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General Homebrew Discussion / Hop Slurry Method

« on: February 22, 2013, 10:27:40 AM »

I've been reading "For the Love of Hops" and was intrigued by the section on the "Hop Slurry Method" in the Dry Hopping chapter.  After doing a quick Google search I found a post on this subject here: [http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/recirculating-dry-hops-more-aroma-oil-extraction-less-time-390156/]

Has anyone tried this at the homebrew scale?  Couldn't a homebrewer mimic this method by simply agitating their carboy with dry hops every few hours/days?

I was also wondering if anyone has any pics from Stone or New Belgium as I'm trying to visualize what this process/method looks like.  Stan H. mentioned these two breweries employ the hop slurry method.

Any info or thoughts on this is appreciated.  Thanks.

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Ask the Experts / Re: Ask the Experts: Mitch Steele on IPA

« on: October 22, 2012, 09:41:04 AM »

My question for Mitch: What is the suggested length to leave a beer on dry hops?  What is also the maximum length of time (days, weeks, month, etc.) one could dry hop for?  I've heard varying preferences from brewers from anywhere between 4 days to 2 weeks.  Will leaving a beer on dry hops for 3 weeks really make a difference?  Obviously, tasting the beer is one way to tell when to rack off hops, but I wanted to know if there was any set standard to abide by.  (For the record, I haven't bought or read the new IPA book yet - in case this is covered within the book.) 

In addition, what are the deciding factors besides "time" for when to rack off hops: %AA, total hop mass, leaf/pellet/plug form, temperature, etc.?

I wonder if dry hopping is sort of like the old idea of racking your beer off yeast to prevent autolysis and off-flavors from developing.  Similar in vein, will leaving a beer too long on dry hops really give you harsh hop qualities, or is this just a perceived threat that's been passed on from homebrewers over the years?