To bag or not to bag?

[Malcolm Waldeck]

This is a question about dry hopping.

Just wondering what everybody does with there dry hop additions. 

I have always used a bag, but wondering if I should try the next beer without one.

I normally cold crash before bottling, so that should drop most hop matter out of suspension

Does it make a difference?

[Harry]

The last time I dry hopped I didn't use a bag and hop particles clogged my keg post and stopped the beer from pouring.

In saying that there were a lot of factors which added to the problem from being rushed; so a very short cold crash, fast force carbonation and moving the keg the day I wanted to pour it.

Once it had settled there was no problem with the hop particles though. 

I can't imagine that a bag would decrease the dry hops effects by a large mount, so im probably going to start using one

[Daniel]

I just used a 20L paint strainer bag for my last dry hop of 100g in a standard 30L copper tun fermenter. the elastic band fit great over the top of the fermenter, lid screws on over the top just fine.aroma is fantastic and no particles in the wort.  I cold crashed it for 3 days with the bag in

[Steve Dorrington]

I don't bag dry hops in the fermenter, but I do bag them in the kettle now. I also normally cold crash for 2or 3 days before kegging. There's been only one brew block a delivery tube in a keg on me. That was when I kegged without cold crashing because I was in a hurry and needed the fermenting fridge for the next brew. I was able to clear the blockage by making an adapter and forcing gas back down the delivery tube but vowed to always crash when kegging in future.

[Crusader-Rob]

I don't bag doing either, i brew on a GF, and alot of people talk about clogging of pumps etc.

but i have no issue.

the best advice is if you think there may be an effect on the beer by bagging your hops either in the boil or as a dryhop, then i wouldn't 

cold crash drops 90% of hop particles out of the beer anyways. if the amount of trub and hop matter the the bottom of your fermenter is an issue, use a racking cane and siphon from above the crap.

i'm a believer in not bagging in the boil btw, you need to get surface contact of wort to hops. and putting them in bags only decreases that, unless you have a massive bag and its really loose.

i suggest dryhop to be similar, but maybe not as bigger effect, but thats just my opinion.

[Grant R Baker]

Use to use a bag.. no longer bag. Let the cold-crash settle the hops down before racking to the keg.

I do think I get a better hop pressence in the beer when not using a bag.

....

but when I dry hop in the Keg then I use a bag.... hops matter in the liquid Out post is a pain.

[Crusader-Rob]

Thers always this Grant for increased hop aroma.

http://www.bear-flavored.com/2014/09/how-i-dry-hop-my-ipas-with-no-... 

[Peter Church]

no bag here either, considering a hop spider for the boil but have a conical fermenter, cold crashing removes everything, drain off the worst of the lees before kegging

[Nathan]

Full commando for both boil and dry only had an issue once but its was a massive dry hop  

[Malcolm Waldeck]

I might give it a go with no bag, Ive stopped using a hop spider in the boil, as I think it's better. I've got a Pliny the Elder clone fermenting at the moment, so I really want it as hoppy as possible. I'm only bottling, so probably not that serious if a little hop matter makes it into each bottle. 

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

No bag

[Dyl]

I don't bag also.

Was wondering how people dry hop a pilsner tho as the cold crash will be a lot longer? I dont want to get grassy flavours in there.

I was thinking of bagging this one, dry hopping for 5-7 days, taking the bag out and then cold crashing for couple of weeks