Hop teas and dry hopping

[tonymedway]

I'm a newish kit brewer and I'm planning to make my current batch more hoppy, I picked up a small bag of hops and debating between the 2 methods.

A thought I have to improve the hop yield is to make a tea with them then add the bag to my bucket. Is this a sensible idea?

Many thanks

Tony

[Barn Stormer]

I am not an expert by any means, still very much a beginner but: I have tried hop tea in the FV steeping 2x 20g gram bags in the kit cans for 15- 20 mins in just off boiling water. Also tried dry hopping a Wherry which I have just bottled - 25 grams of Goldings in a hopsock after the initial fermentation over and leave for about 6 days. I understand if you leave it in for too long you may get grassy flavours imparted. Not sure which is best but I am sure others will. I think?? dry hopping is better for aroma
Cheers
BS

[twentyfootwilf]

You could put about 12g of hops (either pellets or leaf) in a muslin bag and boil them in a little wort for 10 to 15 mins then add the liquor to the FV. Some people boil them in just water, but I have been doing it in water with a little malt extract added. You can just put the bag of hops in the empty can and fill with boiling water and leave to steep for 15 to 30 mins. If your feeling flush and to make life simple you can buy hop tea bags in various hop varieties, they usually contain 12g of hop pellets and if your only doing the odd kit it's a very convenient way to hop up a kit.

[tonymedway]

Is there any benefit of adding the used hop bag to the wort after a tea is made? It seems a simple idea but the fact I have never read about it must imply there is something wrong somewhere?

I'm guessing a major reason dry hopping produces more aroma is that the lighter oils vaporise easily from the hot water in a tea? Has anyone tried making a tea up in a closed container allowing fewer vapours out?

[twentyfootwilf]

I have just put a stout into my FV and added some hop tea made using two hop tea bags steeped in boiling water in the empty can from the kit. I did indeed pour the lot including the tea bags into the FV after steeping. I don't know if this is recommended or not but I'm not expecting any problems as a result of keeping the teabags in the FV. Dry hopping is a slightly different process whereby you put the hops directly into the FV either loose or in a bag of some sort. If kegging your beer you can dry hop in the keg so I'm told. The dry hopping is usually done after the initial vigorous stage of fermentation when the krausen has died down somewhat, it's thought that waiting a couple of days prevents the hop aromas being driven off along with the rapid release of CO2.