Dry hop question: getting the stuff to settle or use gelatin

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by GeeL, Nov 15, 2014.

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  1. GeeL

    GeeL Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2008 Massachusetts

    Hi. I'll dry hop with pellets at the end of day 5 of fermentation. I've read that dry hopping shouldn't last more than 5 days or so. I found this thread that tells me what to do about the disintegrated pellets, they’ll settle out if I agitate the beer a little or I can use a bag. http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dry-hop-pellets-trouble.217199/ (However, I’d prefer to mess with the beer as little as possible). If I was going to let this beer sit a while, will I get vegetable flavors from that? Or, should I transfer to keg and let it sit a while? I was going to use gelatin, but then I read that this sometimes pulls out dry hop character and flavor.

    I know they seem silly questions, I've brewed 99 batches of beer, but I haven't dry hopped pellets before. Thanks.
     
    #1 GeeL, Nov 15, 2014
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “I've read that dry hopping shouldn't last more than 5 days or so.”

    I have my 342nd batch in a fermenter right now which I am dry hopping. I have the dry hops in a muslin bag that is weighed down with marbles. I dry hop a lot and for the past few years I have dry hopped many times for a duration of 14 days. All of those beers have turned out just fine with zero vegetal (or grassy) flavors. IMO, it is perfectly acceptable to dry hop for a duration greater than 5 days.

    I have zero experience with techniques to get hop pellet material to settle out; I have always used muslin bags to contain my dry hops (pellets).

    Cheers!
     
    #2 JackHorzempa, Nov 15, 2014
  3. utahbeerdude

    utahbeerdude Maven (1,374) May 2, 2006 Utah

    I dry hop with pellets with no bag. If you can cold crash before packaging this will help settle the hop material to the bottom of the fermenter. With my last dry-hopped IPA (6 oz of dry hops in 5.5 gallons) I lowered the fermenter temperature to ~50 F over about 2 days. I was surprised at how effective this was. A little agitation is not a bad thing either -- this seems to help the material break free of the surface tension at the top of the beer.
     
    #3 utahbeerdude, Nov 15, 2014
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  4. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    I have started doing a keg dry hop, then cold crashing for 2 weeks. Then I jumper it to a new keg off of the yeast, trub, and hop matter. Pours really clear after that.
     
    #4 jbakajust1, Nov 15, 2014
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  5. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    There are hop bags...and there are hop bags...if you want clear beer after dryhopping with pellets, make sure you use a VERY FINE mesh nylon bag...not muslin or even coarse nylon. Kegging helps immensely.
     
    #5 GreenKrusty101, Nov 15, 2014
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  6. ronobvious2

    ronobvious2 Initiate (0) Aug 24, 2010 Tennessee

    Something like this. You can barely see through them, they are so fine.
     
    #6 ronobvious2, Nov 16, 2014
  7. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Don't forget to seal them up good after filling also...the best hop bag in the world is no good if not sufficiently tied/closed.
     
    #7 GreenKrusty101, Nov 16, 2014
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