Dry hopping techniques

[Klosey]

I have tried various methods of dry hopping including during the time the yeast is working, after the yeast has finished etc. I recently came across an article written by Drew Beechum in Craft Beer and Brewing. He has changed the way he previously dry hopped. He suggests bringing the temperatures down to lager type temperature 3 to 4c after the yeast has finished working. Then dry hop for 2 days at those temperatures. He suggests by doing it this way it maximises the sought after fragrances linalool and it minimises the extraction green notes such as leafy vegetal and tannin flavours. Has anyone been down this track before? I am doing a Stone and Wood Pacific Ale Clone right now. The recipe recommends to dry hop for 2 days after fermentation has finished. So I am going to experiment and drop down to 3c before adding the Galaxy hops. Just have to be careful I don’t have any oxygen suck back.

 

[JimmyMcFiddlesticks]

Would this increase the potential for hop creep?

 

[duncbrewer]

My NZ pilsner recipe suggested cold hopping.
Came out okay

 

[BKBrews]

I have been doing something similar (sort of) recently with good results.

I dry hop for 3 days (72 hours) prior to kegging, and do 24 hours at fermentation temp (e.g. 18c), followed by 48 hours at cold crash temp (e.g. 2c). In addition to this, I rouse the hops through the beer using CO2 blasted into the bottom of the tank, every 2 or so hours during the initial 24 hour period. I have been getting way better extraction using this method (I have a hazy session ale on voss that is at least 3 months old and still smells better than some I have done previously after less than a month - too bad that beer had hop burn).

 

[Klosey]

Would this increase the potential for hop creep?

Hi Jimmy. I do a diacetyl rest in both lagers and ales. If the yeast has finished eating all the sugars the chances of hop creep are far lessened. Let’s see what happens with this one lol

 

[BKBrews]

Hi Jimmy. I do a diacetyl rest in both lagers and ales. If the yeast has finished eating all the sugars the chances of hop creep are far lessened. Let’s see what happens with this one lol

This is true in a sense, but I think the issue with hop creep is that there is an enzyme that can break sugars down into fermentable sugars, which then kicks off fermentation again. So regardless of attenuation, hop creep can be an issue.

 

[duncbrewer]

Diastase enzyme in hops breaks down the big sugars into smaller ones that the yeast can then feast on. A prime cause of bottle bombs or overcarbonation if the hop matter isn't all eliminated prior to packaging.

 

[Klosey]

This is true in a sense, but I think the issue with hop creep is that there is an enzyme that can break sugars down into fermentable sugars, which then kicks off fermentation again. So regardless of attenuation, hop creep can be an issue.

I agree BK. To lessen the chances of hop creep is that my research has shown that hop creep is temperature dependant and if the finished beer is stored cold it will significantly reduce the enzyme and fermentation activity. I keg so storing cold is not a problem. After kegging I store at around -1c in my fermenting fridge until transferring to my pouring fridge at around 3c. Longer dry hopping time and higher temperatures result in more sugars. I haven’t had hop creep before but maybe because of diacetyl rests and storing cold has lessened this problem. Have never dry hopped at 3 or 4c but will give it ago after I do a diacetyl rest and because it is only for two days it is not a very long dry hopping time.

 

[duncbrewer]

I've just done a weldwerks fitbits NEIPA clone ( a bit of a challenge ) and that uses enzyme to make it brut and then it needs back sweetening with a non fermentable. Don't think I need to worry about hop creep on this one as theres nothing left to feed the yeast with.

 

[fifis101]

I agree BK. To lessen the chances of hop creep is that my research has shown that hop creep is temperature dependant and if the finished beer is stored cold it will significantly reduce the enzyme and fermentation activity. I keg so storing cold is not a problem. After kegging I store at around -1c in my fermenting fridge until transferring to my pouring fridge at around 3c. Longer dry hopping time and higher temperatures result in more sugars. I haven’t had hop creep before but maybe because of diacetyl rests and storing cold has lessened this problem. Have never dry hopped at 3 or 4c but will give it ago after I do a diacetyl rest and because it is only for two days it is not a very dry hopping time.

This is what I was led to believe also. Primary ferment, diacetyl rest, then if you cold crash the yeast is going to be unresponsive to the hop addition. My last brew I did a 2 day diacetyl rest while at the same time added my hops. The 2 day cold crash then kegged. It was a bit too bitter for me so I will give try adding the hops only during the cold crash next time.

 

[hopnotic]

I read the same article mentioned by the OP. I have a DIPA in primary right now. I might split my dry hop half/half at high krauzen and during cold crash. Will report back.

 

[Klosey]

This is what I was led to believe also. Primary ferment, diacetyl rest, then if you cold crash the yeast is going to be unresponsive to the hop addition. My last brew I did a 2 day diacetyl rest while at the same time added my hops. The 2 day cold crash then kegged. It was a bit too bitter for me so I will give try adding the hops only during the cold crash next time.

