how to do multiple dry hop additions

I like to remove the first addition before adding the second, but some folks don't and still get good results.

What I typically do is add the first dry hops to the primary 7-10 days into fermentation, then use co2 to rack to a purged keg where it gets the second dry hop. If you plan to bottle from a bottling bucket, I'd just open the Big Mouth, pull the hops, add your second dose, then rack from there when you're ready. There's no reason to secondary in this case, especially if you're very concerned with oxygen exposure.

I don't use muslin bags for the first dry hopping, I just carefully dump them into the fermenter. I'll use one when dry hopping in the keg. I boil them first, soak in StarSan, then wring them out by hand (with nitrile gloves on) before filling with hops.

Hope this helps.

 

1. It's a matter of personal preference. Seeing as how you bought one of those big mouth bubblers, it would seem easy for you to do so if you choose to.

2. Sure you could add some actively fermenting wort (krausening) or (if you have a CO2 tank) flush the headspace with CO2 gas. If you krausen, I believe you are supposed to add roughly 10% by volume so you need to make sure you have that much room (plus headspace for fermentation when it kicks up again) and ask yourself if you really want to risk altering the flavor profile of your base beer by krausening with a different beer. I wouldn't want to personally, especially considering the base beer is a single hop beer.

3. I've used starsan and I've boiled the hop bag in water. Both have produced similar results. Just make sure to sanitize your hands and then give the bag a good wringing out after wetting it with either method.

 

@Bwhamon do you have a fridge/cold place to fit your fermenters? If so you can start throwing your hops in nude.

 

Multiple dryhop additions are great if you are trying to get rid of overbought hops (see other thread http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/hop-freezer-surplus-what-to-do.218243/ ), but for me, a single substantial addition (4 oz for a 5 gal batchof IPA) is usually plenty.

 

@koopa (Without watching link) "It shrinks??" "Like a frightened turtle!" Thanks for that.

 

@GreenKrusty101 was listening to a brew strong episode on double dry hopping. Jamil swears by it and even said (I believe) that he noticed a difference in a batch of evil cousin that his brewers forgot to double dry hop without knowing that they did not double dry hop.

I tend to only do one dry hop but certainly would like to give this a try.

It was either evil cousin or evil twin. I've yet to have either. :-(

 

No and yes b/c fishing-out the 1st addition will likely destroy the CO2 blanket.

Remove the lid slowly so as not to create suction which would disturb and evacuate the protective CO2 blanket ... lower the hop bag gently into the beer ... then re-cap slowly to avoid pushing air into the fermentor's head-space.

Boiling the bag for a couple of three minutes is probably good enough but if it makes you (and me) feel better follow up with a sanitizer dunk.

 

I will try anything once , but I guess I'm just too lazy for the perceived benefits to consistently double dryhop.

 

1. I don't remove, just toss the second bag in.

2. The way to minimize O2 pollution is just to work fast. I would not mix beers from different fermentors . . . incestuous beer doesn't appeal to me . . . might frighten my turtle.

3. I boil my hop bags when they are new (never know where they have been). Then when re-using a good scrubbing followed by a starsan soak.

For your Pliny clone there is no reason to not follow the Russian River technique. Here's how they handle the double dry hop (me too).

 

I normally just toss in the pellets if I have them, leaf if available in the fermenter right around 7 days from pitching. Usually done fermenting and I'm allowing it to warm up a bit to finish.

I give it 5 days, and then I start cooling it a bit to help it drop down a bit. I purge the headspace again while I'm cooling it a bit.

Then I rack with co2 to my keg which has been purged, WITH my leaf hops in a bag suspended from the PRV of the keg.

I allow it to sit at room temp for another 4 days, then cool it down to keg temps. At that point, I will sometimes carb it up with the hops in there at keg temps, or I'll pull hops.

I'm going to try to now cool it down, rack from one keg to another under a co2 blanket to get it off the hops.

I have tossed the idea around of hooking up my hop rocket with 4 ounces of leaf, and pushing the beer from one keg to another through the hops to a clean keg for carbing and enjoying. Should be saturated at that point.

 

Yes, that is one application of the hop rocket. You can go back and forth to get the most out of the hops.

 

I have an article on Advanced Dry Hopping Considerations coming out for the december issue of BYO which has a section focusing on layering in dry hops. It is obviously something a lot of the top pro-brewers do, but is something that is probably unnecessary for homebrewers with one exception. It's a technique I've done over the past few years, but now have basically stopped. Hope you guys will read it.
Regarding question #2...why haven't homebrewers yet devised a mini-hop cannon?? Blow the hops in with a CO2 charge

 

From what I have read they use some pretty high pressures for that, more than we use.

Not a cannon, but I have been pushing beer through my hop rocket, keg to keg through the hops. You can go back and forth a few times keg to keg. If you want more hops aroma, reload with fresh hops and repeat.

Edit - you can also do a purge with CO2 to get the O2 out.