[homoeccentricus]

There must be a reason why people like Kelsey always win prizes: because they are obsessive about the details, right? Or wrong?

[erockrph]

There must be a reason why people like Kelsey always win prizes: because they are obsessive about the details, right? Or wrong?

My guess is that it's because he brewed the recipe dozens of times and honed it carefully. You will quickly discover which details are worth obsessing over.

[denny]

There must be a reason why people like Kelsey always win prizes: because they are obsessive about the details, right? Or wrong?

My guess is that it's because he brewed the recipe dozens of times and honed it carefully. You will quickly discover which details are worth obsessing over.

[denny]

I think there is a considerable risk of oxidation from dry going late. Most homebrew IPAs I drink are oxidized (maybe grin dry hopping maybe not). I agree the risk can easily be mitigated though.

That may be, but I'm pretty familiar with the effects of oxidation and I haven't found it in my late dry hopped beers.

[a10t2]

Most homebrew IPAs I drink are oxidized (maybe grin dry hopping maybe not). I agree the risk can easily be mitigated though.

That's been my experience as well, although I think it's most often from open-air transfers. My hoppy beers got a lot better once I started obsessing about oxygen exposure.

And Denny, I completely agree, although of course I'm going to be pedantic about the difference between "theoretical" and "hypothetical".

As modern brewers we get the benefits of centuries of work on best practices in brewing. Knowing why those practices are what they are is always a good thing though.

[denny]

That's been my experience as well, although I think it's most often from open-air transfers. My hoppy beers got a lot better once I started obsessing about oxygen exposure.

And Denny, I completely agree, although of course I'm going to be pedantic about the difference between "theoretical" and "hypothetical".

As modern brewers we get the benefits of centuries of work on best practices in brewing. Knowing why those practices are what they are is always a good thing though.

Pedantic is what you do, and you do it damn well!    And I agree that you've got to know the rules in order to learn which ones you can break.

[HoosierBrew]

I think it's most often from open-air transfers. My hoppy beers got a lot better once I started obsessing about oxygen exposure.

I agree. I think doing closed transfers (when possible) and using purged kegs makes a bigger difference than the hopping method you use. Everything else is just preference.

[homoeccentricus]

Unfortunately I ferment in bottles and curtec drums. So I have to rack from one drum to another. What I do right now is spray some CO2  from those cycle tire inflators under my armpits. 

[narvin]

I think that a lot of whole leaf hops we get as homebrewers are not stored well and are starting to oxidize.  At this point, I only dry hop with pellets.

[S. cerevisiae]

I think that a lot of whole leaf hops we get as homebrewers are not stored well and are starting to oxidize. 

That's why I try to purchase my hops as close to the original source and as close to the harvest date as possible. 

[denny]

I think that a lot of whole leaf hops we get as homebrewers are not stored well and are starting to oxidize. 

That's why I try to purchase my hops as close to the original source and as close to the harvest date as possible.

Once again, I'll put in a plug for Hop Heaven.  No affiliation, just the best hops I've ever bought.

[a10t2]

I think that a lot of whole leaf hops we get as homebrewers are not stored well and are starting to oxidize.  At this point, I only dry hop with pellets.

If your homebrew shop repackages their hops into 1 oz baggies, you're pretty much at their mercy as far as oxygen pickup.

[johnnyb]

I think that a lot of whole leaf hops we get as homebrewers are not stored well and are starting to oxidize.  At this point, I only dry hop with pellets.

If your homebrew shop repackages their hops into 1 oz baggies, you're pretty much at their mercy as far as oxygen pickup.

Yup.

And my system works better with leaf hops, so I try to get all of them in bulk in the fall soon after the new crop is available. Then I keep them vacuum sealed in the basement freezer. I don't trust leaf hops from my LHBS.

They are much cheaper in bulk too, but I lose some of that savings because every year I throw away the hops that I haven't used that are greater than about 2 years old. Although I opened up some old hops this year and they still smelled great.

[jeffy]

I just ordered a pound of Eldorado hops from Hop Heaven and they are from the 2013 crop.  I think they were cared for properly.  They came double bagged and vacuum sealed.

[narvin]

I miss hop plugs.  I never saw any yellowing leaves on them.