Dry Hopping

[roverfj1200]

<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">Have been dry hopping my last few brews. I think it adds a earthy. grassy flavour which is not unpleasant but not what I think makes beer taste better, I have remade my last 2 brews with the dry hop of the first ones used as a late addition for 5 minutes in the boil...Will see how that goes. When dry hopping I add the hops and crash chill for about 4 days.. (ales). So what do you's do and what do you think you get out of it.. Cheers</h5>

 

[Bizier]

Sort your formatting out bro.

Dry hopping will add different things depending which hop variety you use, the amount, the contact time, temperature and I would also say alcoholic strength and pH.

Generally it will be grassy, but this is where cleaner varieties with lots of aromatic oil like Amarillo, Citra and Motueka really shine. I also find that if hops are getting long in the tooth at all they will add an astringent grassiness which is very unpleasant, so freshness is key to your super-late hops.

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Try dry hopping at the start of fermentation with larger amounts. 5 to 7g hops / L.

Leaves you with longer lasting aroma with no or very little gassiness. Ive done it with Centennial, Chinook, Falconers flight blend, simcoe, amarillo, styrian goldings, EKG.

Some would think it a waste, but if you buy in bulk its nothing. Ive only dry hopped after ferment twice with cascade and found it unpleasant which pushed me in the direction above. Would not have it any other way now.

 

[J.T]

I add the hops and crash chill for about 4 days

I've read that its better to dry hop at fermenting temp, give it 7 days or so and then chill.

 

[felten]

Mitch Steele was on the beersmith podcast earlier in the month talking IPAs, and I think he has some input there on what he thinks makes a good dry hop.
http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/11/13/brewi...h-mitch-steele/

 

[Giddo]

Hi all.

I've been trying to read around about dry hopping, but can someone give a one-liner to help me out? Sorry to bring this thread down to newbie level!

I am 3.5 days into a FWK (IPA) and was advised by the guy in the shop to "dry hop 4 days straight into the fermenter". He chucked a packet in of what I think is cascade from memory but that may not be correct. It's a tea bag.


Do I just chuck it in a cup of boiling water, cover it and let it cool to room temp before chucking it in the fermenter? Or is there more to it than that? Should I stir it or just pour it in with as little disturbance as possible (I'm guessing the latter)? I have read on here that opening the lid of the fermenter is a no-no.

If there's a better approach (eg wait longer, or don't do it) I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance.

Giddo

 

[Byran]

I remember reading a post a while ago about this that said the Master brewer from little creatures recommends dry hopping with any hop beginning with the letter "C". Citra, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade ect Im not sure where it is though and Ill be ****** if im looking for it.

When I have dry hopped I usually do about 1g/L in a hop bag for convenience in the fermenter just after primary has slowed (4 or 5 days). Seems to add a lot of aroma(smell) of hops and little to no hop flavour to the finished beer. Which is good because you can get a different aroma to the flavour you have , which I find can add complexity.
I have only dry hopped to higher levels than that in an AIPA , I put absurd amounts of late hops in which looked like hop stew in the kettle.
And then dry hopped to about 5g/l after primary, then 5g/l when chilling. It was ridiculous. And tasted amazing.

Do it to your own taste and you will make the best beer you will ever make.

 

[bignath]

Do I just chuck it in a cup of boiling water, cover it and let it cool to room temp before chucking it in the fermenter? Or is there more to it than that? Should I stir it or just pour it in with as little disturbance as possible (I'm guessing the latter)? I have read on here that opening the lid of the fermenter is a no-no.

Not more to it than that.....actually less to it.

Just add your hops, whether it's in the tea bag thing or just chuck them in DRY...

Opening the lid is ok if you are careful. there will be a nice little protective layer of CO2 in your fermenter by the end of fermentation (or close to it). Bugs don't like CO2. They particularly don't like an environment where alcohol and CO2 are present. And hops are naturally contain some antibacterial qualities so theres no risk from that point of view.

Everytime you open the lid you are potentially creating a problem, so take the necessary pre-cautions.
Do it carefully, don't cough into your fermenter, and if you've picked your nose or scratched your arse before doing it, it would be best to wash your hands first.

