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Author Topic: Dry Hopping a Cream Ale  (Read 3701 times)

Offline Pope of Dope

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Dry Hopping a Cream Ale
« on: January 10, 2018, 11:20:24 pm »
The recipe is as follows:

12lbs    2 row
1.25lbs maize flakes
1oz       sovereign hops (60)
.25oz    sovereign hops (30)
.25oz    sovereign hops (0)
.25oz    fuggle (0)
1oz       fuggle (dry hop)

Safale 05, 90 min mash at 150, 90 min boil, ferment at 66f then lager

My questions are, would dry hopping this beer be any good?  And, would you use fuggle or lean more towards EKG?
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Dry Hopping a Cream Ale
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2018, 06:11:36 am »
Dry hopped would make it more a blonde ale or pale APA and wouldn't do well in a comp (if that matters to you). Cream ale for me gets around 18 IBU at 60 mins and that's it.
Jon H.

Offline Robert

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Re: Dry Hopping a Cream Ale
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2018, 07:54:27 am »
If this perspective helps -- Before Prohibition, when the term originated, a brewery's "Cream Ale" would have been brewed exactly like their lager, but fermented with ale yeast, and packaged and sold quickly with no ageing.  So no dry hops. Other, often stronger, ales (pale, stock, etc.) were dry hopped and aged for up to several months before release, and these would have been hopped more in the boil too.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline stpug

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Re: Dry Hopping a Cream Ale
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2018, 09:04:56 am »
The recipe is as follows:

12lbs    2 row
1.25lbs maize flakes
1oz       sovereign hops (60)
.25oz    sovereign hops (30)
.25oz    sovereign hops (0)
.25oz    fuggle (0)
1oz       fuggle (dry hop)

Safale 05, 90 min mash at 150, 90 min boil, ferment at 66f then lager

My questions are, would dry hopping this beer be any good?  And, would you use fuggle or lean more towards EKG?

Good? Depends on your desired outcome.  Dryhopped cream ales are fine, acceptable, and even delicious - though they won't fair very well in competitions under the "Cream Ale" category.  Then again, if it's just for drinking (which most usually are) then play to your hearts content. :D

My only issue with your recipe are the late (and dryhop) fuggles.  Too earthy and mushroomy for late additions in most beers I'd brew.  EKG would definitely be more up my ally as a good alternative (bit more perfumy but still good); Willamette would work much better than Fuggles as late additions and will still bring a subtle earth/herbal quality of Fuggles without the mushroom/forestfloor, and just a hint of brightness/citrus without being perfumy.

Offline jweiss206

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Re: Dry Hopping a Cream Ale
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2018, 10:46:27 am »
The highest scoring cream ales I've made were all dry hopped with Citra using Sterling and Hallertau for bittering. As long as it's not overdone, I think an ounce or less of dry hops complement a cream ale very well.