[barryh]

When I brewed my first batch a few months ago, a red ale from a kit,  I forgot to add the flavoring hops in the last 5 min.  So what I did was dry hop them. After about 4 days when the vigorous feremntation was over I put the pellets in the primary and bottled in 10 days. I thought the beer came out pretty good, with a nice little hop nose. I just bottled an IPA, and I did the same thing, threw in the Cascade after the virgorous fementation phase ended. Everything I have read says if you dry hop, use a secondary. Is there any reason NOT to dry hop in the primary as I have done? I would rather not use a secondary partly because I am lazy and it is also one more stage that exposes the ale to possible contamination and or oxygen.

[kylekohlmorgen]

I always dry hop in primary.

IMO you're doing it right - wait until fermentation is almost done, throw them in, then bottle/keg from primary.

I like to use more hops (3-4 oz for IPA) with less contact time (2-3 days). I've noticed some 'old grass clipping' flavors when I leave them on for 4 days or more.

[duboman]

I dry hop in primary as well and am typically using 2-3 oz for 5-7 days.

If I use more than 3oz I go 3-5 days at most. Then I cold crash a few days and bottle.

[barryh]

Thanks so much for the the advice. The IPA I just bottled I dry hopped 2 oz Cascade for eight days, so next time I will adjust the amounts and shorten up the time.

[alcaponejunior]

I usually use 2-3 oz, dry hop in primary, and leave them in for the last 5 days or so. 

I don't do secondary unless there's a very specific reason to do so.  "Brewing a pale ale or IPA" is not a reason to do so.  In fact, I've only done a secondary twice, ever, once for fruit and once for a stout with vanilla, but probably didn't need to on the stout.