what downsides would there be to adding hops earlier during active churning fermentation as well?
...other than potentially wasting hops?
I say go for it.
Well I did it; added an ounce of pellets during the peak of churning ferment.
I ferment in 6 gallon glass, and it was fascinating to watch. There was 2-3 inches of loose fluffy already yellow stained krausen foam on top. The pellets fell down through all this and were floating on top of the beer. With all the churning, they soon started to break apart and get mixed in.
It was interesting, it seemed like fermentation bumped up a bit and there was a reaction akin to wort threatening to boil over at first hop addition during a boil. With all the churning, and yeasties and cold break chunks exploding off the carboy floor, the pellets were soon dissolved. Some green looked like it got folded up into the krausen. I did not notice a difference in the aroma exiting.
Anyone here know anything about the potential desirable influences of dryhopping during fermentation?