Dryhopping in primary?

[Bates_Foreman]

Just wondering if you can dry hop in your primary carboy. It seems like a lot of people go to a secondary to dry hop. Is there a reason for this? Ill be using cascade hop pellets. thanks

 

[BryceL]

I think its really just a matter of preference. I have done both and can't see any differences in the final product. I usually just throw them in primary so I don't have to rack a second time out clean an extra carboy. If i'm adding oak or something, then I rack to a secondary.

 

[Nightshade]

I have dryhopped in primary and seen no ill effects from it at all.

As Bryce said, it is personal preference mostly.

*Edit* Also the plus to dryhopping in secondary is that if you re-use the yeast it is not tainted with a heavy hop flavor that can be passed along to the next brew which may use a lighter hop profile.

 

[trevor_b]

Yep. I just dry hopped in primary last Friday with pellet hops. Do whatever you prefer.

 

[Zamial]

The MAIN argument on why to NOT dry hop in primary is that you will loose a slight amount of the aroma due to it being "scrubbed off" during the vigorous stages of fermentation.

 

[dbrewski]

Right but if you wait until after vigorous fermentation is over - 4-5 days usually - it works fine. I agree that yeast washing would be the main reason to hop elsewhere (secondary, keg).

 

[Bates_Foreman]

Sweet. Thanks for the info guys. Should I start the dry hopping about 5 days after I pitched the yeast?

 

[Nightshade]

Sweet. Thanks for the info guys. Should I start the dry hopping about 5 days after I pitched the yeast?

You can start as soon as you drop it into the fermenter if you like, maybe I am not sure what you mean by this question exactly.

 

[BryceL]

To dry hop, you should backtrack from the end of your planed fermentation period. So say you want to have your beer in primary for 3 weeks and you want to dry hop for a week....add the dry hops at week 2 and by the time the hops have been in there for a week, your at your planned 3 weeks in primary. The usually accepted maximum days for a dry hop is about 10-14 days

 

[dbrewski]

My thoughts on a waiting period: First, hops in there during high krausen is a mess and will leave half of them plastered on the walls of the bucket (if you're using a bucket). Second, it is good to have some alcohol built up before your hops go in to reduce the risk of putting any bacteria in there with the hops. Third, yes it is commonly thought that vigorous fermentation strips out hops flavors somewhat.

So yes, wait 5 days or until vigorous fermentation has subsided.

 

[chumpsteak]

Wait until fermentation is complete and most of the yeast have dropped out. If you dry hop too soon you can lose aroma because the hop oils can stick to yeast and drop to the bottom. A lot of brewers recommend a short cold crash prior to dry hopping for this reason.

 

[HoppyDaze]

you can do it!

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

I plan on dry hopping my first time. My beer has compleated fermintation, would I still ve okay to dry hop without getting infection?

Could I add hops to boiling water then drop in to dry hop? Or is that off the wall?

 

[sweetcell]

I plan on dry hopping my first time. My beer has compleated fermintation, would I still ve okay to dry hop without getting infection?

Could I add hops to boiling water then drop in to dry hop? Or is that off the wall?

do not boil those hops. just drop them in, hops have anti-bacterial properties (one of the reasons they were used in the first place - they help with preservation). plus, the beer now has alcohol in it that helps protect it.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

do not boil those hops. just drop them in, hops have anti-bacterial properties (one of the reasons they were used in the first place - they help with preservation). plus, the beer now has alcohol in it that helps protect it.

Thank you, thats what I thought. I remember hearing about why dry hops were done. To protect the beer from spoiling.