 

[Nick JD]

I'll be buggered if I can keep the hops dry. How do you guys do it? Mine instantly soak up the beer when I put them in.

 

[Spiesy]

I'll be buggered if I can keep the hops dry. How do you guys do it? Mine instantly soak up the beer when I put them in.

I put mine in a ziplock bag.

I'm not noticing much of a change in the aroma though...

 

[jammer]

I put mine in a ziplock bag.

I'm not noticing much of a change in the aroma though...

Good idea. Never thought of that! I've been putting mine on the lid of the fermenter in the hope some aroma would seep through.

 

[Mikedub]

I put mine in a ziplock bag.

I'm not noticing much of a change in the aroma though...

I coat mine with Vaseline

 

[Spiesy]

I coat mine with Vaseline

Yeah, but how do you dry hop?

 

[Spiesy]

Good idea. Never thought of that! I've been putting mine on the lid of the fermenter in the hope some aroma would seep through.

lol

 

[stakka82]

In another thread a while ago I think Ross recommended dry hopping before fermentation is complete as a way of avoiding grassiness.

I always hop at about day 3, just before the krausen falls, and have never noticed any grassiness or ill effects. Pellets straight into the fermenter, no bag.

 

[NewtownClown]

damn... I've been jumping on one foot whilst sober for four days :huh:

 

[Diesel80]

damn... I've been jumping on one foot whilst sober for four days :huh:

So long as it wasn't raining I think this would qualify.
Stay off the lawn to avoid the grassiness.

Cheers,
D80

 

[hazard]

In another thread a while ago I think Ross recommended dry hopping before fermentation is complete as a way of avoiding grassiness.

I always hop at about day 3, just before the krausen falls, and have never noticed any grassiness or ill effects. Pellets straight into the fermenter, no bag.

I've just made a dry-hopped ESB, with 30g EKG pellets. Smells wonderful, and a sample from the hydro sample tasted pretty good as well. However 2 small issues, which i hope to avoid next time around if i can work it out -
1. There were small bits of hops in suspension, near the end of bottling a small piece got stuck in the end of my bottling wand so it wouldn't turn off fully - not a disaster, but i got a fair dribble on the floor rather than into bottles. Would cold conditioning help the hop fragments to settle out? (I do have a fridge for hot weather fermentation and cold conditioning, but just got lazy with this batch which was fermented outside of the fridge).
2. The yeast is full of hops. I usually harvest yeast from the fermenter after bottling, in this case I was only able to get a small amount of clean yeast becasue of all the hops.

Interesting to see references to American hops in threads above. I've always thought that you should stick to the more mellow UK varieties for dry hopping.

 

[sponge]

I've just made a dry-hopped ESB, with 30g EKG pellets. Smells wonderful, and a sample from the hydro sample tasted pretty good as well. However 2 small issues, which i hope to avoid next time around if i can work it out -
1. There were small bits of hops in suspension, near the end of bottling a small piece got stuck in the end of my bottling wand so it wouldn't turn off fully - not a disaster, but i got a fair dribble on the floor rather than into bottles. Would cold conditioning help the hop fragments to settle out? (I do have a fridge for hot weather fermentation and cold conditioning, but just got lazy with this batch which was fermented outside of the fridge).
2. The yeast is full of hops. I usually harvest yeast from the fermenter after bottling, in this case I was only able to get a small amount of clean yeast becasue of all the hops.

Interesting to see references to American hops in threads above. I've always thought that you should stick to the more mellow UK varieties for dry hopping.

APA's and AIPA's are full o' dry hopped goodness. Part of their signature hop explosion. The fruityness of the c-hops (and others) lend themselves to some great dry hopping aromas.

As per usual though, it all depends how much you want to smell fruit salad during the drinking process.

 

[stakka82]

Yeah I cold crash for 1-3 days and siphon from the fermenter to the keg avoid yeast/trub/hop debris.

Then when pitching on a yeast cake I try to go from a lighter to heavier beer that is a similar style. Or just a similar beer. In that case debris isn't really an issue settles out after then .next cold crash, and flavour contribution from the round of dry hoping is not detrimental

Just the way I do things, not suggesting its the only way but it works for me.