Need help quick, racking beer, question about Dry-hopping?

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RDC4687

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When I put the hops in the secondary to dry hop, do I need to sanitize them in some way? Flash boil or something? Or should I just trust they are clean? Thanks!
 
When I put the hops in the secondary to dry hop, do I need to sanitize them in some way? Flash boil or something? Or should I just trust they are clean? Thanks!

Just toss them into the PRIMARY. Forget the secondary. Not needed 99% of the time.
 
C-Rider said:
Just toss them into the PRIMARY. Forget the secondary. Not needed 99% of the time.

What's the difference for using a primary to dry hop over a secondary for those of us who don't know?
Primary- less chance for oxidation and infection?
Secondary-less trub?
 
Dry hopping in primary works about as well as secondary. Racking to secondary increases chance of infection or oxygenation of the beer. Besides another dirty brewing item to clean. Let the beer get to a stable FG a settle out clear,then dry hop one week. Works really well,& is quicker & easier.
 
ahaley said:
What's the difference for using a primary to dry hop over a secondary for those of us who don't know?
Primary- less chance for oxidation and infection?
Secondary-less trub?

To answer your question, yes, you are correct. People used to rack to secondary for two reasons: to get their beer off of the settled yeast and to let it clear in a secondary chamber. This is much less common now because beers will settle out about as clear in the primary as they do in the secondary and the yeast used today compared to years ago is much more hearty (yeast used to die and decompose after a relatively short period of time, but strains are much better now).

As a result, many people don't rack to secondary because it is extra steps and extra contact with the beer. Most people will still rack to a secondary if they are adding something (fruit, oak chips, and yes, hops, among other things). I would guess that if you polled people it would be a pretty even split as to who dry hops in primary vs secondary.

If you want to go to a secondary to dry hop, go for it. But be reasonable - be careful not to splash the beer around to avoid oxidation and be very sanitary. You will be fine.

Or leave it in the primary and dry hop there. You will be fine.
 
freisste said:
To answer your question, yes, you are correct. People used to rack to secondary for two reasons: to get their beer off of the settled yeast and to let it clear in a secondary chamber. This is much less common now because beers will settle out about as clear in the primary as they do in the secondary and the yeast used today compared to years ago is much more hearty (yeast used to die and decompose after a relatively short period of time, but strains are much better now).

As a result, many people don't rack to secondary because it is extra steps and extra contact with the beer. Most people will still rack to a secondary if they are adding something (fruit, oak chips, and yes, hops, among other things). I would guess that if you polled people it would be a pretty even split as to who dry hops in primary vs secondary.

If you want to go to a secondary to dry hop, go for it. But be reasonable - be careful not to splash the beer around to avoid oxidation and be very sanitary. You will be fine.

Or leave it in the primary and dry hop there. You will be fine.

Cool thanks, I have a kiwi express ipa that's about a week into Primary and I didn't want to mess up my first ipa and dry hop. How long should I wait before taking a gravity reading? Let it sit like a month in primary before checking?
 
Cool thanks, I have a kiwi express ipa that's about a week into Primary and I didn't want to mess up my first ipa and dry hop. How long should I wait before taking a gravity reading? Let it sit like a month in primary before checking?

IPAs are all about fresh hops flavor and aroma. I normally leave the beer in the fermenter until it's finished and starting to clear. That's normally about 10-14 days. Then I add the dryhops, and package 5 days later.
 
Sounds good thanks, if it makes a difference, the northern brewer kit told me to dry hop 2 weeks before I bottle, is that sufficient time? It seems a little long knowing that you only do it for 5
 
Tastes vary, but I think about a week works well. I've gotten busy and left them for 2 weeks+ and it still tasted fine to me. Some people are more sensitive to the "grassy" taste of dry-hops and might not like 2 weeks. Others will toss hops in the keg and leave them in to the last drop.
 
billl said:
Tastes vary, but I think about a week works well. I've gotten busy and left them for 2 weeks+ and it still tasted fine to me. Some people are more sensitive to the "grassy" taste of dry-hops and might not like 2 weeks. Others will toss hops in the keg and leave them in to the last drop.

Oh ok, I'm not really sensitive to grassy flavors. Ill drink anything and probably enjoy it. Will the pellet hops "go bad" in the dry hopping after a while? I have them stored in my freezer right now
 
They will get grassy or even vegetal flavors/aromas eventually. 2 weeks for some,3-4 weeks for others. I never dry hop more than 1 week,& get plenty of aroma.
 
unionrdr said:
They will get grassy or even vegetal flavors/aromas eventually. 2 weeks for some,3-4 weeks for others. I never dry hop more than 1 week,& get plenty of aroma.

Sounds great thanks for all the input!
 
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