Expert: John Snyder - 1/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: I'm getting ready to rack my brew into the secondary fermentor and am planning on dry hopping.  I've purchased a few ounces of Kent Golding (UK) hop pellets and i'm wondering the best way to go about it.  I've read A LOT of opinions on the web and i'm trying to decide if its necessary to use a hop sack or if i can just add the pellets directly to the brew.  Any info you can provide would be most helpful.  Thanks.

ANSWER: My preference is for hop pellets,and added directly to the secondary(no Bag)the pellets sink right away.Bags need to be sterilized.In addition bags hold more ambient air,which can be detrimental to the beer.The hop pellets may cause some initial foaming,so make sure you have a bit of head space.

         John

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QUESTION: Ok, it has now been a week since racking my beer into the secondary along with 1 oz of hop pellets. i'm wondering, now, what would happen if i added another ounce of hops into the secondary? Would it make a difference at all? Would there be too much hoppiness in the finished product? Should i even bother?

ANSWER: 1 oz.of hop pellets is ok.Some use up to two oz's/5 gallon,depending on hopping amount and types used at boiling.Too large a quantity can give one a percieved grassy or oily taste.I would leave the addition as it was and wait another week.Once again,everytime you open your secondary fermenter,and make additions,you are increasing chances for infection,and increased oxidation
If you decide, after bottling, that you still don't get enough hop aroma from your dry hopping,increase it a bit when you do the next batch.

         John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: John,
Its now been 2 weeks in the secondary and I'M ready to bottle, but i'm unsure if my beer is. I'm doing an IPA from extract (~8 lbs of DME) plus steeped 1.5 lbs of malt. The beer is still cloudy after 19 days since pitching (5 in primary and 14 in secondary) and i've still got a small amount of CO2 being expelled (1 bubble from airlock every 2-3 minutes). Should i wait longer to see if it clears anymore? I didn't use a flocculant like irish moss or similar. Do you think i can go ahead and bottle despite the lack of clarity?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
5 days in fermentation was a little too soon to go to secondary,and the fermentation was still too active.I would wait another week,before bottling.You didn't say at what temperature the secondary is being kept.If warm 50F or above,store in fridge to drop out more of the yeast,and sediment to the bottom of the vessel.