Dry hopping

I just finished cooking a pale ale. I have done this type of beer before. The one difference with the current beer is that it calls for dry hopping. What is the purpose of this, when is the best time to do it, and what is the best technique for accomplishing this step?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Dry_hopping

The term refers to the practice of adding unboiled hops to the wort/beer after it has been cooled and transferred to a fermentation vessel. It is more akin to steeping than anything else. Since this method involves no heat, it extracts no bitterness; it is solely for the purpose of adding more hop aromas and flavors to the beer.

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I like to dry-hop in the primary, after fermentation.

Toss the hops in your secondary bucket/carboy and rack your brew on top.

Alternately, you can put the hops in a sack or nylon, then put that in your secondary and rack you brew on top. That way you don't have to try to siphon around any hops when you bottle or keg.

You can also dry hop in a secondary. Put the whole hops in the secondary prior to syphoning the beer, then rack it from the primary into the secondary with the hops already inside. I've heard it's "best" to use one of those 5 gallon plastic buckets, and have as little head room as possible when dry hopping.

bosox said:

You can also dry hop in a secondary. Put the whole hops in the secondary prior to syphoning the beer, then rack it from the primary into the secondary with the hops already inside. I've heard it's "best" to use one of those 5 gallon plastic buckets, and have as little head room as possible when dry hopping.

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Thanks for all of your input. One question - - - What do you mean by "head room"?

No need for secondary, put you dry hops when 90% of fermentation is done in the primary.

Well, I don't know whether it's true or not, but head room is just how much space is left to the top of your fermenter. So if you have a 7 gallon glass carboy with 5 gallons fermenting, you have 2 gallons headroom. "supposedly" it's an added bonus if there is as little head room as possible. Don't know whetehr or not that's true and I sure as anything cant tell the difference. But maybe some real beer nuts would!

Brew-boy said:

No need for secondary, put you dry hops when 90% of fermentation is done in the primary.

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This is what I'm doing now.....

Brew-boy said:

No need for secondary, put you dry hops when 90% of fermentation is done in the primary.

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I'm curious about this suggestion. Since dry hopping is meant to impart the aromatic qualities of hops and CO2 carries this aroma away, why would you dry hop when fermentation isn't complete? Why not wait until fermentation is done, which is typically within 7-10 days and then dry hop?

NorCalAngler said:

I'm curious about this suggestion. Since dry hopping is meant to impart the aromatic qualities of hops and CO2 carries this aroma away, why would you dry hop when fermentation isn't complete? Why not wait until fermentation is done, which is typically within 7-10 days and then dry hop?

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This strategy is to reduce oxygen exposure. By dry hopping at the tail end of fermentation, you're giving the yeast the opportunity to displace any oxygen you've introduced by opening the fermentation vessel to dry hop.

Scooch said:

Thanks for all of your input. One question - - - What do you mean by "head room"?

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bosox is right. Head room is the space between the top of your beer and the top of you fermenter. You want to minimize the space after primary fermentation to minimize exposure to oxygen. This would be of particular concern after primary fermentation is complete and you have racked the beer off of the yeast cake into a new container because the the beer is producing less CO2 to fill void at the top of the fermenter.

Not a pro by any means, but people dry hop in the keg, which is FILLED with CO2, to give ultra-fresh hoppage to a beer.

And your "(when) fermentation is done" statement is an ALE generalization (fermentation is complete when the hydrometer sings). Lagers, take longer etc.

Anyway--re: the use of loose leaf vs pellets vs sack / no sack: my two cents is---

Pellets work great for bittering the boil, leaf is great for dry-hopping, and if you believe the 'more surface area' readings and calculations, dropping them in totally loose provides more surface area contact for the good oils and acids to release. Sure, you have to be wary of your racking/bottling/keg dispensing (if you're in a keg, use the sack or wrap tube in cheesecloth, etc.).

If you put the hops in a bag for dry-hopping, some guys have been known to use (sanitized of course) marbles, etc. to weight it down and keep that bag loose if you want to ever be able to pull it out again when they plump up from the liquid.

have fun! dry hopping is aweeeeesome if you like hops!

Jfriah said:

Not a pro by any means, but people dry hop in the keg, which is FILLED with CO2, to give ultra-fresh hoppage to a beer.

And your "(when) fermentation is done" statement is an ALE generalization (fermentation is complete when the hydrometer sings). Lagers, take longer etc.

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I see. I guess that's a good rule for people that dry hop in primary. If you transfer to a secondary for dry hopping then you don't have to worry about oxygen in the head space because the transfer of the beer causes enough CO2 to off-gas and push the oxygen out.

"Head space" - the space above the head of the beer. Hmmmm......... Kind of makes sense.