Rousing hops in primary

[MTW]

I'm trying to decide whether it's worth rousing my dry hop pellets in the primary, to increase extraction. I normally dry hop in a reasonably clear secondary, but I'm following a BrewDog recipe that calls for 'FV' hops, as distinct from dry hops, in their DIY Dog recipes. This seems to be interpreted as an addition made with a few points left to ferment (in the primary FV). Mine went in at 1.014 yesterday, after 4 days, down from 1.061, and is sat at 19C.

The thing is, it would obviously rouse up the yeast cake too, which I would think would only serve to help the yeast scrub more of the hop oils down to the bottom as it sinks for a second time. We hear of commercial breweries bubbling CO2 up from the bottom to rouse hops, but I don't know for sure whether this is ever done in primary. Do you?

As a slight aside, I put the pellets in straight from the freezer - 175g into 19L - and the resultant green swamp on top never looked thick enough to represent all that went in. So I'm just pondering whether there's a danger that frozen pellets sink and get caught up in the cake, before having chance to wash around in the FV for a while.

Any thoughts?

[McMullan]

I have heard some Brewers dry hop during vigorous primary fermentation. Apparently, the activity (of the yeast) increases extraction of the volatile oils significantly, to the point it negates the losses 'assumed by wisdom'. Never tried it, but it sounds like another interesting experiment.

[McMullan]

Thinking about, if what I typed is true, when the yeast flocc, they might pull down the hop veg matter?

[fego]

Think at 1014 you'd have to do some pretty heavy rousing to worry about reintroducing the cake into suspension. My experience suggests you'd probably just move a bit about a bit which as you say may helpfully drag some of the hop mess down with it anyway.

To be honest, I reckon that 175g in 19 litres is going to give you what its going to give you regardless of anything you do to it now. Any extra extraction you might squeeze out is likely to be undetectable and probably not worth the risk of meddling is it?

I've never seen a frozen hop sink btw. Not saying they don't but my view is if they're in there, they're in there adding their stuff. I tend to worry more about the ones that won't sink. They're the ones I focus on.

[Wonkydonkey]

I agree with fego, but maybe next time, do it a bit different, ie defrost hops. But that's after you taste the beer

[MTW]

Thanks all. Yes, I may defrost them next time, simply because I've never heard of a commercial brewery freezing hops. If in doubt, I tend to resort to that sort of test.

Plenty of hop flavour is certainly coming through (more than the aroma on this occasion), so I won't do anything.

[McMullan]

Brewing hops have very low moisture content. I wouldn't say they actually freeze. I only use whole hops, but they are stored in the freezer. They barely feel cold straight out of minus 20. The idea of 'defrosting' them is a bit weird, TBH

[BrannigansLove]

I'd echo the don't worry about it comments. All my hops are kept in the freezer, and when needed just get weighed out and chucked into the kettle or FV.