Dry Hopping

I had some complications while making an Octoberfest this evening, and I ended up boiling my flavor and aroma hops for about 25 minutes instead of the 15 I had planned. I was already starting with a pretty small amount - 1/4 oz of Tettnanger. I'm pretty concerned that the brew is going to end up pretty sweet, and without much flavor/aroma to fill out the flavor. I'm thinking about dry hopping. Anybody have any suggestions for what variety of hops and how to add them? I've never dry hopped before, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

I wouldn't worry about it being sweet at all. If you inadvertently boiled your flavor hops for a longer time, if anything you'll get more bitterness.

You probably did lose flavor, though, since the compounds that provide flavor are quite volatile and boil off quickly.

Dry-hopping provides lots of hops flavor and aroma, so you might wish to try it. If your recipe called for such a small amount of Tettnanger as flavor/aromatic hops in the boil, however, it will be really hard to avoid overdoing it. Perhaps you can add 1/8 oz to the secondary/lagerkeller, give it a week, taste it, and if you think it needs more add the other 1/8 oz. Better to sneak up on the flavor and aroma you're after than go too far all at once, 'cos once it's in there you can't get it out.

Cheers,

Bob

An Octoberfest is a malty, low-bitterness, low hop flavor/aroma beer. Tettnanger is a mild hop, so I doubt there will be any problem. Sounds like the was only a small 15 minute flavor add and you boiled that for 25 minutes. Dry hopping would be a mistake & personally I wouldn't mess with the batch.

Don't dry hop to try to get flavor. You won't get it. Dry hopping provides fresh hop aroma and nothing else. You will be very disappointed if you dry hop that Oktoberfest (unless the idea of fresh hop aroma sounds good, of course ).


TL