Hi Fifis, What temps do you cold crash. Any problems cold crashing in the fermenter before kegging. I normally cold crash in my keg after transferring from the fermenter at -1c. This time I am going to dry hop at 3c after the diacetyl rest in my fermenter then transfer to my keg. This Stone and Wood Pale Pacific Pale ale is brewing at 18.5 c and I will ramp it up to 22.5 during the diacetyl rest for 3 days depending on hydrometer readings before dropping it down to the 3c mark for 2 days. Never done it this way before. Might have to block the airlock with some cotton wool dipped In sterilised water to lessen any oxygen intake.

 

[Klosey]

I have been doing something similar (sort of) recently with good results.

I dry hop for 3 days (72 hours) prior to kegging, and do 24 hours at fermentation temp (e.g. 18c), followed by 48 hours at cold crash temp (e.g. 2c). In addition to this, I rouse the hops through the beer using CO2 blasted into the bottom of the tank, every 2 or so hours during the initial 24 hour period. I have been getting way better extraction using this method (I have a hazy session ale on voss that is at least 3 months old and still smells better than some I have done previously after less than a month - too bad that beer had hop burn).

Hi BK. What did you put the hop burn down to? Too many hops in the dry hopping process?

 

[fifis101]

Hi Fifis, What temps do you cold crash. Any problems cold crashing in the fermenter before kegging. I normally cold crash in my keg after transferring from the fermenter at -1c. This time I am going to dry hop at 3c after the diacetyl rest in my fermenter then transfer to my keg. This Stone and Wood Pale Pacific Pale ale is brewing at 18.5 c and I will ramp it up to 22.5 during the diacetyl rest for 3 days depending on hydrometer readings before dropping it down to the 3c mark for 2 days. Never done it this way before. Might have to block the airlock with some cotton wool dipped In sterilised water to lessen any oxygen intake.

I have been cold crashign down to 2degC. I'm brewing under pressure, so if there's plenty of presser in the fermenter before the cold crash then there's still positive pressure by the time it gets down to temp. If you are just using a regular fermenter then a trick I have seen before is to hook a balloon full of CO2 to your air lock (empty water out first), then when the temp goes down the baloon will shrink and stop any air getting sucked in.

 

[BKBrews]

Hi BK. What did you put the hop burn down to? Too many hops in the dry hopping process?

was actually my first time using voss kveik, and I reckon it was a mix of the dry hop being too big, as well as the temp being too high. I think if I were to try again I would drop the temp to 18c after full attenuation and then dry hop and cold crash as normal. At the time I also read that aussie hops are susceptible to it, and I used a generous amount of enigma, vic secret, and galaxy (seriously - it smells so good).

 

[ballantynedewolf]

I've been reading about hop creep because I'm getting increasing carbonation in older bottles and this lack of stability bothers me.
I'm unsure what the thresholds are though. I tend to only lightly or not at all dry hop, but I make (or try to!) lower alcohol beers with lots of body, and I don't take much steps to clear my beer. I tend to put kettle trub in the fermenter and don't often cold crash before bottling.
Am I a candidate for hop creep?
Could I have other issues eg bottles not clean enough?

 

[MHB]

If you are adding hot break to your fermenter you clearly don’t give a fork about stability.
There are very good reasons for keeping hot break in the kettle. A bit of light reading.
Mark

 

[ballantynedewolf]

Thanks for your advice.

 

[duncbrewer]

I've been reading about hop creep because I'm getting increasing carbonation in older bottles and this lack of stability bothers me.
I'm unsure what the thresholds are though. I tend to only lightly or not at all dry hop, but I make (or try to!) lower alcohol beers with lots of body,
Could I have other issues eg bottles not clean enough?

I note you are trying to make low alcohol and lots of body. If there are still fermentable sugars left at the time of bottling even if ferment is going to occur very slowly you will overcarbonate in the bottle. If you are making say 0.5 % beers then you are really vulnerable to a wild yeast getting in and starting to chew down on those " body " sugars.

I think look at the sugars you've got in the bottle as the cause rather than any you might make with dry hopping and diastase enzyme ( especially as you aren't doing much dry hopping ).

Could consider pasteurising your beer if making a very low alcohol beer.
If you mean session beers say 3-4 percent which are overcarbed make sure ferment is really finished and use a priming calculator found on brewers friend so you don't add too much sugar at the bottling phase.

 

[Doctormcbrewdle]

Warmer dry hopping for me has always been better. I get far more dank flavours than cold. Cold I can sometimes not even detect any dry hop at all.

Only time I've had hop burn was just recently dry hopping in a keg where I'd ground up the hop pellets didn't use a hop spider and tried shaking vigorously then had a blocked output six times in a row. That was something I'll only do once.. the beer is now two months old, still hazy as heck, hoppy as all hell but in a bad way. Keg's probably half empty but I'm still getting tiny particles in every beer that end up sitting bottom of the glass