

I'm brewing the Ferocious IPA from Midwest Supplies, which is the strongest IPA they sell, so I'm not super concerned if the gelatin pulls a little hops flavor out of it.

If you cold crash in the primary, and then rack to a secondary, is it OK to let the beer return to room temperature (65-70) while it's in the secondary? Does anyone ever use gelatin and/or cold crash in both the primary and secondary?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Devilsnight]

What yeast are you using? If your going to use a secondary I think you would just want to transfer it and then cold crash before you bottle/keg.
I'm actually drinking ferocious right now :cross: I did AG, 3weeks primary and straight to the bottle. used wyeast 1335. Turned out great for me. Well, It doesn't taste all that much like furious but, It's a dang good IPA none the less.

 

[J2W2]

What yeast are you using? If your going to use a secondary I think you would just want to transfer it and then cold crash before you bottle/keg.
I'm actually drinking ferocious right now :cross: I did AG, 3weeks primary and straight to the bottle. used wyeast 1335. Turned out great for me. Well, It doesn't taste all that much like furious but, It's a dang good IPA none the less.

I used the Headwaters Ale Wyeast ACT1000. Did you use Irish Moss, gelatin, or cold crash yours? What kind of clarity did you get?

I've heard that it isn't really "ferocious". I really like IPAs, but my wife isn't a huge fan. I'm hoping she'll like this one.

By the way, at ten days in, I still have a fair amount of krausen on top. It has a lot of large bubbles in it that don't seem to pop, and I haven't had airlock activity in several days. I don't remember seeing this type of layer on my previous beers after this many days. Did you experience anything like that with yours? So far I've only taken my starting gravity reading, so I'm not sure how close I am to the projected final gravity.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Devilsnight]

I dryhopped in the primary for 7 days and cold crashed for the last 4. My beer Is pretty dang clear for not adding gelatin and irish moss. I guess I contribute it to this : I rack into my bottling bucket straight from the fridge. That way everything that settled out during the cold crash stays right there in the bottom. Bringing the carboy out of the fridge to transfer seems to defeat the purpose of cold crashing for me as all the sediment gets stirred right back up. Also, after carbing up, these bottles have been in the fridge for over a month so the small amount of sediment in the bottle is pretty compact. Pretty clear in the glass

As I remember this is the only batch so far I had to use a blowoff tube on. Krausen was all the way to the top neck on the carboy. I wouldn't worry about anything there. Sounds normal

 

[CryoEng]

im my experience with dry hopping and using gelatin, some hop flavors are pulled out after the gelatin. On the other hand, if you dry hop post gelatin, hop particles can still cause a clarity issue. I just compensate with an extra ounce of hops for dry hopping. I always do my secondary in a keg, bc it is easier to get your hops in and out of opposed to the carboys. Pull the hops out, cold crash for a few days, add gelatin, wait a few more days, and crystal clear beer.

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