Dry hopping a dark IPA

[Beerholder]

Hi all,

Apologies as this is my first post on a brewing forum although i have been following this one for quite a few years now.

My question is regarding dry hopping a dark IPA.

I made this brew a few months ago and am now looking at putting it in the keg but when i had a taste the other day i noticed the beer was smooth and roasty enough but it was quite bitter with not much happening on the aroma or flavour hop front. (to be honest i was aiming at a Schwarzbier style but think it suits an IPA better).

I am wanting to dry hop this beer to bring the aroma and flavour levels up to even out the bitterness but am not too sure on quantities or the best types of hops to use. In my freezer i have 50g of Galaxy and 40g of Goldings hop pellets which i am happy to use.

Should i try to mix two diferent hops together? or is it best to stick to one type of hop.

How much should i use?

I do like the hop profile of the "Cricketers Arms, Captain's IPA," but would this suit a dark IPA?

Any words of wisdom or help would be greatly appreciated.

Brewholder

 

[goatchop41]

Those will get you vastly different flavours. I'd go for galaxy if you want more of a fruity hop flavour (passionfruit and a little stonefruit/peach), Goldings for more of a traditional English earthiness.
I've personally never heard of them done together, so can't comment on how that might turn out

 

[Major Arcana]

Definitely dont mix them they don't go together. Tried something along those lines once, was shithouse.

 

[Spiesy]

If that's all you've got in the freezer, get some more hops!

Honestly, without knowing your recipe, it's hard to make any recommendations. Is it an English or New World IPA you've made? I know you said "dark", but as a style - that style doesn't actually exist, unless you mean Black IPA?

 

[Spiesy]

Or Brown IPA.

 

[Dan Pratt]

Go with the Galaxy. Take the keg out of the fridge and let it come to room temp. Purge and add dry hops, replace lid and purge oxygen with co2. Let that sit at room temp for No more than 5days and remove hops. Purge oxygen with co2 again and chill the beer. See how that goes.

Also, like Speisy said, get more hops!!

 

[Beerholder]

Thanks guys,

Yeah i have used up all my reserves and am running on low, replenishing is definately on the cards in the next week.

Spiesy, I did mean black IPA sorry,

The recipe is...

• 1 x ESB Pilsner 1.7kg
• 1 x ESB 1kg Dark Malt
• 1 x 500g maltodextrin
• 1 x 12g Hallertau
• 1 x 12g Tettnang
• 1 x Crystal Grain Enhancer 200g
• 1 x Saflager S-23 Yeast

Like i mentioned is was started out as a Schwarzbier style but i want to bring its hop profile up to be more in line with a black IPA.

How many grams of Galaxy should i use?

Beerholder

 

[Beerholder]

Those will get you vastly different flavours. I'd go for galaxy if you want more of a fruity hop flavour (passionfruit and a little stonefruit/peach), Goldings for more of a traditional English earthiness.
I've personally never heard of them done together, so can't comment on how that might turn out

Hahaha sorry just read this and yeah can see how that one looked. I meant i am happy to mix ANY two hops together, maybe Cascade and Amarillo?

 

[Dan Pratt]

Me I would go with all 50grams of the galaxy for 4-5days, but if you haven't used it before as a dry hop maybe just use 25g for the same length of time. One thing to make sure of is dry hopping at approx 20c for higher extraction of the oils.

 

[Beerholder]

Thanks Pratty, i will try that out and see how we go with it.

I'm assuming when you dry hop you use a muslin bag and don't let the hops go freelance?

 

[stakka82]

The beer you currently have is a dark lager... it is nowhere near being a dark IPA. The hop types and IBU are wrong, as is the yeast. IMO leave this beer as is and enjoy it for what it is. Next time if you want an IPA, brew something with 50 plus IBU using american/aussie/kiwi hops and an ale yeast.

 

[Beerholder]

Thanks Stakka82,

You are right, this beer did start out its life as a dark lager or Schwarzbier style, however i am looking to jack up the hop dimension on this beer to compensate for the overriding bitterness it currently exhibits. I could easily sit back and drink it in its current state and be quite happy with it but i am keen to throw caution to the wind and try something new. You never know i may end up kicking some goals with it.

As it stands i have decided to go for 50g of Simcoe and take Pratty's advice by letting it sit at around 20c for better extraction.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I know i am still new to this whole brewing caper and its great to have a resource like this one where yo can bounce ideas and be mentored by those who have been in my position before.