Hopping in the secondary

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I have a red ale from Brewer's Best sitting in the secondary now.

recipe:
8 oz Crystal 60L steeping grain
3.3lbs Amber LME
2 lbs amber DME
1 oz Willamette bittering (60min)
1 oz Willamette flavoring (10 min)

It has already been there for 2 weeks, and will need to sit 2 in the secondary more weeks at least. I thought of taking this opportunity to toss an ounce of Cascade hops into the secondary. Is there a good arguement against adding the hops now?
 
Chuck 'em in. Dry hopping for two weeks will give a great hop aroma, if that's what you're going for.
 
My questions are these:

It's already been in the secondary 2 weeks, any problem adding the hops now?
and
They'll be in there at least 2 weeks, will it be better the longer they sit?

By the way, I'm not patient. I just cut my hand in a freak pumpkin carving accident and can't lift my carboy, bottle my beer, nor drink anything. :(
 
The fact that it's been in the secondary for two weeks already shouldn't matter. Once you put the hops in, just leave it for the other two weeks. Everything should be fine.
 
It doesn't matter how long the beer is in the secondary before you add the hops, only how long it is on the hops.
Two weeks is pretty much standard, but I've read about some brewers leaving them in a lot longer.
 
Rookie said:
It doesn't matter how long the beer is in the secondary before you add the hops, only how long it is on the hops.
Two weeks is pretty much standard, but I've read about some brewers leaving them in a lot longer.

At the National HomeBrewers Conference they did a seminar on dry-hopping. I missed the seminar but I got to glance at the notes from it, and it was highly interesting. I'm going to try and find those notes.

On a similar note--I'm in the school of thinking that if you like hops, you can't get enough of them in your "hoppy" beers. I dry hop my LWPA for 2 weeks, and then when I transfer over to a keg I add another ounce or 2 (depending on how much I have on hand) into a hop bag and put it inside the keg for serving. It is VERY nice. :D
 
Two things:

- Steep the hops in some just-boiled water for 5 or 10 minutes before adding them (apparently this assists in making the 'goodness' in the hops more soluble, and thus improves their effect)

- Leave it at least a couple of weeks before you bottle to allow all the hops to settle to the bottom of the carboy; that way you won't have floaties in your bottles.
 
Shambolic said:
Two things:

- Steep the hops in some just-boiled water for 5 or 10 minutes before adding them (apparently this assists in making the 'goodness' in the hops more soluble, and thus improves their effect)

- Leave it at least a couple of weeks before you bottle to allow all the hops to settle to the bottom of the carboy; that way you won't have floaties in your bottles.

When you steep the hops, are you then adding both the hops and the steeped liquid? I just racked an ale to secondary, but I am thinking that I might like to dry hop it, since it will be in the secondary 2 weeks, I still have time to add it.
 
I don't recommend heating/boiling the hops before dry hopping. You'll lose the lightest oils in the hops and these are the ones that you are trying to add. If you heated them first, it would be more like adding them to the boil.

I just toss them in, an ounce or so seems to be enough quantity & two weeks plenty of time.
 
My buddy is making a run to the HBS at lunch today for some bits pieces (he is a wine guy), and he is picking me up a couple ounces of Cascade, and I will be hopping an ounce or so into my Red tonight when I get home.
 
Truble said:
My buddy is making a run to the HBS at lunch today for some bits pieces (he is a wine guy), and he is picking me up a couple ounces of Cascade, and I will be hopping an ounce or so into my Red tonight when I get home.


Exactly what I'm doing, except I have to order my hops from the states.

pardon my mini-rant: My #$&¥ LBS is only open 10-5:30 monday to friday, closed all national holiday. do they expect me to take time off to pick up some hops and a hydrometer? At least their prices are so high (1oz of Cascade is $5 US) that it is cheaper to mail order from the states.
Sorry. :mad:
 
Wow- that is steep.... I pay $1.25. My shop is open from 12-8pm, and open every day except Monday (we found that out today-no hops for me until tomorrow)...
 

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