Squeeze or drain naturally?

[jaywaycon]

So when I dry hop I tend to put my hops in a muslin cloth bag and drop it in the fermenter.

After a couple of days I take it out and give it a good squeeze to strain all the liquid out. Tonight I got thinking "is this actually a good idea?"

Is there any best practice around this kind of squeezing behaviour?

 

[GFHomebrew]

I've always let em swim free they drop to the bottom eventually and after a cold crash you just rack off the top.

If you were to leave in Fermentor for over a week then I'd probably change tune just in case of Grassiness from extend contact time.

 

[Mark Farrall]

I can't imagine there's a best practice. Squeezing will get more and possibly different flavours out of the hops than just letting them untouched in the bag. Do both and see which you prefer and then keep doing that one.

I used to squeeze when I was worried about getting the most out of a batch. These days it seems like too much hassle and I don't remember changing the approach based on taste.

 

[56 Firedome]

I put my dry hop in a fine mesh shop bag & drop it in the secondary. I never have any hop debris in the carboy. I sewed a seam down the center line top to bottom. I cut the bag down the seam. Now I have 2 bags that will come out of the carboys neck without a struggle. Typically, I use a SS ball bearing to weight the bag down. I usually leave it in the secondary for 3 days, remove the bag& crash to 40F for a week.

 

[Craigerrr]

Secondary! What the!
Ask 10 brewers a question and you will get no fewer than 10 answers, in fact, count on 15!
I tried dry hopping with muslin bags in glass carboys, TOTAL PITA. With more brewing experience, and knowledge, I now plan for the lost beer from loose dry hopping and plan to have the extra beer there to make up for the loss. It is no secret here that Craigerrr is not shy with the hops! I think that the natural method of pouring the hops in loose (they float at first), and allowing them to become saturated, and then slowly float naturally through the beer, until they gracefully make their way to the bottom. Sorry, I got lost there for a moment. I am very passionate about my hops.
Big picture, the hops will absorb some beer, change your volumes to account for the loss and let your hops meander throughout the beer and impart the wonderfulness! Or bag em and squeeze em, up to you

 

[GFHomebrew]

Been watching a pro brewer lately he has changed his dry hop method. Clause he uses conical fermentors so dumps the trub before this step.

So once dry hops are in he's been using a mag drive pump to draw beer and settled hops from the bottom of the conical and returns it through whirlpool arm located about half up the tank. This increases hop contact with the beer maybe getting more bang for his buck out of them hops. Of course all piping and pump is cleaned and purged before circulation.

 

[Craigerrr]

Been watching a pro brewer lately he has changed his dry hop method. Clause he uses conical fermentors so dumps the trub before this step.

So once dry hops are in he's been using a mag drive pump to draw beer and settled hops from the bottom of the conical and returns it through whirlpool arm located about half up the tank. This increases hop contact with the beer maybe getting more bang for his buck out of them hops. Of course all piping and pump is cleaned and purged before circulation.

If he can increase utilization, and can get the same results, even at a small craft brewer level they use pounds of hops per batch. This would help his bottom line.

 

[GFHomebrew]

If he can increase utilization, and can get the same results, even at a small craft brewer level they use pounds of hops per batch. This would help his bottom line.

Oh bloody oath less hops for same gain = less losses less cost and happy brewer. Can't think of any others.
Its at the end of this one built everything (well most) in that brewery himself.

 

[Yooper]

The problem I see with squeezing out the bag is the drips/splashing. You want to avoid any drips/splashing/oxidation at all costs.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

I've done both bag and just thrown them in. In those batches, the bagged hops left a cleaner beer but the free swimmers left more hop aroma and taste. Cold crashing takes care most of the hop floaties. Either way you will have something to clean when it's all said and done.

 

[Craigerrr]

The problem I see with squeezing out the bag is the drips/splashing. You want to avoid any drips/splashing/oxidation at all costs.

This is a very good point!

 

[4Bentley]

I also just throw the hops in for dry hopping. Lately, though, I have been giving the fermenter a good shake (not stir) a couple days before cold crash. My thought is it gets the hops suspended again to give it more contact with the beer.
Any thoughts on doing this?

 

[Hawkbox]

Squeezing for dry hops? Nah I wouldn't do that. I just toss them in and let them sink to the bottom.

 

[Craigerrr]

I also just throw the hops in for dry hopping. Lately, though, I have been giving the fermenter a good shake (not stir) a couple days before cold crash. My thought is it gets the hops suspended again to give it more contact with the beer.
Any thoughts on doing this?

I really don't think that is necessary, but YMMV

 

[GFHomebrew]

I also just throw the hops in for dry hopping. Lately, though, I have been giving the fermenter a good shake (not stir) a couple days before cold crash. My thought is it gets the hops suspended again to give it more contact with the beer.
Any thoughts on doing this?

That's what that brewer is doing I sited above but he dumps the trub first so all he is recirculating is beer and hops. Check out the clip.

 

[^Tony^]

Great questions BTW..

I used to just toss them in freestyle but I found it hard to keep the hops particles out of the bottle with IPA's. Now I put the hops in a Starsan sterilized muslin bag and drop them in. Way easier to clean the fermenter and the beer ends up with way less hops debris floating around in it. I don't take the bag out at all. I leave the bag in the fermenter and just rack the finished beer away from the bag to a bottle bucket and go from there. Easy peasy.

I have not noticed and loss of flavor or aroma.

 

[4Bentley]

That's what that brewer is doing I sited above but he dumps the trub first so all he is recirculating is beer and hops. Check out the clip.

Thank you for that. That would work for a conical. I'm still using a carboy and not sure its worth moving to a secondary for just this step. I'll have to ponder the consequences of stirring up the trub.

 

[Yooper]

I also just throw the hops in for dry hopping. Lately, though, I have been giving the fermenter a good shake (not stir) a couple days before cold crash. My thought is it gets the hops suspended again to give it more contact with the beer.
Any thoughts on doing this?

Oxidation is my thought. The hops oils are in the wort though diffusion. shaking means oxygen/air in the headspace will get more contact.

 

[4Bentley]

Oxidation is my thought. The hops oils are in the wort though diffusion. shaking means oxygen/air in the headspace will get more contact.

Thank you. I agree. Right now I am doing it after fermentation in the primary so there should be no oxygen. If I were to transfer to a secondary beforehand that wouldn't be good. So, the question is stirring up trub. It settles out after a couple days and then I cold crash, so the beer is clear.

 

[Yooper]

Thank you. I agree. Right now I am doing it after fermentation in the primary so there should be no oxygen. If I were to transfer to a secondary beforehand that wouldn't be good. So, the question is stirring up trub. It settles out after a couple days and then I cold crash, so the beer is clear.

What do you mean there is "no oxygen"? Of course there is. First, gasses mix readily and there is this wide-spread myth of a "c02 blanket". Once fermentation slows, and less c02 is produced, there is absolutely NO "co2 blanket". Plus, you opened the fermenter to put the dryhops in there. So it absolutely allowed oxygen/air ingress. Also, keep in mind that even airlocks allow oxygen ingress once fermentation slows.

So fermentation has slowed or stopped, and the fermenter is opened and something is added along with plenty of room air. That air doesn't disappear- and then the fermenter is shaken. If it was my beer, I'd be more cautious about oxidation especially with hoppy beers that more readily show oxidation effects.