[ultravista]

I am the only beer drinker in the house so a 5 gallon batch lasts me a few months ...

I have brewed a Pliny clone several times now with a recipe that has ~5 ounces of dry hops staggered 7 + 5 days. While Pliny is intended to be consumed fresh, it's just not possible given my situation.

Since it takes me a while to finish the batch, I've been thinking about dry hopping for 7 days then the other 5 when the keg is half consumed. My thought process being that the second later dry hop will provide aroma/flavor that may perhaps have been lost as the beer aged.

The issue however, is that the second dose is intended for 5 gallons, not 2.5 or less and I am wondering if the beer will be lacking flavor and aroma by going only with the first addition in the beginning.

So if you were me ... would you follow the recipe and load-up on dry hops as the recipe intends or try something new.

Will a 5 ounce dry hop dose have significantly more flavor & aroma than 2.5 ounces?

Your thoughts?

[HoosierBrew]

I add extra hops to kegs of APA and IPA pretty regularly, if it's on tap long enough that the hop aroma starts to fade. I add them to a paint strainer bag with marbles for weight, zip tie, and into the keg.

[ultravista]

Would you stick with the 5 ounce dry hop dose in the begining as the recipe states?

[HoosierBrew]

Would you stick with the 5 ounce dry hop dose in the begining as the recipe states?

Yep. And then when you feel it's dropped off, add half that amount to the keg. Most of my hoppy beers don't last long enough to need to, but it works well.

[ultravista]

A few more question ...

I usually dry hop in the keg at ambient temps using a 300 micron dry hopper> The dry hopper contains the pellet and leaf very well.

For this last batch however, the first round of dry hops were added at serving temperature. The hops have been sitting at approximately 40F for a week now and the beer is very hazy. It does not appear to be hop sediment because 1) it's contained in the dry hopper, and 2), nothing collects as the bottom of the glass. It's just hazy all the way through. I brewed this batch on 09/05, kegged it on 09/26, and added the first round of hops on on 09/27. It was fully fermented about 7 days.

This is the first batch that is hazy. Nothing in my brewing process changed with the exception of dry hopping cold.

Could this perhaps be the reason for the haze? I am not sure how/why, but it is the only process change.

I know extraction efficiency is better at room temp but given time, will dry hopping at colder temps attain the same results?

Do you leave your dry hops in the beer until kicked or have a strict time limit on pulling them out?

[HoosierBrew]

I leave the hops in until the keg kicks. I notice when I do this that there is a hop oil haze (I assume) that lasts for ~ a week -10 days then clears. No worries. The extraction is slower and not the same as room temp dry hopping, but it gives a nice boost.

[ultravista]

Thank you brother. I appreciate your help.

I did cold crash for approximately 12 days @ 45F to drop and clear the beer.

The recipe is the same this batch as it has the past several batches and it's always been crystal clear.

[neddles]

A few more question ...

I usually dry hop in the keg at ambient temps using a 300 micron dry hopper> The dry hopper contains the pellet and leaf very well.

For this last batch however, the first round of dry hops were added at serving temperature. The hops have been sitting at approximately 40F for a week now and the beer is very hazy. It does not appear to be hop sediment because 1) it's contained in the dry hopper, and 2), nothing collects as the bottom of the glass. It's just hazy all the way through. I brewed this batch on 09/05, kegged it on 09/26, and added the first round of hops on on 09/27. It was fully fermented about 7 days.

This is the first batch that is hazy. Nothing in my brewing process changed with the exception of dry hopping cold.

Could this perhaps be the reason for the haze? I am not sure how/why, but it is the only process change.

I know extraction efficiency is better at room temp but given time, will dry hopping at colder temps attain the same results?

Do you leave your dry hops in the beer until kicked or have a strict time limit on pulling them out?

Glad to see someone else had this problem too. Twice now I have dry hopped cold (though not my normal dry hopping procedure) and both times I have ended up with an almost incurable haze. 2-3 months and biofine and they still don't completely clear. Both beers were made with WLP007 and were exceptionally clear before dry hopping. Both beers involved citra. But I honestly think the culprit was the cold temperatures.

[erockrph]

I dry-hop at fermentation temps, and I routinely get hop haze from it. To me, it seems related more to the amount of hops more than anything else. Once you go over 0.5oz/gallon you're almost sure to see some.

[neddles]

I dry-hop at fermentation temps, and I routinely get hop haze from it. To me, it seems related more to the amount of hops more than anything else. Once you go over 0.5oz/gallon you're almost sure to see some.

That is my normal procedure and yes, I get some haze and it is proportional to the quantity as you mentioned. The haze I got when dry hopping cold was a whole different animal. Almost milky, cloudier than the cloudiest wit I have ever had.

[ultravista]

For this batch, dry hop addition 1 is was 1 ounce of CTZ, .75 of Cascade (whole leaf), .5 Centennial, .5 Simcoe, and .5 ounce Amarillo.

For the second dose, it is .5 Cascade, .5 Simcoe, and .5 Amarillo.

It is amazing now. Hazy but great.

[evil_morty]

I personally like to have some part of my dry hop done in the keg at cold and left in the keg until it kicks.  I think this helps maintain hop aroma longer.  Different temps/times may bring out different aspects of the hops so like a lot of things some people might not like what I do.