Dry Hopping

[borovy3488]

I am planing on dry hopping my IPA with an ounce of Centennial. It has been in the primary for 19 days. I checked the gravity on 3/31, and it was at 1.018. I just checked it again, and it is at 1.014.

What do you think? Is it done fermenting? Am I safe to add hops?

Another question. When I opened the lid on the bucket, there was a TON of hops on the lid and sides of the bucket and there were bubbles on top of the young beer. Is this ok?

Sorry if I'm being a bit concerned, but I really want this beer to turn out great! Thanks for any help.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Dry hop away, padawan!

 

[Wakadaka]

Do you know the expected FG? I have read of a lot of people who prefer to put their hops in when their fermentation is still somewhat active, in order to help drive the oxygen out of the hops. You don't want to do it when there is still a lot of fermentation going on, because it will get rid of all of the hop aroma. I think some people add more hops than usual when they are dry hopping with some active fermentation occuring.

I am new to this, but from what I have read I would say that you are fine to go ahead and dry hop now, but waiting another couple of days do check the gravity again wouldn't hurt. From what you said it sounds like you want it to be a good one rather than a fast one, so waiting longer I think would get better usage out of the hops.

From what I have read adding hops during fermentation is great in theory, but its kind of fixing something that isn't broken.

Basically I would wait another couple days do throw them in.


Somebody else please chime in if any of this is wrong.

 

[borovy3488]

According to Beer Calculus, it should be between 1.016 to 1.019. I did forget to convert for temp, which made it 1.015.

Either way, I should be ok to add the hops, correct?

 

[TTB-J]

To be clear: you can't be sure if you're done fermenting until you get the same gravity reading twice in a row, usually with a few days between those readings. In your case, I would want to be absolutely sure that it's done fermenting because there's a chance that the air pushing out of the bucket during active fermentation could carry off some of that beautiful hop aroma that you're looking for.

That being said, ArcaneXor's advice is probably not bad - it is quite likely that it's done fermenting after 19 days.

 

[Priemus]

There are arguements about driving out oxygen adding them a little sooner, and arguements that that small fermentation drives off some aroma.

My thought is that as long as you dont drop them into your fermentor from a the top of a 10 story building your fine. Its not like your really introducing much o2.

Ive dry hopped 3 times (and probably will everytime I feel from now on) and Ive always done it after 3 weeks in primary.

 

[Wakadaka]

Your already below your expected FG so any more fermentation shouldn't drive off too much, if any of the aroma. At this point I would just dry hop when it fits your shedule availabitily for bottling. 7-14 days seems to be the norm for dry hop lenght