# How much to dry hop?



## gc.camel

Hi all,

Is there a rule of thumb to how much you should dry hop a beer?

I've got an IPA on at the moment and i was planning on dry hopping in a couple days. The airlock is smelling VERY wonderful and i'm not sure if I'll need as much as i planned.

Here's my recipe.

1x Coopers IPA Kit
1.5kg Light Dry Malt Extract
0.25kg Dark Dry Malt Extract
0.5kg Dextrose
US05 yeast
Boiled 250g of malt in 2L of water and...

20grams Galaxy @20mins
20grams Amarillo @20mins
15grams Citra @ 20mins
15grams Galaxy @10mins
20grams Citra @10mins

Topped to 20L in the fermenter

and i had planned....

20grams Galaxy @ day 5
20grams Amarillo @ day 5
25grams Citra @ day 5

is this too much?

Thanks guys!


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## slash22000

That's not too much. 3g/L is the minimum I'd dry hop an IPA, so you're good.

I've seen some IPA recipes using ~200 grams or more at dry hopping time.


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## mmmyummybeer

Should be fine in a IPA. Only really going to know when you taste it as it will come down to your own personal preference. I have heard if you dry hop too much then you may end up with more grassy notes. Probable depends on the hop your using too. Anyway experiment and have fun.


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## mmmyummybeer

Ps look under the brew shed AHB Resources wiki topics - AHB Dry Hopping. Is an interesting read for dry hopping.


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## iralosavic

Why would there be a limit?! Haha I mean beyond absorbing too much beer to justify it.


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## gc.camel

Thanks guys! Feeling a bit more confident now.

I did had a look at the dry hopping wiki thread and it seemed to suggest 1g/L. From the many recipes I've come across this rate is often ignored! So i thought I'd start a new thread.

Now i know i haven't gone overboard.... should i push it up even further? I've got plenty in the freezer thanks to Yob's new store!


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## slash22000

1 gram per litre you might as well not bother. You'll get a faint whiff of hops in the final product but nothing like the explosive face-melting heavy metal drum solo aroma you'd get from a good IPA.


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## Yob

1g per l is often quoted to peeps new to the process as a good starting point, often not with IPA'S either.


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## Nick JD

I usually do 1-2g/L. Much more than that with a lot of hops and it starts to tastes like hops, rather than beer.

Gets that same taste as chewing on a hop pellet, and the malt backbone of the beer is smothered. Also usually gets a vegetal aspect.

Depends a lot on the hop though. I won't dry hop Galaxy at all. Stuff will make your beer tastes like grass clippings. Amarillo and citra are great dry hoppers.


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## citizensnips

I do 26L batches and dry hop with about 15g normally, I get more than enough nose on a beer, Thats with apa's and ipa's. Couldn't see myself needing anymore. 
Everyones different though, I'd reccomend starting small and seeing what works. Its better to have a drinkable beer than something you've killed from going too far


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## Phillo

Nick JD said:


> Also usually gets a vegetal aspect.


I'm getting a lot of this in my dry hopped beers. I'm actually at the point where I'm just going to try a few APAs with decent amounts of late additions in the boil and skip the dry hop to see if I like it more.

Not saying that this will be the way to go by any means, I think I might just be getting sick of over-hopped beers. :unsure:


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## Yob

Phillo said:


> I'm getting a lot of this in my dry hopped beers. I'm actually at the point where I'm just going to try a few APAs with decent amounts of late additions in the boil and skip the dry hop to see if I like it more.
> 
> Not saying that this will be the way to go by any means, I think I might just be getting sick of over-hopped beers. :unsure:


philistine :lol:

agreee that DH can be overdone, some hops more so than others, as with most things beer it's all to appropriate balance


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## Phillo

Agreed mate.

I think I just need to get out there a bit more. After a 12 month rampage of APAs and AIPAs I think my taste buds need a change of scenery. I've been drinking some Belgians, ESBs and Old Ales that I've liked recently, so it's malt country for me for a while. :lol:


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## krausenhaus

Good way to avoid grassy notes is to split your dry hops up into two batches and hit it with two successive lots for 2-3 days each, either in primary then secondary, primary then keg, or just on a piece of fishing line so you can pull it out after its time is up.

I used Galaxy at 3.5g/L with this method and it turned out great.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I

I've sort of been on the late hopping bandwagon for a couple of years. I did dry hop a keg pretty extensively with Cascade (which is a great dry hopper) but was then one of the 'pioneers' of dry hopping with Galaxy and that turned me off.

Galaxy, however, can be a great late addition hop and so I used it a fair few times for this. I find that late hopping gives me lots of flavour, the required amount of aroma and none of the vegetal/clippings issues.

My 'balancing addition' is 30 or 60 minutes depending on the variety that I late hop and whether I'm doing a fruitsalad deliberately, or I want balanced bitterness. When formulating, I tend to formulate the late hop first and then work the early addition for mainly bittering in with that.

