Midwest Sierra Nevada

johnsmh2 · 12-23-2010, 01:08 PM

I just got my Sierra Nevada from Midwest and plan on brewing it over the holidays. A few questions:

It says to dry hop in secondary 1/2 oz of hops. I prefer to keep my beer in the primary bucket for about 4 weeks then go straight to the keg. Will I taste much of a difference if I don't dry hop and leave out those hops? Any suggestions since I am using my secondary carboy for something else currently?

Also, I bought their alcohol boost. At what time during the boil should I add this?

And finally, does anyone have any recommendations with this recipe for those of you that have tried it before?

**knotquiteawake** · 12-23-2010, 01:18 PM

You will notice a big difference if you leave them out. mostly in the smell I believe and some taste.

I don't secondary any more and dry hopped in the primary for the first time recently. I just tossed the pellets in there, no bag or anything, I figured I would just find a way to filter it when I racked to the keg later anyways. You might want to use one of those mesh tea balls or a sanitized hop bag. It should be fine to dry hop in primary though.

**knotquiteawake** · 12-23-2010, 01:20 PM

Oh, and when i did rack it to the keg I didn't filter it, it started to clog the racking cane a little bit but it did manage to make it through.
I've never used any alcohol boost before but I think its just basically some extra sugar so maybe at like the last 10min of the boil so it gets sanitized.

**Yooper** · 12-23-2010, 01:41 PM

I've been dryhopping in the primary a week before I keg. In fact, I'm kegging a beer today that's been dryhopping since last Thursday. I'm pretty adept with siphon, and I have an ounce of leaf hops and a 1/2 ounce of pellets just chucked right in there!

I just rack, starting in the middle below the floating leaf hops and above the trub/dissolved pellet hops. I haven't had good luck with trying to use a bag over the racking cane, as it always clogs, but I have no problems racking.

You can dryhop in the keg if you want- just use a sanitized hop bag or one of those "tea ball" strainers. The largest tea strainer can be filled with about 1/2 ounce of leaf hops. If you're using pellets in the keg, you need a fine mesh hops bag, so you don't clog up your diptube.

johnsmh2 · 12-23-2010, 01:43 PM

So if I sanitize a steeping grain bag and use that it should be fine?

**Yooper** · 12-23-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsmh2

So if I sanitize a steeping grain bag and use that it should be fine?

For the keg? Make sure it's fine mesh. For adding into the fermenter, that bag would be fine.