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Author Topic: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)  (Read 15287 times)

Offline showgun410

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Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« on: March 02, 2013, 05:25:03 am »
I'm looking to dry hop with pellet hops in my secondary glass carboy (5 gallon). 
1. What is the best procedure to do this, should I use a musslin hop bag or just drop them into the carboy and then siphion out the beer into a keg once the dry hopping is done? 
2. After I dry hop do I have to let the beer sit and condition again before I keg the beer?  If so can I siphion the beer and let it just sit in the keg?
3.  Does dry hopping make the beer cloudy after the process is complete?
4.  How long should you dry hop?  I'm dry hopping a pale ale with Cascade hops, I was planning on a 7 day dry hop?

Offline tygo

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2013, 06:16:00 am »
You can skip the secondary and go straight to the keg.  Suspend the hops in the keg in a hop bag.  4-6 days is about right for dry hopping.  Dry hopped beers can be a little hazy.
Clint
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Offline garc_mall

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2013, 10:18:26 am »
You can do one of two things.

Follow Tygo's advice and dry hop in the keg, or just dry hop in primary. There really is no reason to transfer to secondary, unless you plan to do a secondary fermentation (fruit or such).

If you dry hop in the keg, use a small sack or tea ball and suspend them in the keg (most people use unflavored dental floss).

If you dry hop in primary, you can just toss them in, and by day 6 or so, they will be down at the bottom with the trub, and you can just rack to the keg.

The beer is always conditioning. If it is done, it can go right into the keg. If it isn't done, wait to dry hop until it is.

dry hopping makes the beer cloudy. That's what it does.

I usually like to dry hop for 7 days, because it is easy. anywhere from 4-7 days should be fine.

Offline euge

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2013, 06:44:58 pm »
My recommendation is to dry hop at the end of primary. Any simplification of the process is desirable. It might require skimming of krausen if you get the occasional ferment where it inexplicably lingers around for a couple weeks even though the beer has completely fermented.
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2013, 06:47:10 am »
+1 to just adding them to the primary. I don't keg, so I line my bottling bucket with a sanitized paint strainer bag to catch any hop debris that makes it through my autosiphon when I rack.

My recommendation is to dry hop at the end of primary. Any simplification of the process is desirable. It might require skimming of krausen if you get the occasional ferment where it inexplicably lingers around for a couple weeks even though the beer has completely fermented.

To be honest, that night not even be necessary if you really want to simplify things. I've dry-hopped on top of a pretty thick krausen (with whole leaf hops, no less) with no apparent ill effect. The oils in the hops broke up the krausen after a day or so. Hop aroma was just fine in the finished beer, but this was at 3oz/3gallons of dry hops. I don't know if dry hopping on top of krausen would decrease hop aroma if you're using a smaller amount of dry hops.
Eric B.

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Offline showgun410

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2013, 04:25:03 pm »
Would it be beneficial to dry hop in the primary once fermentation is complete and then rack to a secondary to clarify the beer?  I should be ready to dry hop this weekend, thanks to all for the advice.

Offline duboman

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Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2013, 04:30:14 pm »
Would it be beneficial to dry hop in the primary once fermentation is complete and then rack to a secondary to clarify the beer?  I should be ready to dry hop this weekend, thanks to all for the advice.

IMO, no
Hop aroma and flavor is best when fresh so ideally you package the beer immediately after the period of dry hopping is done.

You can either rack to secondary, allow to clear and then dry hop or leave it in primary to clear, dry hop and then package-I prefer the latter as its one less move:)
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Offline garc_mall

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2013, 11:13:27 pm »
Would it be beneficial to dry hop in the primary once fermentation is complete and then rack to a secondary to clarify the beer?  I should be ready to dry hop this weekend, thanks to all for the advice.

IMO, no
Hop aroma and flavor is best when fresh so ideally you package the beer immediately after the period of dry hopping is done.

You can either rack to secondary, allow to clear and then dry hop or leave it in primary to clear, dry hop and then package-I prefer the latter as its one less move:)

This.

You will have cloudy beer if it is dry hopped. Don't worry about it. Go get a really nice dry hopped IPA that has been in the bottle for a couple weeks, and compare it to a freshly dry hopped and kegged IPA that you made at home. The cloudy Homebrew IPA is going to be better, because the beer is fresher. Don't worry about the clarity of dry hopped beers, it's only beer.

Offline erockrph

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2013, 06:30:53 am »
You will have cloudy beer if it is dry hopped. Don't worry about it. Go get a really nice dry hopped IPA that has been in the bottle for a couple weeks, and compare it to a freshly dry hopped and kegged IPA that you made at home. The cloudy Homebrew IPA is going to be better, because the beer is fresher. Don't worry about the clarity of dry hopped beers, it's only beer.

+2 - Don't fear the haze!
Eric B.

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Offline davidgzach

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2013, 07:12:34 am »
Would it be beneficial to dry hop in the primary once fermentation is complete and then rack to a secondary to clarify the beer?  I should be ready to dry hop this weekend, thanks to all for the advice.

I agree with dry hopping once you reach FG and then transferring straight to keg.  Dry hopped beers have some haze, it's OK! 

Dave
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Offline donsmitty

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2013, 07:40:02 am »
What is the best technique for dry hopping in a secondary?  Just throw the hops in or use a bag? 

Offline garc_mall

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2013, 09:35:58 am »
I just throw them in and rack out over the top. Bags work too, but that is one more thing to sanitize.

Offline Herminator

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Re: Best Way To Dry Hop in Secondary (Frist Time Dry Hopping)
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2013, 04:15:18 pm »
+1 to just adding them to the primary. I don't keg, so I line my bottling bucket with a sanitized paint strainer bag to catch any hop debris that makes it through my autosiphon when I rack.

Dang....I will have to try this. 

I just dry hopped a beer and went straight from the primary to bottles.  There is a fair amount of yeast and hop sediment at the bottom that I would love to limit to a degree.  Thanks for the suggestion erockrph.

The OP might want to take this suggestion.
Hermen D.
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