Primary Dry Hopping

[jimmyjack]

Are their any disadvantages to dry hopping in the primary as opposed to secondary. I know its best to get the beer off the trub etc... All i want to do is dry hop for 5 or 6 days which means the wort will only be in the primary for a 12 days tops. I then will transfer to keg and condition further. I dont want to put hops in my kegs.

cheers, jj

 

[Jye]

Hey jimmyjack,

The main reason for not dry hopping in the primary is that the co2 being released will carry off the aroma, but by the looks of it you will be dry hopping after primary fermentation has finished so it should be fine.

Jye
:beer:

 

[jimmyjack]

Thanx for the reply jye, I think I will seconary after all. i read that dry hopping in the primary may stuff up the slurry if i plan on using it again. Other than that it should work ok. How many days should I drop hop before kegging???

cheers,

jj

 

[Darren]

JJ,
The main reason not to dry hop the primary is that the hops themselves are not sanitary. If the primary ferment is not finished you will run the risk of infecting your beer. Secondary is ok because there should be plenty of alcohol around to keep the bugs at bay.
cheers
Darren

 

[Ross]

JJ,
The main reason not to dry hop the primary is that the hops themselves are not sanitary. If the primary ferment is not finished you will run the risk of infecting your beer. Secondary is ok because there should be plenty of alcohol around to keep the bugs at bay.
cheers
Darren

[post="100386"][/post]​

As Darren states, there is less chance of infection adding to secondary, but I beg to disagree, this is not the main reason for hopping too secondary...

Hops, that have been stored in a freezer offer a very low risk of infection - no commercial brewer would be running hot wort through a hopback for instance, if this was the case? Do you not make any additions below 10 mins Darren, so they can all get a good boil?
The main reason for dry hopping in secondary is as Jye stated, to get max flavour from the hops, If added at beginning of primary the hops can get buried in the yeast cake of lifted out the brew by the krausen, as well as CO2 scrubbing...

cheers Ross...

 

[Darren]

Yep, always add hops at flame-out Ross. Most spoilage organisms will be killed within 1 second at boiling. Putting them in primary before ferment would almost certainly introduce lots of bugs (including loads of wild yeast) in a growth friendly environment. Maybe you could try it sometime and report back Ross.
I doubt there will be any discernable difference in hop extraction in primary beer/secondary beer.
If CO2 scrubbing is such a problem why bother with a hop-back at all? Surely all the aroma would be scrubbed by the primary ferment.

I maintain my stance. Main reason is to sanitise the hops.

cheers
Darren

 

[Jye]

Thanx for the reply jye, I think I will seconary after all. i read that dry hopping in the primary may stuff up the slurry if i plan on using it again. Other than that it should work ok. How many days should I drop hop before kegging???

cheers,

jj

[post="100381"][/post]​

I dry hop for 7 days and from what I have read thats pretty much the norm and diminishing returns for any longer.

 

[Ross]

Yep, always add hops at flame-out Ross. Most spoilage organisms will be killed within 1 second at boiling. Putting them in primary before ferment would almost certainly introduce lots of bugs (including loads of wild yeast) in a growth friendly environment. Maybe you could try it sometime and report back Ross.
I doubt there will be any discernable difference in hop extraction in primary beer/secondary beer.
If CO2 scrubbing is such a problem why bother with a hop-back at all? Surely all the aroma would be scrubbed by the primary ferment.

I maintain my stance. Main reason is to sanitise the hops.

cheers
Darren

[post="100392"][/post]​

Darren,

I gave up long ago of you accepting any opion other than your own - wonder why you bother with a forum sometimes
That said, as you are obviously an authority on yeast - are you saying that wild yeast can withstand long term freezing? I had guessed not, as a smakpack is killed pretty quick this way - but if I'm wrong, I may have to re examine my practises... Please enlighten...

cheers Ross

 

[KoNG]

Looks a bit risky bringing this thread back form the good ol' days of a Ross and Darren love in ..... but hey, saves starting a new thread as it touches on a few of my questions.
I brewed a basic amarillo APA last week to bottle and give as chrissy presents for friends i would say are 'basic' beer drinkers.
It turns out i will still get 12 or so bottles of this beer, which has now essentialy finished primary ferment. tasting the hydro sample, its exactly how i wanted it, except for the lack of aroma.. (can your snoz get Lupulin Shift.? )

Anyways... the crux.
since ive got to bottle tomorrow night, is it worth chucking some pelets into primary for the next day...? is that enough contact time...? is it just a waste of hops..? do i like my friends that much.?
who has dry hopped primary with noticable results...?

KoNG

 

[Jye]

I try to avoid rack so I dry hop in the primary once activity has finished and still get great aroma.

A day may be to short for dry hopping, you could try steep the hops and then chucking them in.

 

[Ross]

Kong, just double what you would normally dry hop with, you'll still get close to 2 days if you do it straight away, & should get a reasonable result.

Edit: Like Jye, I dry hop my beers in primary at end of ferment, haven't used a secondary in a long time now. Final beer pumped straight from primary through filter & into keg - bliss....


cheers Ross

 

[KoNG]

yep good idea.
unfortunately i'm still at work. but i'll get 100g or so of amarillo into a hop tea when i get home, then dump that in for 24 hours.
I'll report back next week with the 'scientific' results.

 

[warrenlw63]

Kongus

Shove it in your LaMarz basket and give the beer a hop ristretto. :lol:

Warren -

 

[KoNG]

bwaa haha bwaaa
through the bottomless of course..!!!!!!!!!!

 

[warrenlw63]

Nothing wrong with nekkid hops.

Warren -

 

[DJR]

yep good idea.
unfortunately i'm still at work. but i'll get 100g or so of amarillo into a hop tea when i get home, then dump that in for 24 hours.
I'll report back next week with the 'scientific' results.

100g??? Must be a big batch!!

I've done the 5 min quick boil method to add some flavours at the end, strained off the hops and added it in when bottling, worked pretty well. Only used about 10g but! :lol:

 

[KoNG]

well, most mentioned using much more because of the short contact time. its only 25 litres
i was thinking 40-50g anyway... so double that and i'm dry hopping with 100g..! haha
when it comes time tonight i'm sure i wont use 100g (probably just 90g)

 

[Stuster]

Yeh, 90g sounds reasonable. 100g - that's just crazy talk.

Seems like a good plan, KONg. You must love those friends of yours after all.

 

[tangent]

the only time i've ever "dry" hopped in the fullest sense of the term, i grew a carpet on the brew. only time i've had a full blown, it's all over folks, kind of infection since I moved to a decent sanitiser and started pulling taps apart.

now i make a hop tea in a cup for a minute and it hasn't happened since.

are you blokes talking "rip the packet open and dig your hand in, crumble them between your fingers as you throw them in" kind of action or "tear packet and sprinkle in" or "infuse in boiling water for a moment and tip in"?

there seems to be a few versions and the last doesn't seem to deserve to be called dry hopping.

 

[KoNG]

I'm planning on going with the 'hop tea" method tangent.....
i get your point about maybe not being 'dry hopping' but its in a similar vein for the same desired outcome.... Hop aroma from a non kettle addition.