1st AG -- when to dry hop?

[griffi]

Sorry if this seems basic. Did my first AG brew, a two hearted ale clone, 1 week ago. There is still a thick yeasty foam on top but the gravity is down to 1.016 from an OG of 1.065 (expected FG is 1.014). After taking the reading I just sealed the bucket. The recipe calls for drying hopping with Centennial pellets for a week.

Would you wait until all kreusen subsides, throw the pellets in now, or rack to secondary and then throw them in? I have no problem ordinarily with skipping secondary but it seems like there's going to be so much trub with this one (I didn't use hop bags or anything in the boil) that it might benefit from getting racked to a glass carboy... your thoughts?

 

[drunkEnough4U]

Personally I would rack onto them in secondary, depending on how long you want it to sit but any of those options isn't going to hurt the beer I don't think.

 

[RM-MN]

You want to wait until the fermentation is complete so the escaping CO2 doesn't carry the hop aroma away with it. I'd leave this beer longer than normal so your trub has more time to compact, then dry hop in the primary. With a bit of care when racking to bottling bucket or keg, you can leave nearly all the trub behind and won't lose any more beer than you would had you racked to secondary, probably less even.

 

[kh54s10]

Wait another week or until 5-7 days before you plan to bottle then add the dry hops. (I never do anything with my beers until day 14 or longer.) You can secondary if you wish, I have gotten so that I don't secondary even when dry hopping. I am pleased with my results. YMMV

 

[enkamania]

I always ferment for three weeks and then dry hop in the primary (unless I decide to dry hop in the keg)

 

[Sammy86]

Wait another week or until 5-7 days before you plan to bottle then add the dry hops. (I never do anything with my beers until day 14 or longer.) You can secondary if you wish, I have gotten so that I don't secondary even when dry hopping. I am pleased with my results. YMMV

I agree...I leave my brews generally for fourteen days check gravity. If it's reached I add my dry hops for five days cold crash and keg!

 

[drunkEnough4U]

Going a little but what do you guys think about staggered dry hopping, amd when and how exactly that would work for this guys situation?

 

[griffi]

I never do anything with my beers until day 14 or longer.

This is probably good advice. Unfortunately my bucket fermenter is no longer sealing, to the point where no airlock bubbling can be seen. I'm thinking of either getting a new lid from Midwest or moving to a 6.5 gal carboy (I ferment in a chest freezer with an inkbird temp controller).

 

[kh54s10]

Going a little but what do you guys think about staggered dry hopping, amd when and how exactly that would work for this guys situation?

I have never tried it but I would probably go a little lighter on the hops, first round, for 5 days, the the rest, for a bit more than a normal dry hop, for another 5 days.

 

[Sammy86]

Going a little but what do you guys think about staggered dry hopping, amd when and how exactly that would work for this guys situation?

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I've heard of DFH doing a staggered dry hop...I believe I heard this on one of the tours I took while visiting...they stagger it by dry hoping with one hop for a certain amount of days and then adding another dry hop after...could be completely wrong here they start talking process after two or three tasting

 

[RM-MN]

This is probably good advice. Unfortunately my bucket fermenter is no longer sealing, to the point where no airlock bubbling can be seen. I'm thinking of either getting a new lid from Midwest or moving to a 6.5 gal carboy (I ferment in a chest freezer with an inkbird temp controller).

I have a bucket fermenter that never seals so I never see bubbles from the airlock. I still leave beer in it for 3 or 4 weeks, no problem. A sealed bucket isn't necessary for making beer.

Take a look at this commercial fermenter. https://brewercameron.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/p1010082.jpg

 

[griffi]

Thanks RM, I guess I'll just RDWHAHB!

 

[Gnomebrewer]

This is one of those questions that you'll get a hundred different answers to!

Add them anywhere between the start of fermentation and four weeks later, in primary or secondary, staggered or in one single lot.

Personally, I add dry hops after one week of fermentation, leaving them for one week (total of two weeks fermentation). If I'm reusing the yeast or if I need the fermenter, I rack to secondary and add them then, otherwise they go into the primary (I don't notice a difference either way).

I'm just starting to play around with staggering dry hops.....I doubt it'll make much difference though.

 

[funnelweb]

New science on this issue (starts at 9:00 minutes and a few minutes forward)

http://beersmith.com/blog/2015/06/26/beer-styles-with-stan-hieronymus-beersmith-podcast-106/