Spelt wrote:That's an awful lot of hops. Don't know if that effects caking very much but I usually find about a 1/2 oz gives you all the hop aroma you need. I've dry hopped in the secondary and the primary. I kinda prefer the hop aroma in the secondary. I think the hop oils get less bound up by all the proteinaceous material in the trub.
Love to hear how the aroma turns out with whole two ounces in there. Who knows, may be kicking!
2 oz for 5 gal is a lot of hops? I use 6 oz per 5 gal for my IPA...
I say don't be afraid to add even more hops if you don't get the aroma (and flavor - yes, dry hops add flavor too) you're looking for.
As for agitation, unless you are purging your secondary fermenter with CO2 then there's a good chance the headspace in that fermenter has a lot of O2 in it. In which case, I would not recommend agitation. I've made IPAs both ways and I find that agitation does not add any noticeable hop character but running the risk of oxidation is a much bigger deal.
Also if you have the ability to chill the fermenter down to 35F or so after your dry hop period those hops will drop to the bottom making it much easier to rack off the beer and leave the hop material behind.
Good luck!