CIP a fermenter after dry hopping?

[MikeRoy]

I've heard quite a few breweries re-circulate through their racking port and PRV on their fermenters after dry hopping. What are the pros/cons, ins/outs, any tips,thoughts suggestions in doing this????

[MatthewS]

I have a few beers that "need" more aroma... well at least that's what Mike Roy says... hahehe

My Double IPA and Hop Goddess both are excessively dry hopped in the primary and secondary with whole leaf in the dangling sack...

Is using this recirc. method going to give me more aromas?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Matthew Steinberg
Offshore Ale
Martha's Vineyard

[grassrootsvt]

mike roy says you need more aroma, eh?

matt- depending upon your ratio, [ one pound to a bbl?], you could also try dry hopping with pellets. i found that i obtained a really great result with just half a pound per bbl of pellets...free floating...roused once in a while in the secondary... [which may be problematic if you don't give it ample time to settle before racking/filtration]...

try this and see what mike thinks...!!
have any more logs you want to part with? =)

shaun e.

ps. i've added you and mike roy to the potential attendee list for the brewdown...you can't disappoint!

[MatthewS]

I plan on moving the stonewall in a few days... sitting at 50 for several days... pulled yeast this morning.

I am going to try with pellets because I do have plenty of time for the beer... no rush on this one. Though, it won't be filtered. The filter has pretty much been left alone for a while.

So what if it's a little green...

matthew p steinberg

[Todd]

I would highly discourage this practice and analyze your dry hopping regime! If you are not getting the appropriate hop aroma you are either doing it at the wrong time in the process, or you are not getting enough lbs/bbl dissolved into the beer or you are allowing the aroma compounds to escape. Increasing the likelihood of beer to hop contact by mixing is the wrong approach. To name a few reasons for discouragement; this will increase your likelihood of dissolved oxygen in your finished product and it will turn already flocculated yeast (depending on when you are adding your dry-hops) sending any trub formation and autolyzed yeast back into your beer. If you’ve already crashed cooled the beer and are dry-hopping, again you need to analyze your regime!!

-Todd

[MikeRoy]

Todd, what would you recommend as a S.O.P. for dry hopping in a fermenter?

Currently, I drop yeast, then add pellets through the PRV port. Let them sit about a week and pull them out of the cone for up to about a week afterwards,dropping green goodness every day till I hit clear beer, then coming back and doing it again. It's time consuming, but I do get good aroma.

Just wondering what other procedures there might be out there?

[Fred Scheer]

Matthew:
Aren't you concerned about infection in your beer through the
whole hops hanging in a bag in your Servingtank??
Just curious..................

Txs,
Fred

[James Murray]

Try dropping out the yeast after fermentation before you add the dry hops while the tank is still warm. After adding the hops drop your tank to 50 degrees F. Let it sit for 5 days are so, then crash your tank. This should give you the necessary aroma. If you are looking to recirculate your hops try bringing your tank up to pressure through the bottom port and blow it down through your CIP arm, then bring the tank back up to 10 psi or so. I have used this method on our DIPA. I would think that you should be fine without recirculating though. Good luck
-James Murray
Ballast Point Brewing Co.

[MatthewS]

I have never had a problem with infection in the brewery. However, I guess I should be a concern.

I am trying what Mike Roy suggested...

Pellets into the crashed fermenter. Pull green goodness out every day until clear... then send her down to the serving vessel where it will sit until bright.

Like I said, no rush on this one.

I should note that this beer in particular has plenty of aroma according to our guests that enjoy it, but I still want more!!!

matthew p steinberg

[MikeRoy]

I should note that this beer in particular has plenty of aroma according to our guests that enjoy it, but I still want more!!!

matthew p steinberg

Guests? What do they know? Who needs them......

[Moonlight]

"Aren't you concerned about infection in your beer through the
whole hops hanging in a bag in your Servingtank??
Just curious.................."

If you would get some undesirable creatures from the hop addition, I'd think you'd get it the same from the fermenter or ageing. Just doesn't ever seem to happen. Remember that hops were originally used to help preserve beer, and that's why the IPA style uses so many dang hops! Maybe it's just that dryhopped beer is so dang good, it's consumed before the bugs have a chance...

[Bobarito]

If you have the ability to DH with pellets, they will bring less oxygen into the finished beer (less nooks 'n crannies), which is always a good thing.

I would also recommend dryhopping before fermentation is complete. Close to the end, but not "done." The slightly fermenting beer will help mix the hops around a tad before settling and will help the O2 that comes in with the hops get up and out.

[Jivaro]

I know they are expense, but what about liquid hop extracts?