[jmulcare]

For this year's Big Brew I did the IPA recipe.   I kegged it about a month ago with 3 ounces of EKG dry hops as called for in the recipe.......how long am I leaving these in?   The beer is progressing well, tastes great (NOT less filling, lol)......want to be sure I leave the hops in long enough.....

[dbeechum]

You're probably there now.

The real answer with dry hopping is always "when it tastes good to you"

[jmulcare]

That's pretty much what I was thinking.  If I have read my IPA history correctly, these beers were dry hopped in the barrel before they left for India, so back then those hops would be in there for several months.....I would assume that's what this recipe was aiming for.....thanks for the reply!

[brewmonk]

But I've heard leaving them in too long can leave an unwanted grassy flavor.

How long is too long with dry-hopping? (or is that pretty relative the the "hop-headiness" of the drinker?  )

[gordonstrong]

How long is too long with dry-hopping? (or is that pretty relative the the "hop-headiness" of the drinker?  )

Opinions vary.  7-14 days is normally tops, but some pros limit to 3-5 days.  7 days is a reasonable compromise.  I wrote about modern dry hopping practices in a recent Zymurgy, with some good info from homebrewer Nathan Smith, as well as professional recommendations from Vinnie Cilurzo and Matt Brynildson.

[ccarlson]

Best advice so far is "Taste it".

[sailortodd]

Just personal opinion, but I'd go for authenticity, which it sounds like you're doing, by keeping it in for the length of a sail/steam voyage from England, around the Cape to India.

WRT grassy taste, if it doesn't fully impart its grassy flavor in the first couple of weeks, is it really going to impart more with months of DH?