1st time dry hopping

[Gusmedic]

10 days ago I Brewed a Northern Brewer SMASH ale kit. I hit 1.046 OG and just checked today and it's at 1.011. Instructions say to transfer to secondary and dry hop for a week. I've always done 3 weeks in primary and straight to bottle with great results. Being my first time dry hopping, my question is do I wait until 14 days in primary and then dry hop in primary for a week? Or dry hop now and let it sit for about 11 days??
Also, do I just sanitize the hops sealed bag and scissors and then open pack and dump it in, or do I also sanitize spoon to gently submerge and wet all the hops??

 

[Kevin79]

I wouldn't dry hop for more than a week, any longer and I find that you tend to get vegetable like off flavors.

just dump them in, no need to stir.

 

[Sammy86]

Agree with @kevin79 dump them in and go from there

 

[Subdivisions]

Dump 'em in. I spray the bag and scissors with sanitizer just to be safe. I dry hop no longer than 5 days. It's diminishing returns after that.


They'll fall apart into little bits and mix up well by themselves, assuming that they're pellet hops.

 

[TriggerHappy]

So I would add the dry hops for less than a week. Good call with your sanitization, and remember that critters don't like growing on hops so they are safe. I am assuming pellets? They will break up no need to stir and possibly aerate or infect your beer. One great trick I learned on here is to cold crash before you bottle/keg. Throw it in your fridge or kegerator for a couple days and the hops floating around in it will fall to the bottom. No need to worry about filtering out your hop particulates.

 

[itsbarleytime]

I dry hop in the keg with a panty hose sock. Cut into sock clean sanitize pour hops in tie of a knot drop in the keg and purge the oxygen out. Wait 24hours pull out with sanitized tonges. No oxidation, no hop foaties.

 

[BobOki]

I would not move to secondary at all, and I would give it only about 3 days dry hopping... as per my personal preference. See this article:
http://brulosophy.com/2015/09/28/the-impact-of-age-hops-exbeeriment-results/

 

[lolcats]

Dump them in without a bag 7 days before bottling (about a 5 day dry hop)
Cold crash for 2 days

Or 3 day dry hop + 2 day cold crash

I have never sanitized the bag or scissors and never got an infection. However, I sanitize the bowl in which i weigh the hops (not sure it's necessary)

 

[scallopking]

Agree with the secondary comment. Add to the primary and leave for 4 days, what I usually do.

 

[thornton33]

Question for all: Just racked to secondary today with a 1oz dry hop addition. We put the pellets in a sanitized muslin bag, but accidentally set the sack of hops on an unsanitized surface before placing in secondary. Given the fact that primary fermentation is complete, our beer has a healthy amount of alcohol content (6.5%'ish), plenty of alpha acids (IPA), and we sanitized the sack. What does your collective wisdom say about the risk of infection under these circumstances?

 

[Kevin79]

Question for all: Just racked to secondary today with a 1oz dry hop addition. We put the pellets in a sanitized muslin bag, but accidentally set the sack of hops on an unsanitized surface before placing in secondary. Given the fact that primary fermentation is complete, our beer has a healthy amount of alcohol content (6.5%'ish), plenty of alpha acids (IPA), and we sanitized the sack. What does your collective wisdom say about the risk of infection under these circumstances?

Its fine

 

[BobOki]

You will be fine. I like that you are so paranoid about sanitary practices, keep that exact attitude forever as it will keep you from an infection. Why did you go Muslin bag for dry hop though¿

You are more likely to get infection rolling to secondary than the muslin bag.

 

[thornton33]

You will be fine. I like that you are so paranoid about sanitary practices, keep that exact attitude forever as it will keep you from an infection. Why did you go Muslin bag for dry hop though¿

You are more likely to get infection rolling to secondary than the muslin bag.

Went with the muslin bag to make the siphoning process complication free when it's time to bottle. Didn't want any pellets getting stuck in my racking cane. If you think it's nothing to worry about then I'd be happy to reconsider the matter. Less hassle to just dump them in the vessel. This is my very 1st dry hop addition so I've never been down this road.

 

[thornton33]

Hey guys, my brew tasted exquisite on bottling day, with plenty of hop aroma and flavor. After only two weeks of bottle conditioning it's nearly all gone. Any idea what would cause such a rapid decline in these characteristics?

 

[PADave]

Went with the muslin bag to make the siphoning process complication free when it's time to bottle. Didn't want any pellets getting stuck in my racking cane. If you think it's nothing to worry about then I'd be happy to reconsider the matter. Less hassle to just dump them in the vessel. This is my very 1st dry hop addition so I've never been down this road.

The pellets will be gone, they break up. I just dump my dry hops into primary. By bottling time you can't even tell between a dry hopped brew and a non dry hopped brew, particle wise.

 

[thornton33]

Gotcha. Do most ppl just dump them into primary after the Krausen dies down or rack to secondary? I assume one would have to remove and resanitize the lid with a new sanitized airlock if one were just staying in primary or no?

 

[GHBWNY]

Hop bag or commando, doesn't matter --- they fall out of suspension anyway. After 4-5 days dry-hopping I put fermenter in fridge for 24 hrs, add gelatin, leave 3-4 days. Siphon carefully, crystal clear beer.

 

[PADave]

Gotcha. Do most ppl just dump them into primary after the Krausen dies down or rack to secondary? I assume one would have to remove and resanitize the lid with a new sanitized airlock if one were just staying in primary or no?

All the fermenters I use have stoppers where the blow off tube/airlock goes into. I pull out the stopper, dump the hops in. Sometimes I spray the stopper with Starsan before putting it back in, sometimes I forget. Never had an issue. I usually ferment for 3 weeks, all primary, so the krausen is gone by the time dry hopping occurs.

 

[divrguy]

Dump them unless you want to harvest the yeast.