Dry hops and when to add them.

[Drover's dog]

I’m brewing an English IPA. Have just finished cooling the wort and have transferred it to my Grainfather fermenter. Still need to drop a further 10 degrees or so before I can pitch. I plan to keg this beer and I’m unsure when I should add the dry hops? At the end of fermentation before I keg, or directly into the keg like the original dry hopping was done in barrels. Help would be appreciated.

 

[koshari]

There are about 2 other threads running on this very subject with no real quorum of which way other than to say just 5 do it.

 

[goatchop41]

I’m brewing an English IPA. Have just finished cooling the wort and have transferred it to my Grainfather fermenter. Still need to drop a further 10 degrees or so before I can pitch. I plan to keg this beer and I’m unsure when I should add the dry hops? At the end of fermentation before I keg, or directly into the keg like the original dry hopping was done in barrels. Help would be appreciated.

You can dry hop whenever you want (even when pitching yeast).
The one thing that I will absolutely stress is that if you are going to keg hop, make sure that you have something to contain the hops within, or a filter around your diptube. Once you've clogged a poppet with hop matter (multiple times), you'll never make that mistake again...

 

[Bonenose]

I generally dry hop for three or four days in the fermenter at the end of fermentation but have added teabagged hops to the keg a couple of times for a bit of extra flavour and was quite happy with the results.

 

[Drover's dog]

All sounds like sipit'nsee...
Cheers

 

[wide eyed and legless]

You could try adding at flame out and let them steep for 20 minutes, I am not keen on dry hopping so much now.

 

[Bonenose]

I think it is very much a case of try it out and see what suits you. I madly dry hopped (in the fermenter) when I started but have recently been trying more late/flame out hops as WEAL suggests above and have achieved good results from this. In saying that I am still dry hopping IPA's and such when I want that extra bit flavour/aroma, just can't help myself.
As you have already brewed I would suggest dry hopping in the fermenter. I ideally leave my fermenter doing its thing for seven to eight days then dry hop for three days before cold crashing. I have done a couple of brews that I thought lacked flavour after kegging so added some teabagged hops to the keg and was quite happy with the results so you always have this option. As I bottle whatever is left after kegging however I prefer to have the flavour already there so only ever used this as a back up.

 

[Drover's dog]

Thank again for all your comments - I'm not going near "Flame Out" here... I'll do a secret lookup so's not to look like a total pratt.

 

[Drover's dog]

I knew better than to do a look-up on “Flame Out” as expected different folk have different views on the meaning of "Flame Out" seeing as how I have missed "Flame Out" for this brew I'll go with dry hopping at the end of fermentation. Being a beginner at 70 sucks...

 

[goatchop41]

I knew better than to do a look-up on “Flame Out” as expected different folk have different views on the meaning of "Flame Out" seeing as how I have missed "Flame Out" for this brew I'll go with dry hopping at the end of fermentation. Being a beginner at 70 sucks...

Haha, there's many ways to skin a cat. The way you're going to do it is that ried and tested way that most do it. It'll make beer, that's for sure!
One tip, if you can, don't put the dry hops in a bag or tea ball or anything, let them float freely in the fermenter. Even better if you can cool the fermenter down to under 5oC after the hops have been in there for a day or two - they sink to the bottom, so that you won't have a heap of hop matter making it through the tap in to your bottles or keg

 

[koshari]

I knew better than to do a look-up on “Flame Out” as expected different folk have different views on the meaning of "Flame Out" seeing as how I have missed "Flame Out" for this brew I'll go with dry hopping at the end of fermentation. Being a beginner at 70 sucks...

at flame out i dont think is what you want, the wort is still very warm at that pint, its really not dry hopping, i would say dry hopping would be at yeast pitch at the very earliest. you will actually get slight bittereness at flameout where dry hopping give no bitterness.

of coarse if you want slight bitterness at flame out is where you throw them in.

again comes down to what your actually trying to achieve.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

It does add some extra bitterness, I recently did a Rye Summer Ale with only flame out hops surprised how well it came out. If Drovers Dog is concentrating on the English style ales and he doesn't want the clean up of dry hopping this is an alternative track for him to take. I prefer it it because it clears easily compared to a dry hop.

 

[Bonenose]

It does add some extra bitterness, I recently did a Rye Summer Ale with only flame out hops surprised how well it came out. If Drovers Dog is concentrating on the English style ales and he doesn't want the clean up of dry hopping this is an alternative track for him to take. I prefer it it because it clears easily compared to a dry hop.

Off topic but Rye summer ale sounds interesting, mind sharing the recipe?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

• For 6.5 gallons (25 L) Summer Rye

• 4 lb (4.5 kg) US two-row (Briess)
• 3 lb (1.4 kg) UK Golden Promise (Simpsons)
• 3 lb (1.4 kg) Wheat malt (Durst)
• 1.5 lb (680 g) Rye malt (Weyermann)
• 2 oz (57 g) NZ Motueka pellet hops, 7.5% a.a. (0 min)
• White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast

SPECIFICATIONS

• Original Gravity: 1.049
• Final Gravity: 1.006
• ABV: 5.7%
• IBU: 25 (?)
• SRM: 4
• Efficiency: 75%

DIRECTIONS
Water Treatment

Reverse Osmosis water treated with 1/4 tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons. 1 tsp CaCl2 in mash.

Mash

15 minutes at 131°F (55°C). 60 minutes at 151°F (66°C).

Boil Length

90 minutes. Add the hop addition at flameout.

Fermentation

66°F (19°C)

Variations

You might prefer to use fruitier yeast, like Wyeast 1272 or Wyeast 1335. Substitute any other hops, but try to use the same quantity as this recipe. You don't have to go the spicy route; you can try fruity or citrusy. I'd avoid hops with abundant resin smell and taste, as that character clashes with the graininess of the rye.

 

[Bonenose]

Awesome mate cheers

 

[Drover's dog]

Haha, there's many ways to skin a cat. The way you're going to do it is that ried and tested way that most do it. It'll make beer, that's for sure!
One tip, if you can, don't put the dry hops in a bag or tea ball or anything, let them float freely in the fermenter. Even better if you can cool the fermenter down to under 5oC after the hops have been in there for a day or two - they sink to the bottom, so that you won't have a heap of hop matter making it through the tap in to your bottles or keg

Hi Goatchop41,
Meant to ask you earlier, why are you so adamant that I shouldn’t teabag my dry hops?

 

[goatchop41]

Hi Goatchop41,
Meant to ask you earlier, why are you so adamant that I shouldn’t teabag my dry hops?

You get less bang for your buck if you bag them - better aroma, flavour, general release/spreading of the hop oils if they can float freely