dry hopping during fermentation

[ColonelForbin]

i just got finished listening to the jamil show on brewing american ipa's. the topic of dry hopping came up and some award winning homebrewer guy said that he adds his hops during fermentation when he is getting about 4 burps per hour from his airlock. his reasoning behind this is that since you are adding hops you are also introducing oxygen since the hops containe oxygen. if you add during the end stage of fermentation it should take care of the oxygen and any possible contaminants the hops may carry. i have always dry hopped in a secondary days, even weeks after fermentation with no problems at all. what do you guys think about this theory. it makes since but i think that it is unneccessary

 

[Walker]

Sounds questionable to me.

Once the yeast have started actively fermenting, they are DONE with oxygen. Any oxygen added after fermentation begins will not be used up by the yeast.

sincerely,
-McGrupp

 

[Bensiff]

It takes quite a while for small amounts of oxygen to impact beer. If you are dry hopping you are likely consuming in short order to get the benefit of the volitile hops...so you will likely consume your beer long before oxygen noticeably stales the beer.

The latter part of the argument I don't understand. How could beer that is still slowly fermenting take care of contaminants that might come with the hops? That makes no sense since the byproduct of fermentation is in the beer at the end of fermentation and at kegging...CO2 and alcohol.

For me I will continue to dry hop when kegging.

 

[ColonelForbin]

It takes quite a while for small amounts of oxygen to impact beer. If you are dry hopping you are likely consuming in short order to get the benefit of the volitile hops...so you will likely consume your beer long before oxygen noticeably stales the beer.

The latter part of the argument I don't understand. How could beer that is still slowly fermenting take care of contaminants that might come with the hops? That makes no sense since the byproduct of fermentation is in the beer at the end of fermentation and at kegging...CO2 and alcohol.

For me I will continue to dry hop when kegging.

they were speaking of hops that may have come in contact with wild yeast, pediococcus species, lactobacillus, ect. if introduced during fermentation the yeast pitched would overpower any newly introduced wild yeast ect. not sure if i comprehended it correctly myself but this is what i got from the interview. the speaker definitely mentioned it as a defense against wild yeast that may have come into contact with the hops. i have personally never heard of this happening and i wouldnt worry about it but the guy speaking about this has won many awards and definitely knows what he is talking about. it may be overly cautious for the everyday homebrewer but i wouldnt say this he is wrong since he knows a whole lot more about producing award winning beer than i do.

 

[stubbornman]

I guess because even slightly fermenting beer will keep a constant CO2 "head" that would deprive the "wild yeasts/etc" of 02 needed for reproduction (infection)?

**edit**

also, I dry hop at the end of primary, but only because it's easier and I've never noticed less effect from the practice. I do wait until all active signs of fermentation are complete, I just don't move to secondary.

 

[bgough]

There have been studies done that show specific qualities are obtained from dry hopping during the end of fermentation, while the yeast is still active. These qualities are impossible to get from the hops if you add them after fermentation has complmeted.

 

[ColonelForbin]

There have been studies done that show specific qualities are obtained from dry hopping during the end of fermentation, while the yeast is still active. These qualities are impossible to get from the hops if you add them after fermentation has complmeted.

qualities such as?

 

[bgough]

Certain esters are created by dry hopping while the yeast is still active. The information came from some study that was funded by sierra nevada i think.

 

[Bensiff]

they were speaking of hops that may have come in contact with wild yeast, pediococcus species, lactobacillus, ect. if introduced during fermentation the yeast pitched would overpower any newly introduced wild yeast ect. not sure if i comprehended it correctly myself but this is what i got from the interview. the speaker definitely mentioned it as a defense against wild yeast that may have come into contact with the hops. i have personally never heard of this happening and i wouldnt worry about it but the guy speaking about this has won many awards and definitely knows what he is talking about. it may be overly cautious for the everyday homebrewer but i wouldnt say this he is wrong since he knows a whole lot more about producing award winning beer than i do.

Once your pitched yeast has taken hold it will likely out compete anything else, so from this argument standpoint it sounds like they are saying they want the yeast still active enough to out compete anything that might be introduced, but not so active that the CO2 drives off the hop volatiles we intend to add.

 

[KayaBrew]

Sounds questionable to me.

Once the yeast have started actively fermenting, they are DONE with oxygen. Any oxygen added after fermentation begins will not be used up by the yeast.

sincerely,
-McGrupp

What would Icculus do? (WWID) He'd probably read the Book!

 

[mrtrav]

adds his hops during fermentation when he is getting about 4 burps per hour from his airlock.

Just curious why he would sit there and count bubbles for an entire hour...

 

[ColonelForbin]

Just curious why he would sit there and count bubbles for an entire hour...

i meant to say minute. i was a little drunk when i posted that. also, i didnt know we had so me phanners on here.

 

[KayaBrew]

i meant to say minute. i was a little drunk when i posted that. also, i didnt know we had so me phanners on here.

Core, man. Since 1992!