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Author Topic: Hop aroma  (Read 3741 times)

Offline bayareabrewer

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2017, 07:38:13 am »
On the topic of hop aroma, do people find that they get different hop character when dry hopping at different temps. It could be all in my head, because the difference isn't huge, but when I dry hop at lagering/kegerator temps, I swear I get more grassy flavors than dry hopping at room temperature.

The Beerery

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #16 on: February 16, 2017, 07:41:53 am »
On the topic of hop aroma, do people find that they get different hop character when dry hopping at different temps. It could be all in my head, because the difference isn't huge, but when I dry hop at lagering/kegerator temps, I swear I get more grassy flavors than dry hopping at room temperature.

I agree with that. I don't like hopping at cold temps at all (imo, yymv, fwiw, etc).

Offline bayareabrewer

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #17 on: February 16, 2017, 07:44:31 am »
On the topic of hop aroma, do people find that they get different hop character when dry hopping at different temps. It could be all in my head, because the difference isn't huge, but when I dry hop at lagering/kegerator temps, I swear I get more grassy flavors than dry hopping at room temperature.

I agree with that. I don't like hopping at cold temps at all (imo, yymv, fwiw, etc).

Cheers. I've never heard it mentioned before. I wanted to send you a pm to ask, but are you making your own hop extract to dry hop inline? If so, do you have a tutorial? I've looked up co2 extraction units and they seem marketed towards the marijuana enthusiast and cost thousands.

Offline stpug

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #18 on: February 16, 2017, 08:11:39 am »
On the topic of hop aroma, do people find that they get different hop character when dry hopping at different temps. It could be all in my head, because the difference isn't huge, but when I dry hop at lagering/kegerator temps, I swear I get more grassy flavors than dry hopping at room temperature.

Everything stated below is my own experience and is not a suggestion that it will work for you. If anything sounds fact-based then dismiss it because it is not:
I've personally experienced the same grassiness from cold temperature dry hopping, and I've concluded that it's simply a function of temperature and time.  Just like hop storage can be improved 10-50x by limiting oxygen, light, and freezing temperatures - but eventually they will lose their muster just like everything else.  So, I find that 5 days of room temperature dry hopping is equal to about 30 days of cold-serving temp dry hopping, which is to say that you'll find the same level and character of grassiness on days 1-2 at room temp dry hopping that you'll find in 1-12 days of cold-temp dry hopping.  As you move beyond those 12 days, the grassiness begins to fade away leaving the nicer characters of the hop; and by about day 30 at cold temps nearly all of the grassiness is gone leaving behind only the qualities you are generally striving for.  So, that said, when I keg hop my beers I will leave them at room temp (65-70) for 5 days before putting the keg into cold storage and that solves the problem for me.

Offline Iliff Ave

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #19 on: February 16, 2017, 08:22:29 am »
I haven't had any bad experiences with keg hopping. I will note that with my processes my beer seems to have a VERY pungent/grassy character for the first week while it carbs and I get some hop debris. The hop character normally reaches a good level at about 2 weeks and is about perfect at 3 weeks in the keg. This is good for me because I tend to start drinking beers when they aren't fully developed.

I don't hop in the keg for better results but more out of laziness. A traditional dry hop could very well be more effective. It's easier for me to just keg the beer when fermentation is finished, throw some hops in, and forget about it...
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Hop aroma
« Reply #20 on: February 16, 2017, 08:36:59 am »
On the topic of hop aroma, do people find that they get different hop character when dry hopping at different temps. It could be all in my head, because the difference isn't huge, but when I dry hop at lagering/kegerator temps, I swear I get more grassy flavors than dry hopping at room temperature.

Everything stated below is my own experience and is not a suggestion that it will work for you. If anything sounds fact-based then dismiss it because it is not:
I've personally experienced the same grassiness from cold temperature dry hopping, and I've concluded that it's simply a function of temperature and time.  Just like hop storage can be improved 10-50x by limiting oxygen, light, and freezing temperatures - but eventually they will lose their muster just like everything else.  So, I find that 5 days of room temperature dry hopping is equal to about 30 days of cold-serving temp dry hopping, which is to say that you'll find the same level and character of grassiness on days 1-2 at room temp dry hopping that you'll find in 1-12 days of cold-temp dry hopping.  As you move beyond those 12 days, the grassiness begins to fade away leaving the nicer characters of the hop; and by about day 30 at cold temps nearly all of the grassiness is gone leaving behind only the qualities you are generally striving for.  So, that said, when I keg hop my beers I will leave them at room temp (65-70) for 5 days before putting the keg into cold storage and that solves the problem for me.


Yeah, that's my feeling, too. I think you get through the grassy period much quicker dry hopped at room temp, which is why I do it most times. Just IMO, etc.
Jon H.