Dry hopping question

Was going to do a "Yellow Dog" pale ale brew next. I want to experiment with dry hopping. I will add what it normally asks for, hopping wise. Would it be good to add whole hops to my secondary? Maybe Cascade, Willamette, or a new one? 1, 2, or more oz? What do you guys think. I want it to be spicy like an IPA, but not do an IPA. Something my hop heads and pale ale lovers will like.....personally I like both .

Cascade would be a pretty safe addition. It will get you a citrus (I think grapefruit when I smell it) aroma that most would find pleasant. You could do Citra and Cascade for an even more citrus flavor. Lots of choices, most of them good. Be aware that your hop aroma fades fairly quickly so you might not have much aroma left in 3 or 4 months.

What if I add more doing the boil, along with dry hopping?

markdoswald said:

What if I add more doing the boil, along with dry hopping?

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When you boil hops you isomerize the alpha acids and boil off the aromatic oils. That leaves you with more bitterness and less aroma. The longer you boil, the more bitter and less aromatic it will become. That's why many recipes specify an addition of 10 minutes or less. It doesn't give much extra bitterness and it doesn't lose much aroma but it gains in flavor. Dry hopping adds no bitterness and lots of aroma.

This is a great thread about dry hopping. I think I will try to build a new stir plate for dry hopping.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/dry-hopping-science-413189/

I think for your case I would do two dry hop additions. Cascade(.5-1oz) for 3 days, then remove. Citra(.5-1oz) for 3 days and remove. Then rack to bottle/keg. That will give you a very nice hop aroma. Drink within 3 months as already mentioned.