can you use a bazooka screen to dry hop? I have used one of those tea balls befoe and this looks like a longer version/ Just wondering.
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bazooka__45123.jpg Is that what your talking about? If so.. well it depends. It's a screen, but I'm not sure if it'll work great. Pellets will bleed through it for the most part, and leaf will not have room to expand and you'd probably be able to get very little in there. That and cleaning it would be a pain in the ass. You'd then need to use a threaded cap to seal the open ended threads too.. Stick with a hop bag, but ultimately, I'd just free float them, and cold crash, or dry hop in the keg if you keg.
I'd agree that I think the hop sludge will leak out. Whole hops? Forget it. I usually just dry hop without a paint straining bag, but I'm usually not making an IPA either.
thanks. I have tried paint strainers, tea infusers, musilin bags weighted and un-weighted... Still can't figure out what works best for the recipes with 3+ oz of hops used for dry hops (pellets)
I just toss it in, then cold crash a day or two before bottling and siphon out into a grain bag at the bottom of a bottling bucket. Not perfect but itll take a good bit out.
I'm noticing that 3+ oz (pellets) does not clear out well on its own. I've never cold crashed a beer, but tend to cold condition in my keezer. I'm still getting flakes on my Zombie Dust clone from 5 or 6 weeks ago. I'm about halfway through the keg. They're not delicious, but the beer is. And I'm not about to pour the beer out because I need to floss from drinking the bottom of my glass. I'm willing to try a paint strainer bag around the auto siphon again. It doesn't work worth a damn when it comes to fruit, but this might be different.
Sort of an aside...cold crashing applies mostly to yeast, because it makes them flocculate. Most other (non-living) things tend to drop out of suspension faster if the liquid is warm rather than cold.
