Extra Hops In A No Boil Kit (coopers)

[icarussound]

Hello! I have been reading, and came across the concept or "dry-hopping" I am considering this for my next batch which is the Cooper no boil IPA kit - the can of IPA and brew enhancer sugars. Is this OK? 2 possibilities are (1) in the fermenter or (2) in the kegs (I have two party pig kegs to hold this batch http://www.partypig.com/)

If I were to do this would I geta noticably hoppier beer or perhaps this is not a good idea for no-boil kits? I am very new to this (can you tell?!)

Steve

 

[King Brown]

Id reccomend putting your kit together in the fermenter in the usual way, and once about 2/3 of the fermentation is complete (if taking hyrdometer readings wait till your 2/3 of the way between og and targer fg, if not then wait till the airlock bubbles start to slow down a little) rack the beer over to another fermenting vessel, containing your dry hops, and let the beer sit on the hops till fermentation is finished then bottle/keg as normal, you can put extra in the keg if your kegging for even more aroma. Id use whole hop cones as opposed to pellets, as pellets will break apart and be hard to clear from the finished beer if dry hopping.

As for variety Id use Kent Goldings if after an english style IPA, Cascade if after an american style (just my personal preference)

 

[bum]

I'd just like to add to King Brown's advice by saying you can dry hop in the manner he describes without racking to a second fermenter if you wish - you can just bung them into the primary (2/3ish of the way through the ferment, as described above, is a common time to do this). I'd also point out that I have no problem with dry hopping with pellets. I leave my beers in the fermenter for a week after FG and haven't noticed a single hop particle in my finished beer yet. For this kit EKG, Styrian Goldings or Fuggles would be nice. Remember, of course, that dry hopping won't add any bitterness if that is the kind of "hoppiness" you're after.

See this link for a more detailed look at dry hopping: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=11

You might also want to make a hop tea (just steeping some pellets in some boiled water for some time before adding to the fermenter). Perhaps someone who uses this method can describe their procedure here?

Let us know how you go.

 

[Digger11]

For dry hopping, I agree with the above, but also recommend a week of cold conditioning after the ferment has finished. I just put the whole fermenter in the fridge.
I find I always get 100% clear beers with this.

Also, If you are not in a hurry, then you can keep it simple and jsut do the following for a Kit

1. 1 week in Fermenter
2, then Add Hops straight into Fermenter
3. Wait another week.
4. Put fermenter in Fridge for 1 week
5. Bottle
6. Leave bottles for at least 2 weeks at room temp (in the dark is best)
7. Taste one bottle, they get better with age if you can wait.

So all up, a 5 week process before tasting - obviously this misses out on a lot of the fine tuning you will want to do when you get into it properly - but the above has never failed me when I haven't had the time to watch or think about a simple brew.

 

[King Brown]

I'd just like to add to King Brown's advice by saying you can dry hop in the manner he describes without racking to a second fermenter if you wish - you can just bung them into the primary (2/3ish of the way through the ferment, as described above, is a common time to do this). I'd also point out that I have no problem with dry hopping with pellets. I leave my beers in the fermenter for a week after FG and haven't noticed a single hop particle in my finished beer yet. For this kit EKG, Styrian Goldings or Fuggles would be nice. Remember, of course, that dry hopping won't add any bitterness if that is the kind of "hoppiness" you're after.

See this link for a more detailed look at dry hopping: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=11

You might also want to make a hop tea (just steeping some pellets in some boiled water for some time before adding to the fermenter). Perhaps someone who uses this method can describe their procedure here?

Let us know how you go.

Ive always wondered if racking was really necessary, might have to try it without soon. Its about time I do a super hoppy brew :icon_cheers:

 

[Renegade]

So what's the go with dry-hopping ? I just chucked 15 grams Hallertau pellets into a week-old fermenter (which is also a hal/hersbrucker bitch varied only by the high AA POR bitter-base and a wee 5g of Cascade at 30 mins to take it tans-global) without making a tea of it. Kinda like the subtle cold-fusion dry-hop as particles drop through a mostly fermented wort.

This is my preference.

 

[Thunderlips]

I'm really not a fan of dry hopping.

Tried it a few times but all I get is that overpowering grassy taste.
I'm using kegs but maybe it turns out better if your bottling?

Since I've stepped up from kits to exctract brewing I've found the hop additions during the boil to be quite enough.

 

[Digger11]

Thunderlips - what type of Hops and what volume were you using for dry-hopping?

 

[AntCoop]

What method do you use to get the grassiness?

Do you dry hop in the Keg?

Dry hopping for an extended period in a keg could do this as it does not get removed. (unless enclosed in a tea ball or hop bag that can be removed out)

Coops :icon_cheers:


Edit : spelling