How much hops is "too much" hops?

I know the question might seem kind of ridiculous, but I'm doing research for an IPA, using only Citra hops with the hops of a huge citra aroma and flavor. Is anything over an ounce of hops, for a 5 gallon batch, too much at around 20-15 minutes? When do you get to the point where you really just can't smell and taste it anymore? Currently I was thinking:

1oz @ 60
1oz @ 20
1oz @ 15
1oz @ 1
3oz @ 7 Days (Dry Hop)

Do I really need the 1 oz. at 1 minute when I'm dry hopping it? And are my times at 20 and 15 enough to get a great flavor out of it? Or should I load up at just 15? As far as grain goes, I was thinking pretty simple. 14lb of 2-Row and 8oz. of Carapils.

Three ounces of dryhops seems a bit over the top, but I like 1 ounce additions at 20, 15, 10, 5, and 0 for all of my IPAs for the most part. With three additions (besides the bittering), you're not even close to "over the top"!

I've used up to 5 ounces of whole hops in the boil for a 5-gallon batch. With that much stuff in the kettle, I have to strain rather than whirlpool and siphon.

Another option is to add a good-size charge at flameout and allow a hot stand for a few minutes, like infusing tea.

I've used 15.8oz in a CDA, all added after the 20-minutes-left mark or dry-hopped.

There is no such thing as too much hops

Here's a quote from designing great beers about the difference between hopping late in the boil and dry hopping. "Hop research indicates that the flavors produced by dry hopping are quite different from those that result from addition during the boil. Late-hopped additions have been characterized as more floral, fragrant, and less grassy than dry-hopped additions." For my IPA's I usually avoid hopping later than 5 min from the end of the boil and dry hop a lot, but its definitely a preference thing.

I use 11 ounces in my IPA, four dry hopped. Its all personal preference. 2 of the four ounces I dry hop with are citra. I upped from one ounce to the 2 for more exotic fruit hop aroma.

I was concerned with the 3oz of dry hop, wondering if I was at a point where any more hops wouldn't really add any aroma, just muck up my fermentor.

trginter said:

I was concerned with the 3oz of dry hop, wondering if I was at a point where any more hops wouldn't really add any aroma, just muck up my fermentor.

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I think there is a diminishing return on investment with dry hopping, but it's probably not at 3 ounces per 5 gallons. I've used 5 ounces and been really pleased with long-lasting effects.

Reno_eNVy said:

I've used 15.8oz in a CDA, all added after the 20-minutes-left mark or dry-hopped.

There is no such thing as too much hops

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My house iPa has a pound in just the boil.

autoferret said:

My house iPa has a pound in just the boil.

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I'm beginning the dry-hop on my 120min clone tomorrow. That has 1lb in the boil and 6oz dry-hop...

In my IPAs i usually add between 12-20 oz. for 5 gal.

I use 8oz in the boil and 3oz for dry hopping and I thought that was a lot, but Emmett seems to have changed my opinion somewhat.

You've added too much hops when there's no longer any free liquid to drain/rack/siphon from your boil kettle. Until you reach that point, you're just adding more goodness to your beer.

My 'standard' DIPA uses 22 oz of hops, 5 of which are dry hops. Havind done a version with 6 oz less (same otherwise), there is still a very noticeable difference even at that extreme amount. I don't think that there's really a case of diminishing return. At least at that level.

Never too much hops !!

I just brewed an IPA which used 2 oz (in ten gallon batch) of Amarillo at flameout but no mention of dry hopping in Palmer/Jamil's recipe for "Hoppiness is an IPA". I have never made an American IPA without dry hopping. If all I'm missing is some of the grassy flavors, I'll skip it since I don't want to have to rack it an extra time just for dry hopping.