Help me Obi Wan, you're my only hope...

Not nearly as dramatic, BUT I need some guidance with fermentation times, dry-hop additions, & bottling time.
I'm brewing a Maharaja clone that has been in the the fermenter, active for 5 days now. It appears that my yeast are becoming inactive & beginning to settle at the bottom. Recipe calls for moving it to secondary for dry-hopping after 5-7 days or when the gravity is 3-4 points from final gravity. Recipe also calls for bottling after 10 days of dry-hopping.

Insert caveat: The first day of fermentation, I mistakenly allowed the temperature to get to 78-80 degrees. That lasted for 24 hours, then everything was back to 66ish for the last 4 days.

Here are my questions:
1. It has been recommended to keep my beer in the fermenter for an extra week to allow the yeast to take care of any "off-flavors" due to the high temps that I had for the first 24 hours. How will this extra week affect my recipe schedule?
2. My fermenter is loaded with tons of hop sediment because I neglected to strain my brew before adding it to the fermenter. I know that most people do not recommend using a secondary, but under these circumstances, wouldn't it help with clarification if I racked to a secondary with maybe a cheese cloth over the inlet of my racking tube when I go to dry-hop? OR should I just dry-hop in the primary & deal with the sediment when I rack to the bottling bucket?
3. How would you suggest I dry-hop if I'm using pellets? Just throw them in altogether, like I did with my pellets during brewing? I'm trying to avoid EVEN MORE sediment, but don't want to lose any flavor.
4. Would I be correct in assuming that regardless of how much longer I keep my batch in the fermenter, still dry-hop no more than 10 days before I bottle?

I'm sure I have more questions, but they will have to wait. In the meantime, these are my questions & I'm sure there is no truly definitive answer for most of them, but I value the opinions of you all & would love to hear what this community has to say. This is my first time brewing (extract kit). Thanks.

I felt I had to saw something with the great SW quote and all.

I would think that the beer would benefit from the extra time on the yeast since it started hot. I would let it get close or all the way to FG and rack to a secondary for the sediment. As for dry hopping, I'm not sure. Someone else will have to take that one.

May the force be with you, and your brew.

the75 said:

Not nearly as dramatic, BUT I need some guidance with fermentation times, dry-hop additions, & bottling time.
I'm brewing a Maharaja clone that has been in the the fermenter, active for 5 days now. It appears that my yeast are becoming inactive & beginning to settle at the bottom. Recipe calls for moving it to secondary for dry-hopping after 5-7 days or when the gravity is 3-4 points from final gravity. Recipe also calls for bottling after 10 days of dry-hopping.

Insert caveat: The first day of fermentation, I mistakenly allowed the temperature to get to 78-80 degrees. That lasted for 24 hours, then everything was back to 66ish for the last 4 days.

Here are my questions:
1. It has been recommended to keep my beer in the fermenter for an extra week to allow the yeast to take care of any "off-flavors" due to the high temps that I had for the first 24 hours. How will this extra week affect my recipe schedule?
2. My fermenter is loaded with tons of hop sediment because I neglected to strain my brew before adding it to the fermenter. I know that most people do not recommend using a secondary, but under these circumstances, wouldn't it help with clarification if I racked to a secondary with maybe a cheese cloth over the inlet of my racking tube when I go to dry-hop? OR should I just dry-hop in the primary & deal with the sediment when I rack to the bottling bucket?
3. How would you suggest I dry-hop if I'm using pellets? Just throw them in altogether, like I did with my pellets during brewing? I'm trying to avoid EVEN MORE sediment, but don't want to lose any flavor.
4. Would I be correct in assuming that regardless of how much longer I keep my batch in the fermenter, still dry-hop no more than 10 days before I bottle?

I'm sure I have more questions, but they will have to wait. In the meantime, these are my questions & I'm sure there is no truly definitive answer for most of them, but I value the opinions of you all & would love to hear what this community has to say. This is my first time brewing (extract kit). Thanks.

Click to expand...

1) a week or three extra in primary would be a great idea. It will help the hops settle out and clean up some off the esters you've probably picked up from fermenting that high. Don't change anything else, you can still rack it to a secondary when you are ready to dry hop, leave it in the secondary for 10 days (or per your recipe). Then bottle/keg.
2) You can dry hop in the primary if you want, I just toss a spice sack on the end of my siphon to filter. I boil it for a few minutes first to sanitize it. I personally only use a secondary for oaking or fruit, I dry hop in the primary. That is however a bag of cats I don't want to get into, so follow whichever opinion you want in regards to the secondary.
3) you can just toss them in or put them in a sanitized sack of some sort. Definitely make sure you have a lot more room than you think you need as hops expand a lot.
4) if you dry hop too long your beer will start to get a grassy taste to it. So stick with the 10 days.

Enjoy

Draken said:

1) a week or three extra in primary would be a great idea. It will help the hops settle out and clean up some off the esters you've probably picked up from fermenting that high. Don't change anything else, you can still rack it to a secondary when you are ready to dry hop, leave it in the secondary for 10 days (or per your recipe). Then bottle/keg.
2) You can dry hop in the primary if you want, I just toss a spice sack on the end of my siphon to filter. I boil it for a few minutes first to sanitize it. I personally only use a secondary for oaking or fruit, I dry hop in the primary. That is however a bag of cats I don't want to get into, so follow whichever opinion you want in regards to the secondary.
3) you can just toss them in or put them in a sanitized sack of some sort. Definitely make sure you have a lot more room than you think you need as hops expand a lot.
4) if you dry hop too long your beer will start to get a grassy taste to it. So stick with the 10 days.

Enjoy

Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks. As for the sanitized sack, just throw the whole thing in there tied up? Should I keep it attached to something for retrieval later?

the75 said:

Awesome! Thanks. As for the sanitized sack, just throw the whole thing in there tied up? Should I keep it attached to something for retrieval later?

Click to expand...

Take a Muslim bag, boil it, then put in a stainless steel weighted ball in the bag,. Put in your hops, tie it then let it sink to the bottom. After 7 to 10 days in the secondary syphon into your bottling bucket.

I commonly make ipas with over half a pound of hops per 5 gallons and dry hop with 3 oz per five gallons. I keep everything in one carboy for the whole ride. Keep it warm to clean up the diacetyl and fusels and dump the pellets straight in and at ten days at most especially if it is warm. If you give the carboy a little rock now and then the hops will rise and fall and settle out. I say screw the secondary but if you do for clarity do it after you dry hop or youll just have the same problem with twice the work. The bits can be filtered out by means of above posts. Good luck

I just wanted to add that Carrie Fisher in that gold bikini was something special. The questions have been covered, now ms Fisher has been uncovered. Again.