Help Please! Confused on dry hopping

[motman]

Hi all, I'm hoping for some advice - I've just dry hopped my first non kit and kilo brew (apa with just light dry extract and various hops, using safale us-05. I got to the theoretical end SG, popped the lid,' chucked in the hops, agitated and re sealed and got all anxious and confused. Most stuff I have read has talked about dry hopping for a couple of days and then chilling for a while. My concerns are that I currently cannot chill the fermenter (it is sitting at about 21c) and I have 44 litres in a 60 litre fermenter I am not 100 percent convinced of the seal on. How long is reasonable to sit the beer for before risk of off flavours And infection begins to rise?

Hope someone can give me some tips, ideas and new sources of confusion.

Cheers, Tom

 

[manticle]

Taste dependent, hop dependent and amount dependent.
My tastes are for subtler dry hopping, 2-3 days only - others like massive, extended dry hops.
Play it safe, dry hop for 3 days or so, then package. Next time try more and/or
longer.
Also next time, don't agitate. Treat your beer gently.

 

[verysupple]

What manticle said.

My main advice is to stress less.

When people talk about cold crashing or chilling they're (usually) talking about clarifying the beer. While this makes a nice, clear beer, it's not exactly necessary.

I'm not sure this was actually your concern, but if you're worried about infection from dry hopping, again, stress less. Anything that grows on hops doesn't seem to be an issue (at least with pellets, maybe someone else can confirm for flowers/cones).

I wouldn't be too worried about the lid not sealing. Even if not air tight it will keep out wild yeast, bugs, etc. The perhaps lack of seal shouldn't be a problem as long as you're not letting it sit there for long periods (months rather than weeks).

It sounds like you're on track for a tasty beer. While it's a matter of opinion I agree with manticle in terms of dry hopping duration. Try dry hopping for a few days first and see how you like the result. You get different character from different time periods and temperatures so you can adjust as needed for subsequent batches..

 

[motman]

Thanks guys!

If I'm not gonna kill my beer, I'll leave it for five days (I had originally intended 9 but will moderate in light of your advice) so I'll have some time to bottle it without the destructive little bundle of chaos that is my daughter.. Also, it currently is way too bitter and I'm hoping some floral and citrus character will balance that out.. Oh, and I could pretty much sit down and eat hops I like em that much!

 

[big78sam]

If anything dry hopping will add perceived bitterness. Shouldn't make a huge difference though.

 

[motman]

Right, another snippet learned. Thanks. Well, even if it is more bitter, hopefully the addition of some aroma will make grimacing through the beer more worthwhile. Even more hopefully it mellows during the rest and carbonation.

 

[manticle]

Bitterness levels change during fermentation.

 

[Yob]

I've found dry hopping lengths can really depend on the hop too, I keg hopped my mandarina Bavaria and it took just over a week to reach the level I was happy with, so experimentation will help you work out which hop and how long.

It really does vary from person to person though as taste is rather subjective.

 

[DU99]

if you using "flowers"be a bit careful to strain/filter when kegging........blocked beer line...

 

[danestead]

Thanks guys!
If I'm not gonna kill my beer, I'll leave it for five days (I had originally intended 9 but will moderate in light of your advice) so I'll have some time to bottle it without the destructive little bundle of chaos that is my daughter.. Also, it currently is way too bitter and I'm hoping some floral and citrus character will balance that out.. Oh, and I could pretty much sit down and eat hops I like em that much!

If it is undrinkable bitter, you could look into adding some lactose (unfernebtable sugar from your lhbs). I haven't done it before however I've looked into it it'll add sweetness and mouthfeel.

 

[mckenry]

It really does vary from person to person though as taste is rather subjective.

Yep. I like to dry hop at roughly 1g/L for just 2 days. Its really good at that rate and time for ME. Judges feedback is that I need more hops (to be true to style), but first and foremost, I brew for my consumption. As everyone is saying, just experiment and see what you like.
Start at the low end though. Youll be able to handle an under-dry-hopped beer more than an over-dry-hopped beer.

 

[motman]

Gentlemen and scholars, the lot of you. Thanks for all the input. I'm not gonna mess with the beer too much at this stage I think, as the theoretical ibu was only in the thirties, so will hope it mellows. Cheers all.