ready to dryhop-looking for advice

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Pelican521

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Hi all, I have a 2 part question. First, as far as dryhopping, do I need do anything special besides boiling my bag that came with my kit putting in the hops and putting it in my secondary? Do I need to worry about it sinking?

Secondly, my EPA has been in the primary for a week as well as a week in the secondary. I could dryhop tonight and bottle next weekend or will it come out better if I wait another week before I dryhop?

The recipe calls for a week in the primary and 2-3 weeks in the secondary. I'm just wondering if it will come out better if I wait the extra week?

Thanks!
 
I read somewhere to put a few marbles in the bag so it will sink.


Also I have been told not to dry hop more than a week.
 
Yeah, from what ive heard,my plan is to dryhop for 5-7 days. I'm just not sure if I should keep it in the secondary for 2 or 3 weeks (its already had 1 week in the primary).

I can dryhop tomorrow and bottle next weekend or wait another week. Would it be better for the beer to go the 3 weeks in the secondary or will it be ready in 2 weeks ?
 
Unless you need to harvest the yeast, I wouldn't bother with the bag or the secondary. Pellet hop bits will settle out in a week or so. I'd bottle immediately after everything has fully crashed.
 
I know a lot of people don't use a secondary. Maybe I'll skip it in my next brew but right now it's been in there a week as well as a week in the primary.

I'm trying to decide if I should bottle this weekend or wait another week?

So either 1 week primary/2 weeks in secondary or 1 week in primary/3 weeks in secondary?

I don't mind waiting an extra week if it will make it better. Either way, I'm going to dryhop for 5 or 6 days.

It's a clone of Fullers ESB ale.

Thanks for the help.
 
English bitters normally aren't dry hopped to my knowledge. But go for it if you like it that way. Just make sure the beer is at a stable FG & settled out pretty good. Then dry hop for a week.
 
Here's something silly to suggest....

Taste it and take a gravity reading. If its done fermenting, which it should be in secondary and if it tastes good then dry hop it!
 
I was asking the same question a few weeks ago. Most seemed to suggest tossing into the primary with no bag, which I did. From this one incident it went very well. I left it in for 6 days I believe and put my sanitized nylon hop bag on the end of transfer hose and didn't have any hops in the first bottle I poured.
 
Being my first ever brew I'm not sure what to taste to know if its ready.

It was at FG at 8 days when I racked it and and it tasted pretty good, just a little watery...

I guess I'm wondering if it will improve if I keep it in the secondary for 3 weeks vs 2?

The kit said to keep it in the secondary for 2-3 weeks...
 
Pelican521 said:
Being my first ever brew I'm not sure what to taste to know if its ready.

It was at FG at 8 days when I racked it and and it tasted pretty good, just a little watery...

I guess I'm wondering if it will improve if I keep it in the secondary for 3 weeks vs 2?

The kit said to keep it in the secondary for 2-3 weeks...

A good rule of thumb is that if it tastes like good, albeit flat beer then it will always improve conditioned and carbonated!

IMO if the beer tastes good and is done fermenting and has cleared then package it and allow it to condition and carbonate. After a couple a few weeks give one a taste.
 
7 days is what i dry hopped my Imperial IPA and it was damm near perfect hop flavored. I had my hops in a bag but no bag works too
 
Being my first ever brew I'm not sure what to taste to know if its ready.

It was at FG at 8 days when I racked it and and it tasted pretty good, just a little watery...

I guess I'm wondering if it will improve if I keep it in the secondary for 3 weeks vs 2?

The kit said to keep it in the secondary for 2-3 weeks...

I don't personally think so on an EPA but I have only been doing this about 3 months. If you had it in the primary 8 days and 2 weeks in the secondary you are looking at just over 3 weeks total and I have bottled all of mine in the 2.5-3 week range but I only use a primary. But the other side is it probably won't hurt to be in another week
 
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