Dry hopping in primary?

**starrfish** · 10-26-2009, 06:07 PM

I will have 2 beers coming up to dry hop around the same time.

All my primary ferms will be full, and I have 1 glass carboy I use to secondary/dry hop or add additional fruit in fruit beers. One will go in carboy as normal, can I just dry hop the other in primary once fermentation subsides?

Anyone done it this way? Any problems or disadvantages I'm not thinking of?
I orginally learned to brew in the early 90's where it was encouraged to get beer off yeast asap. that thought seems to have changed.

Considering seeing if I can get a "free" 5gal plastic water jug from "somewhere"... if primary dry hopping is not reccomended.

thanks in advance.

**Revvy** · 10-26-2009, 06:09 PM

Quite a lot of people dry hop in primary these days.

**starrfish** · 10-26-2009, 06:25 PM

thanks again revvy.

I couldn't think of a reason not to, and couldn't find anything online stating otherwise.

ODaniel · 10-26-2009, 06:25 PM

I usually primary 3 weeks, and throw hops in for another week. Works for me.

wildwest450 · 10-26-2009, 06:25 PM

I don't and wouldn't, but to each his own. Here's a quote from BYO on doing it.

"dry hopping in the primary fermenter will work, and is favored by some brewers, but conventional wisdom teaches that the primary might not be optimal. The problem lies in the bubbling of the CO2 and the agitation of the wort during primary fermentation. This bubbling and agitation takes some of the hop aroma out of the beer just like boiling would. This, of course, may defeat the purpose of dry hopping, although some of the hop essence will subsist. If you choose to dry-hop in the primary fermenter, you may want to add more hops than you would for dry hopping in the secondary or keg."

**Revvy** · 10-26-2009, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwest450

I don't and wouldn't, but to each his own. Here's a quote from BYO on doing it.

"dry hopping in the primary fermenter will work, and is favored by some brewers, but conventional wisdom teaches that the primary might not be optimal. The problem lies in the bubbling of the CO2 and the agitation of the wort during primary fermentation. This bubbling and agitation takes some of the hop aroma out of the beer just like boiling would. This, of course, may defeat the purpose of dry hopping, although some of the hop essence will subsist. If you choose to dry-hop in the primary fermenter, you may want to add more hops than you would for dry hopping in the secondary or keg."

But I think most people who do primary hopping, don't add the hops while fermentation is actually happening and the beer is "agitating" I think most people keep to a similar timeframe as they would in secondary. They wait til fermentation subsides before adding the hops.

So the beer is as calm as if it were in secondary (maybe more so, since it wasn't racked over and nothing was kicked up.)

Just like O'Daniel said, after three weeks, hopping for one. I would do my normal schedule and do it in two weeks for two.

I think the BYO answer is no different than an answer anywhere else, just someone "wanking their opinion." Not some gospel thing, because honestly, who whould think that dry hopping in a primary would be done while fermenting? Probably someone who is thinking that the beer is only in the primary for a short time, like one of those autolysis believing yeast-phobes.

**starrfish** · 10-26-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ODaniel

I usually primary 3 weeks, and throw hops in for another week. Works for me.

That's what I was thinking adding only after fermentation complete.

"Probably someone who is thinking that the beer is only in the primary for a short time, like one of those autolysis believing yeast-phobes."

I used to be one of those, Not anymore! thoughts on this have really changed!

**humann_brewing** · 12-10-2009, 07:50 PM

glad to read this. I will have to dry hop in the primary for the first time coming up since they are all filled up. I look at that as a good thing though

Lodovico · 12-10-2009, 08:16 PM

It works really well. I do it even when I have a secondary open. It saves a step.

beach · 12-11-2009, 02:08 PM

Works just fine for me. All my beers get 4 weeks in primary & into bottles. As long as the ferment is complete you won't loose any aromas/flavors.