I think dry-hopping and I are headed for a timeout...

[ynotbrusum]

And if you want to use pellets and save a few bucks there is this:

https://www.frontiercoop.com/products.php?ct=llttptb&cn=Mesh+Tea%2FSpice+Ball+3"%2C+Stainless+Steel

Cheers

[mugwort]

The technique seems good.  You flush with CO2 which is a must.  Three to four days at 65-70*F is all that is needed.

After I remove the hops, the keg goes in the fridge under CO2 for a week.  Then I pull a full pint (not a little bit at a time to taste test, as that just mixes things around that have settled out) and dump that down the drain as I have no desire to have hop bits disable my taste buds.

I’ve used pellets and whole hops and really haven’t had a problem with either.  The most important part of dry hopping is the hops themselves.  If the hops don’t smell incredible before you use them, they will not suddenly smell incredible in the beer.

Is this flavor something you only get in your homebrew or is it something you don’t like in craft examples?

Thanks for the ideas.  One thing I don’t do is do a pint pull to flush the hop particles.  After hooking it up to dispense, I tend to do little checks and tastes that probably serve to keep stuff agitated.

Also, since I tend to carb at room temp while dry-hopping, I’m sampling the beer within a day of the hops coming out, so there’s little settling time.

I detect a rough hop leafiness in some commercial brews, but most don’t stand out beyond the rest of the hop flavors and aromas so I don’t find them objectionable.  For example, some Sierra Nevada brews (Celebration, Torpedo) seem to me to have that leafiness along with a rough bitterness but everything seems balanced enough.  Most of the time I enjoy it.

Also perhaps it’s partly finding out how a beer’s intended to taste.  Same way I learned to appreciate sours over time with an “oh, it’s supposed to taste like that” thought.  Probably the most shallow way of appreciating something, but it’s a start.