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Author Topic: Dry Hopping  (Read 2944 times)

Offline factory

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Dry Hopping
« on: April 19, 2013, 10:51:15 am »
Let me start by saying, "I've never dry hopped before". 

My AIPA is about 80% done with attenuation according to the hydrometer.  There is still a layer of krausen riding on top of the beer. 

Should I wait until the krausen falls?  Or should I just drop the pellets in and give it a good stir?

Offline blatz

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2013, 11:22:39 am »
Let me start by saying, "I've never dry hopped before". 

My AIPA is about 80% done with attenuation according to the hydrometer.  There is still a layer of krausen riding on top of the beer. 

Should I wait until the krausen falls?  Or should I just drop the pellets in and give it a good stir?

Firestone Walker begins dryhopping when there is about 1P (~4 gravity points) left to go - I'd let it go a little longer before adding, but otherwise you should be fine.
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2013, 11:23:35 am »
There are a few schools of thought on this, so I'll tell you what I do:

 1. I wait until fermentation has visibly stopped,ie.,krausen falls, no airlock activity to add dry hops.

 2. I use nylon hop bags to keep the hop matter contained.  If you can't find them, you can use a nylon paint strainer bag, tied shut.  I add marbles to the bag, to weigh them down to the bottom.

 3.  Amount is more of a preference.  I use 3 oz for an AIPA in the fermenter, and, being a hophead, another oz in the keg (using a nylon bag,etc.) when it goes in the kegerator.

 4. I leave dry hops in the fermenter for 7 days @ room temp before kegging. Some guys dry hop longer, some less.

 5. You'll have to experiment to find what you like best.  Dry hopping rocks!
Jon H.

Offline blatz

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2013, 11:29:47 am »
+1 to all of what Jon said - especially: DRY HOPPING ROCKS!!
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2013, 12:59:43 pm »
I dry hop on day 7 of fermentation for ales and bottle on day 14 (unless I fermented really cold or the gravity is pretty high). There have been times where krausen was still present, but I never experienced any ill effects from dry-hopping on the krausen. I don't see any harm in adding the dry hops now, nor do I expect any from waiting a little longer. It will make good beer regardless.
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Offline Pi

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2013, 07:10:56 am »

My AIPA is about 80% done with attenuation according to the hydrometer.  There is still a layer of krausen riding on top of the beer. 

This is the perfect time IMO. There is oxygen in the hops, even pellets. dry hopping while you still have a little fermentation going on will "scrub" the O2.
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Offline kylekohlmorgen

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2013, 07:30:24 am »
This is the perfect time IMO. There is oxygen in the hops, even pellets. dry hopping while you still have a little fermentation going on will "scrub" the O2.

This is when I add my hops, but its because I want to extract hop oil at fermentation temps (and not mess with dry hops in another vessel).

I don't think you get much (if any) oxygen removal via the yeast at this stage of fermentation. The yeast has already completed the aerobic stage of fermentation and is now living anaerobically.

This is the same reason you shouldn't add oxygen after growth phase is complete. The yeast won't take it up, and it will end up oxidizing the beer.

Moral of the story: take care in minimizing O2 pickup whenever you're dryhopping, whether in primary or otherwise.
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Offline blatz

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Re: Dry Hopping
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2013, 07:38:02 am »
I don't think you get much (if any) oxygen removal via the yeast at this stage of fermentation. The yeast has already completed the aerobic stage of fermentation and is now living anaerobically.


the idea is not that the yeast will consume the oxygen, rather that the offgassing CO2 from fermentation still in action will push out any oxygen present in the hops you add.
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