Dry-Hopping advice wanted

If you have a hop related question about International Bittering Units or alpha acid, post it here!
Post Reply
monkeyboy
Piss Artist
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:07 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by monkeyboy » Tue May 09, 2017 1:07 pm

My latest creation, a west-coast AIPA, is almost fermented out so pretty soon I'll be dry hopping it. I've never really had much success with dry hopping. It's not that it's gone bad or anything, just that I've never managed to get close to that big hop aroma you get from some of the better IPA/AIPA beers.

I've read that oxygen is the enemy of hop aroma. I don't have a particularly fancy set up, so my plan was to either transfer to a second fermenter and dry hop in there, or to reduce the number of transfers simply dry hop in the primary and only move it when I'm ready to bottle (my second FV is my bottling bucket).

Any advice from the seasoned dry-hoppers out there?
Fermenting: AG#22 San Diego IPA
Drinking: Probably.

User avatar
alexlark
Under the Table
Posts: 1403
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 12:29 pm
Location: Rhondda, South Wales

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by alexlark » Tue May 09, 2017 10:24 pm

I dry hop in the primary. As you say, oxygen is the enemy so the least movement the better.

User avatar
scuppeteer
Under the Table
Posts: 1512
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2010 7:32 pm
Location: Brenchley, Kent (Birthplace of Fuggles... or is it?)

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by scuppeteer » Tue May 09, 2017 11:45 pm

There are so many ideas out there, I really think it comes down to personal perception and what you think works best. Personally, and like Alex, I prefer to add to the primary, but when only fermentation has completed and the beer is crash cooling. This is because yeast will attach itself to the various hop compounds and a lot are lost along with the yeast when it starts to drop out of suspension.
Pellet is great but doesn't always settle out and you don't have the option of removing them from the beer. So lately I have gone back to leaf hop in a weighted hop bag.
Most oils are extracted after around 6-12 hours so leaving any longer is pointless in IMO. Some will say leave for days but this can often result in grassy flavours being added which again, some like, some don't.
Depending on the hop "experience" you're after you can add from 1-5g per litre, but this is also dependant on the variety and the style of beer.
Dave Berry


Can't be arsed to keep changing this bit, so, drinking some beer and wanting to brew many more!

Sir, you are drunk! Yes madam, and you are ugly, but in the morning I shall be sober! - WSC

User avatar
Jocky
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2738
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:50 pm
Location: Epsom, Surrey, UK

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Jocky » Wed May 10, 2017 7:17 am

I'm going to some what disagree with scupp here.

I use pellets for dry hopping as they do drop out with cold crashing - 100% never had an issue. Also once the beer is cold you get very little extraction, so if you have to leave it before bottling then just keep it cold and you won't get grassy flavours at all, at least for up to 10 days in my experience.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

monkeyboy
Piss Artist
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:07 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by monkeyboy » Wed May 10, 2017 9:52 am

Thanks for the replies gents. In the end I decided that I'd add them to the primary. I'm keeping a better record of each batch since I restarted brewing so depending on how this works out I can try to tweak it in future. What I had were leaf hops (not pellets) but I didn't have anything to put them in so they were just scattered on top and then I tried to dunk them a little with a sterile spoon. Not sure how well that will work so I might have to keep repeatedly dunking them until they take on enough liquid to stop floating on top.
The recipe called for a lot of hops for 5 days.
Fermenting: AG#22 San Diego IPA
Drinking: Probably.

User avatar
Sadfield
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 707
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:16 pm

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Sadfield » Wed May 10, 2017 9:58 am

http://www.port66.co.uk/dry-hopping/

This is pretty much my current method, works for me. I agree with Scuppeteer though that it is pretty much user dependent and even the big American craft brewers all use different techniques.



Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

monkeyboy
Piss Artist
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:07 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by monkeyboy » Wed May 10, 2017 10:39 am

Interesting link. You'd think that after all this time, and especially with so many breweries making hop-forward pale ales of one variety or another that the art/science would have agreed on a best approach! But I suppose that there's so many variables.

That link more or less matches what I'm doing - fermentation isn't completely finished, but it's probably 90% of the way through. Interesting site too.
Fermenting: AG#22 San Diego IPA
Drinking: Probably.

User avatar
Mr Squiffy
Steady Drinker
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:46 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Mr Squiffy » Wed May 10, 2017 12:24 pm

Interesting read. I've tried many methods for dry hopping and my current methods depend on whether i am dry hopping with pellets or leaf.
If I am using leaf I transfer to a secondary and use a weighted hop sock, the reason for using a secondary is so the weight isn't sitting in thick trub on the bottom.
Lately i have preferred to use pellets for dry hopping and tend to add them to the primary with great success, the only issue is they obviously break up and sit on the trub which means they are on a similar level as the tap so when you bottle you sometimes get bits of hop pellet entering the bottle. This isn't something i am too bothered about though.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by orlando » Fri May 12, 2017 11:25 am

Jocky wrote:
I use pellets for dry hopping as they do drop out with cold crashing - 100% never had an issue.

I've noticed that the very lightest "dust" elements of dry hopping can be above the surface of the beer, presumably surface tension stopping them dropping. Nothing that fining won't deal with.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Stewb

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Stewb » Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:35 am

I've bought some of this from the malt miller to have a go with- instructions say add and give 24hrs to dissipate, so will add as I transfer to bottling bucket and then allow to settle.

Anyone else used them yet? If they work it could be bloody brilliant!Image

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Dave S
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2514
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:38 pm
Location: Wirral, Merseyside

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Dave S » Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:06 am

Stewb wrote:I've bought some of this from the malt miller to have a go with- instructions say add and give 24hrs to dissipate, so will add as I transfer to bottling bucket and then allow to settle.

Anyone else used them yet? If they work it could be bloody brilliant!Image

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I've used them a few times and find them a complete waste of money, though others experience may differ.
Best wishes

Dave

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by orlando » Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:27 am

I've had the same experience as Dave I'm afraid to say. Looking at your bottles I think they are different to mine. Whether that means the contents are "new & improved" I don't know so will follow your subsequent posts with interest. I'm pinning my hopes on Lupulin powder, which arrives this week. :|
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Stewb

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Stewb » Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:47 am

orlando wrote:I've had the same experience as Dave I'm afraid to say. Looking at your bottles I think they are different to mine. Whether that means the contents are "new & improved" I don't know so will follow your subsequent posts with interest. I'm pinning my hopes on Lupulin powder, which arrives this week. :|
Ah well, fingers crossed and worth a go. Will let you know

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

User avatar
Jocky
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2738
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:50 pm
Location: Epsom, Surrey, UK

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by Jocky » Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:47 pm

Stewb wrote:I've bought some of this from the malt miller to have a go with- instructions say add and give 24hrs to dissipate, so will add as I transfer to bottling bucket and then allow to settle.

Anyone else used them yet? If they work it could be bloody brilliant!Image

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
The Citra one is ok for revitalising an aging pale ale, but I wouldn't rely upon them beyond that. It's more of an intense herbal aroma than fruity hops.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

andyCo

Re: Dry-Hopping advice wanted

Post by andyCo » Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:01 pm

I've never really hit that massive hop flavour/aroma that the big boys get tbh, tired various methods but have settled with the near the end of fermentation in the primary for a max of 3 days, mostly pellets but use leaf sometimes which I blitz in the blender.
I tried the oils and like the others have said ....hmm... never really done it for me.
One thing I have learned is that the fresher the hop the better, that's probably why the pro's are pro's and I'm brewing beer in shed

Andy

Post Reply