Anyone got anything bad to say about hop socks/bags? Ive been using quite a bit in the last year, but wondering if Im missing some of my hop flavor/bitterness in those batches. Anyone else use them and prefer not to? If not, what do you use instead? It was a big relief not to have that hop trub in the general mix of trub…really hoping Im wrong in my suspicion.
Use them frequently, no problems.
I’ve used hop socks and a large stainless mesh cylinder (like a big tea ball) with good results. Recently, on hop-forward ales/IPAs I reversed the approach and added the hops loose to the keg and used the stainless dry hopper to act as a filter on the dip tube. This seems to maximize hop to beer contact ratio and I can say I got more intense aromas. So maybe I can reduce hop quantities or get better utilization. It is my new way forward when the recipe calls for significant amounts of dry hops. If clarity is a concern, you can also transfer to a second keg after dry hopping and use a floating dip tube (at the expense of time and oxygen pickup if not careful).
See “keg filter” section in this article:
http://scottjanish.com/my-favorite-way-to-dry-hop-loose-in-primary-and-kegs/
You could dry hop by making a hop tea, I tried this on my last batch and the hop aromas are pretty good, better than I’ve had in the past. All you need is a big French press and extra space in the keg/fermenter.
Care to go into detail on your “hop Tea” procedure? Amount, type of hop (pellet/whole), temp of water, how long to steep, when you added the tea etc. I’ve been researching the idea of hop teas and/or tinctures and I know there has to be a good way to do this. I just can’t find anything concrete. Just like all things related to hop additions, everyone has 3 different ways to do it! 
Thanks in advance.
My experience with hop teas is not good. Vile, astringent, chlorophyll.
So I’ll ask you the same question:
Care to go into detail on your “hop Tea” procedure? Amount, type of hop (pellet/whole), temp of water, how long to steep, when you added the tea etc.
I’m sure all these variables play some part. I don’t doubt you had crappy results, but I’ve read too many threads/posts/articles from people who claim to have had good results with teas. Unfortunately, none of these success stories really spell out any kind of actual procedure for making the tea.
I tried several different methods…straight water (I have very good quality water), pH adjusted water, temps between 160-185, steeping 5-30 min., generally pellets but tried whole, so many varieties I can’t recall which ones I dosed 4 oz. of beer with various amounts from a few drops up to a Tbsp. Not only that, I’ve never been given one made with hop tea that I thought improved the beer. It’s subjective, so give it a try. But my experience is that it’s a bad idea.
It’s complicated chemistry and I won’t pretend to understand the details, but what I do understand is that the stuff we want out of hops is not really that water soluble. Nasty stuff seems to be. Beer works better. Hey, beer works better than water. I think I may be on to something there… [emoji16]
I’m about to start using the PicoStill to male my own hop extract. Hopefully I can use that in place of dry hopping.
Another consideration is that any hop tea (even an extract steeped in beer) is likely to introduce a lot of oxygen (particularly if added post fermentation,) which will quickly prove counterproductive in getting good aroma and stability. The kinds of oils and extracts professionals use, and that maybe Denny will be able to make, don’t pose this problem to anything like the same degree. (I know that field distilled oil in SN Hop Hunter IPA is pretty awesome!)
Sounds like a fun idea.
I had some hopped gin made with hop extract from it. DEEELISHUS!
What’s your raw material gonna be? Wet hops, pellets, cryo…? Do you plan to use steam, or alcohol or some other solvent? Know it’s a lot of questions, but I’m curious. I’ve quit dry hopping but an easily dosed low oxygen alternative might appeal to me, and there’s just not much available to homebrewers.
Apparently you get the best extraction with pellets since they’re already pulverized, but you can use whole hops, too. I have a lot of hop cores that YCH gave me and they’ve been around (unopened) for a while so I want to use them. Uses steam, although you spritz the whole hops with vodka first. I’ll let ya know how it works when I have a chance to try it.
My wife has a pair of hop socks.
Oh, wait!
I am gonna weigh in on the OP. I have used the muslin grain/hop bags and the tighter mesh BIAB bags in the kettle to put pellets in. I have noticed no real flavor or aroma differences between using the bags and just throwing the pellets directly into the kettle Although I get more hop material working its way through the muslin bag, it is not enough to plug my inline SS filter or my plate chiller. The BIAB keeps everything inside the bag but it tends to drain slower when running off the wort to the chiller.
One thing to remember is that you should try to have a bag that is large enough to keep the pellets from squeezing into a tight ball inside the bag. You want them to move around in the bag for better utilization which is why I use the bigger bags.
Susan has socks for every occasion!
I use 5 gallon paint strainer bags. They allow for quite a bit of space inside so the hops can move around and have a tight weave that traps all but the smallest hop pieces. They work great with pellet or whole hops and last a long time, a couple of mine have been through 20+ brews each.
They also drain pretty quickly when I lift the bag out. You can just clip it on the side of the kettle above the wort and let it drain while you start chilling.
Paul
I used 2 oz of whole hops, citra, straight from the fridge. Boiled water in a pot for 2 minutes, let it cool to 175 degrees. Dumped the hops into my French press, poured the water onto said hops, put lid on and let it set for 20 minutes. Slowly pressed the hops, 1 inch at a time with a 30 second rest between, continued until I could not press anymore. Poured hop tea into my fermenter.