(Dry) Hopping

[ARV9673]

Is dry hopping a fix that one does when a brew tastes a little boring from primary to secondary? I asked for advice here about a brown ale and got "1/2 ozs of fuggles in the secondary" So I did. But now the bottles have some small amounts of trub, no big deal but anooying. Though the beer tastes much better than it did. I guess next time i'll just add the hops at the end of the boil.
so much for asking questions...

 

[Brewsmith]

Dry hopping is different from adding hops in the boil. Dry hopping strictly adds aroma and no bittering at all. If you use pellets in the secondary, they'll turn to mush, but they sink to the bottom after a while. Just be careful when racking and you'll leave most of it behind.

Bottles will always have a layer of yeast on the bottom regardless if you dry hop or not, that is unless you filter your beer and have a counterpressure filler.

 

[ARV9673]

Hmmm. My first batch didnt have anything in the bottles. It was an American pale ale (starting to taste like Rolling rock). Very clear in the secondary with only about 1/4 inch of trub. Anyway, should one both boil and dry hop? I suppose that's a stupid question as it is totally opinion based.

 

[Brewsmith]

You can. I've done beers with no aroma hops (boiled or dry), Aroma hops at the end of the boil (last five minutes), aroma hops and dry hops, aroma with hops added at heat knock-off (at time 0 add hops and keep in there for about 15 minutes), and all combinations of everything. It just depends on what style you are going for and how much hop flavor and aroma you want. My IPA had hops at 60, 15, 5, 0 and Dry.

 

[Brewsmith]

My first batch didnt have anything in the bottles.

I don't think you looked close enough then. If you added priming sugar and carbonated naturally, there was yeast in there. It's just a very thin layer.

 

[david_42]

Anyway, should one both boil and dry hop? I suppose that's a stupid question as it is totally opinion based.

Not just opinion based, but also style based. We only have a few things to work with while brewing, but the combinations are almost unlimited. An IPA, you bitter, flavor, aroma and dry hop. Browns frequently only get bittering and flavor adds.

 

[ARV9673]

I don't think you looked close enough then. If you added priming sugar and carbonated naturally, there was yeast in there. It's just a very thin layer.

I've still got about a case left. I'll check and get back to you....

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Try it both ways and see what strikes your fancy. Dry hop one batch instead of doing a 0 minute addition, and do a 0 minute addition and skip the dry hopping in another batch. It can be difficult to get a feel for "what does what" if you combine too many things at once.

I've found the best way to rack beer from a dryhopped secondary is to slip a nylon hop bag over the end of my racking cane and letting it function as a filter. This keeps out the bulk of the particles. Anything that gets through I consider as "adding character".

 

[ARV9673]

I checked again to day after I poured my first one and YES, there were little bits o'yeast floating around. Not very many, but they were there all right.