Ale Fermentation Profile + Dry Hopping

[Luxo_Aussie]

G'day All,

I've got a Grainfather Conical + Chiller arriving this week and now super pumped to have a great deal more control with my fermentation. Naturally, I'm keen to know how I should manage a hoppy beer from a fermentation process - planning a hoppy XPA, would this be the way to go?
1) Pitch yeast (in this case wyeast 1318) at 19 degrees, hold at that temperature for 5-7 days. Add dry hop at day 4-6 when 1-2 points from completion.
2) Once fermentation has finished and 5 days after adding dry hop, raise the temperature to 22 degrees and hold for another two days.
3) Cold crash and hold for two days before bottling.

I don't dry hop many of my beers so I'm a little unclear on if the dry hops should go in after fermentation has finished or when a few points from completion. Another question - does anyone cold crash, dump yeast and then dry hop? It sounds like dry hops should be added around 19-22 degrees so guess you'd need to raise the temperature afterward crashing for dry hopping. Keen to hear everyone's tried and tested techniques for this!

Cheers & Thanks!

 

[S.E]

Traditionally ale was mostly dry hopped in the cask at cellar temp. Hops in cask ale don’t usually cause problems with dispensing, blocked dip tubes and beer lines etc.

These days with Keg ale dry hopping is more often done in the fermenter to avoid blockages. You could dry hop in the fermenter at any time but most do so at or near the end of fermentation.

 

[kadmium]

G'day All,

I've got a Grainfather Conical + Chiller arriving this week and now super pumped to have a great deal more control with my fermentation. Naturally, I'm keen to know how I should manage a hoppy beer from a fermentation process - planning a hoppy XPA, would this be the way to go?
1) Pitch yeast (in this case wyeast 1318) at 19 degrees, hold at that temperature for 5-7 days. Add dry hop at day 4-6 when 1-2 points from completion.
2) Once fermentation has finished and 5 days after adding dry hop, raise the temperature to 22 degrees and hold for another two days.
3) Cold crash and hold for two days before bottling.

I don't dry hop many of my beers so I'm a little unclear on if the dry hops should go in after fermentation has finished or when a few points from completion. Another question - does anyone cold crash, dump yeast and then dry hop? It sounds like dry hops should be added around 19-22 degrees so guess you'd need to raise the temperature afterward crashing for dry hopping. Keen to hear everyone's tried and tested techniques for this!

Cheers & Thanks!

No need to raise the temp for dry hopping. Plenty of people keg hop and store the beers cold. I would just ferment at your desired temp (19) and when fermentation is finished, add your dry hop and wait 3 days then cold crash.

Adding when there is still active fermentation can lead to biotransformation and a hazy appearance. NEIPAs are hopped at high krausen to enhance this effect.

Good luck, let us know how you go!

 

[S.E]

Adding when there is still active fermentation can lead to biotransformation and a hazy appearance.

What about cask or real ale where dry hops are often added to the cask when there is still active fermentation? Dry hopped cask is crystal clear.

 

[duncbrewer]

Cask ale that would be a couple of points above final gravity so the yeast has really slowed down and they often add finings at the same time, certainly isn't high krausen in the cask though.

 

[S.E]

Cask ale that would be a couple of points above final gravity so the yeast has really slowed down and they often add finings at the same time, certainly isn't high krausen in the cask though.

Nope, not high krausen but certainly actively fermenting. So are we saying dry hopping is ok during fermentation so long as it’s not high krausen?

 

[S.E]

I should add that cask dry hopping is often done after secondary fermentation. The shive is removed, the cask dry hopped and sealed with a new shive before being sent out to the pub.

Dry hopping refers to hops being added to the wort or beer at any time after it has left the kettle and/or has been cooled.

 

[S.E]

After re-reading my posts above just want to be clear that I’m not disputing anything kadmium said but I have not noticed any problems with dry hopping in the fermenter or cask while still actively fermenting.

I don’t actually dry hop very often these days though as I prefer just late hopping in the kettle.

When I started brewing I dry hopped almost everything but that was with flowers as pellets were not available to me at the time. I put the flowers in the cask and primed it.

 

[duncbrewer]

I thought the dry hopping in Cask was done at the brewery when the cask was filled ( if done at all ) , often finings added at that time and the shive is then hammered in ( into the approx 3 inch hole on the curve of the cask at the top ) and the cask is now sealed. It then finishes conditioning with the remaining sugars ( if casked before final gravity ) or the brewer added further krausen wort or sugar at the time of cask filling.

Once conditioning ( the secondary or final ferment ) has finished or prior to that the beer is delivered to the pub cellar and after a few days settling on the stillage a Spile is driven thru the middle of the shive, this " breaks " the cask open to the air. Normally that shive is hard wood and not very porous usually the cask sits for about 24 hours or more to finally clear as it gets stirred up a bit when the spile goes in and the gas condition starts to come out. Later that spile is changed to a soft spile that lets more air in and it can also be left out as well during serving but should be replaced at the end of the drinking day to slow down the air entry, but the beer is already changing.
You wouldn't normally expect the pub cellarman to be removing a shive on a conditioned beer and then chucking in the hops ( they would stir it all up and probably be pushed out and a heck of a mess) nor to try and get the hops down a 15mm spile hole. However if the shive broke then the cellarman would change it ( more common with wood ones).

 

[S.E]

You wouldn't normally expect the pub cellarman to be removing a shive on a conditioned beer and then chucking in the hops

Not the pub cellarman but sometimes the cask is dry hopped at the brewery just before being sent out to the pub by venting and removing the shive puting in the hops and replacing the shive with a new one.

 

[duncbrewer]

I thought the dry hopping in Cask was done at the brewery when the cask was filled ( if done at all ) , often finings added at that time and the shive is then hammered in ( into the approx 3 inch hole on the curve of the cask at the top ) and the cask is now sealed.

I think we agree then!

 

[S.E]

I think we agree then!

Yep.

 

[kadmium]

After re-reading my posts above just want to be clear that I’m not disputing anything kadmium said but I have not noticed any problems with dry hopping in the fermenter or cask while still actively fermenting.

I don’t actually dry hop very often these days though as I prefer just late hopping in the kettle.

When I started brewing I dry hopped almost everything but that was with flowers as pellets were not available to me at the time. I put the flowers in the cask and primed it.

I'm talking large dry hop additions, during very active fermentation like high krausen or just after, not when almost finished.

Not disputing or arguing, I just have noticed that hopping with say Galaxy in a NEIPA as opposed to a late dry hop in an XPA with Galaxy give different results. Same beers almost, same hop quantities different results.

Also NEIPAs aren't hazy from wheat or oats, is suspended hop oils and yeast etc that produces the haze, as opposed to "oats or wheat" like a Belgian wheat.

I'm not 100% convinced it's as big a deal as some people make it out to be, but anecdotal experience suggest some changes so it is something to be aware of.