I use the above 'formula' with APA/AIPA. If I'm making an Irish Red, there is no late addition, so technically the above does hold true viz formulation - the late hop formulation being 'none' and work back from there.


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## bradsbrew

There is quite a few considerations to be made when dry hopping and each can lead to a different percieved flavour profile.

Amount of hops.

Stage of ferment.

Time spent in fermenter dry hopping.

If its done in a secondary vessel.

Temperature of brew during dry hopping.

And how you want to control and benifit from all of those factors will change depending beer style.


Cheers


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## lukiferj

You don't mention if you're bottling or kegging. I have recently been keg hopping rather than dry hopping in the fermenter between 1-2 g/L and this is working a treat. Best part is that you can have the bag hanging in the keg and taste it every day to see how the flavour develops.


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## Byran

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I've sort of been on the late hopping bandwagon for a couple of years. I did dry hop a keg pretty extensively with Cascade (which is a great dry hopper) but was then one of the 'pioneers' of dry hopping with Galaxy and that turned me off.
> 
> Galaxy, however, can be a great late addition hop and so I used it a fair few times for this. I find that late hopping gives me lots of flavour, the required amount of aroma and none of the vegetal/clippings issues.
> 
> My 'balancing addition' is 30 or 60 minutes depending on the variety that I late hop and whether I'm doing a fruitsalad deliberately, or I want balanced bitterness. When formulating, I tend to formulate the late hop first and then work the early addition for mainly bittering in with that.
> 
> I use the above 'formula' with APA/AIPA. If I'm making an Irish Red, there is no late addition, so technically the above does hold true viz formulation - the late hop formulation being 'none' and work back from there.


I agree with you on this Raja, I have a galaxy hopped/ DH lager on tap at the moment and I think that with use as just a late addition( From 10 to Flame out) it can give all the befits with none of the side effects. I have taken note of the flavour change over time with the dry hopped beer though and it started out fantasic!. But I have left the Hop cage in for a few weeks and its starting to develop those grassy notes. I always work my beers out with the flavour/aroma additions first too. I usually do bittering additions with whatever I have left in the fridge. Matching the flavour Im looking for of course!

Dry hopping is definitely up to taste. What works for one person might appall someone else. So experimentation is the key, and making lots and lots and lots of different recipes.


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## Spiesy

Nick JD said:


> I usually do 1-2g/L. Much more than that with a lot of hops and it starts to tastes like hops, rather than beer.
> 
> Gets that same taste as chewing on a hop pellet, and the malt backbone of the beer is smothered. Also usually gets a vegetal aspect.
> 
> Depends a lot on the hop though. I won't dry hop Galaxy at all. Stuff will make your beer tastes like grass clippings. Amarillo and citra are great dry hoppers.


I've got a beautiful Golden Ale on tap right now, that is dry hopped with Galaxy and Amarillo... it has a lovely fruity, pineapple vibe to it - it's very nice, certainly doesn't taste like grass clippings.

It was dry hopped after the krausen fell, _really_ dry hopped (i.e. au naturale' in a hop bag, no French press, hop tea, etc) - and had a contact time of 4-days, before the beer was crash chilled for a length of time.


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## bradsbrew

Spiesy said:


> , _really_ dry hopped (i.e. au naturale' in a hop bag, no French press, hop tea, etc) -


Wouldn't "au naturale'" be without the bag? All my dry hops go in freeballin.


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## Smokomark

bradsbrew said:


> freeballin.



Is the way to go man. 


With hops that is.


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## Bizier

Excessive grassiness may be due to the packaging and storage conditions of the hops.

Cascade can smell like sex on a stick or like a lawnmower catcher.

Only ever dry hop with your freshest hops. If you don't like the smell of the hops you are about to use, don't add them as dry hop. Use slightly stale ones for bittering if you need to.


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## RobjF

Hey guy I'm just wondering about time length of dry hopping. Just about to rack my first AG, an imperial IPA into secondary and going to add some dry hops. Recipe calls for three days beer due to be in secondary for probably 9 days. Should I scoop out hop bag after the three days and risk open fermenter to infection or just leave the hops in till I polyclar a few days before bottling???


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## manticle

Nick JD said:


> I usually do 1-2g/L. Much more than that with a lot of hops and it starts to tastes like hops, rather than beer.
> 
> Gets that same taste as chewing on a hop pellet, and the malt backbone of the beer is smothered. Also usually gets a vegetal aspect.
> 
> Depends a lot on the hop though. I won't dry hop Galaxy at all. Stuff will make your beer tastes like grass clippings. Amarillo and citra are great dry hoppers.



**** me, I agree with Nick.

Some people say you can never have too much but you can if you have a semblance of a palate.

Not just the amount but the hop itself and the length of time is important. 1-2g per litre + 2-3 days is a good starting point, hop and brew dependent somewhat. Start from there and increase as much as your palate would like to.


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## Crusty

I usually hop @1gm per litre & never for more than three days.
This suits my tastes & works well.


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## Phoney

4g/L for IPA's hits my spot. But you have to have a solid malt backbone & ABV of >6.5%


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