I've mentioned my more general dry-hopping issue in another topic, so I won't go into that here. What I want to ask is, are there special considerations with regard to dry-hopping sours? Can factors like increased acidity speed up or harshen hop character extraction?
I'm wondering this because of my most recent dry-hopping experience with a tart wit (lacto/brett/pineapple/passion fruit). I put 2 oz of fresh-smelling Nelson Sauvin pellets in a very fine mesh bag with some marbles and then added that to a keg holding a little over 2 gallons of tart wit. I kept the keg between 55 and 65 degrees for four days before removing the hops, occasionally swirling gently to assist contact.
When I opened the keg to remove the bag, I found that I had not tied the bag sufficiently and some sludge had emerged from the bag. Dealing with some particles is not a big deal. I line a large goblet with a fine mesh bag during the pour and then slowly lift the bag from the glass to retain any hop particles as the beer filters through.
What bugs me is that in addition to wonderful gooseberry notes from dry-hopping, there is an obtrusive hop pellet character present--that powdery green smell that meets the nose when you crush a pellet.
I've given the beer a few cold weeks to clarify. Many particles have settled and the off-flavor is less prominent. Unfortunately, as time and gravity tone down the rough edges, the delicate dry-hop aroma is fading as well.
I feel like the bag breach was only part of the issue, but there's no way to be certain. Really don't want to dry-hop my next long-aged sour, only to bring about excessive or unfavorable hop extraction. Time to do some more reading and research.
Topic: Dry-hopping sours successfully (Read 1042 times)
