I've given up on dry hopping.

[VegasBrew1]

Dry hopping isn't difficult. And I do love the aroma it provides. But since I bottle, I don't get the shelf life to make it worthwhile imo. The splendor of it fades too quickly. I'm gonna try hop stands, just to get flavor in my brew that hopefully will last a little longer. If I were to switch to kegging, which is not on the horizon, perhaps I'll give it another go.

Any words of wisdom? Are my methods at fault? Or would you agree that dry hopping and bottling really aren't conducive with each other. I'd love to hear from those who bottle and are able to enjoy the hop aroma even in the last bottles consumed from any given batch. Carry on brewers, cheers.

 

[stpug]

Keep them refrigerated once carbonated. That will extend their life quite a while.

 

[eadavis80]

I don't remember not getting aroma from the last few bottles of a batch that I dry hopped. A 5-gallon batch won't last forever, but I'd say the last few bottles are at least 4-5 months old usually (I try to have at least 4 different drinkable beers available at all times), so I wouldn't give up on dry hopping just yet. In fact, as I type this, I'm sipping a dry hopped, bottled, Dead Ringer. Smells good to me!

 

[iijakii]

I've gone from bottling to kegging, back to bottling and am going to start kegging again soon. Keg hopping is definitely the bomb. I still dry-hop my bottled IPAs, but it's not the most effective as you say. I vote try it and see if you can tell enough of a difference to matter to you.

 

[mrgrimm101]

How many ounces do you use to dry hop with? Do you do any flameout hop additions? My IPAs almost always have amazing aroma until the last bottle. I hop burst during the last 5 - 0 minutes pretty heavily.

 

[smizak]

How much hops do you use to dry hop vs. your batch size?

 

[IslandLizard]

Extended hopstands after flameout (whirlpooling) for as long as 1 hour between 190-170F have given me better and longer lasting hop flavor (and aroma) than chilling down to pitching temps immediately after. Think about it, in larger commercial breweries it takes a long time to transfer, whirlpool, and then chill that huge batch. So try that.

Then, when appropriate for the beer, a dry hop in the keg or in the primary/secondary should give you the aroma you're looking for. I feel the extended hopstand is needed to lay down the base that supports the dry hop aroma.

2 oz of dry hops in a 5 gallon batch is about the minimum. If you plan to age a few months, account for aroma loss and dry hop with more hops to compensate for the effect of time.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I feel you! My last batch I changed things up. I only added my 60min bittering charge during the boil. My next addition was at flame out while getting my temp to 170. At 170 I did a big charge of hops and let stand for an hour. I plan on dry hopping it, but today is day 6 and the smell out of the carboy is awesome. I shall see how it holds up after I bottle it.

 

[m00ps]

Extended hopstands after flameout (whirlpooling) for as long as 1 hour between 190-170F have given me better and longer lasting hop flavor (and aroma) than chilling down to pitching temps immediately after. Think about it, in larger commercial breweries it takes a long time to transfer, whirlpool, and then chill that huge batch. So try that.

Then, when appropriate for the beer, a dry hop in the keg or in the primary/secondary should give you the aroma you're looking for. I feel the extended hopstand is needed to lay down the base that supports the dry hop aroma.

2 oz of dry hops in a 5 gallon batch is about the minimum. If you plan to age a few months, account for aroma loss and dry hop with more hops to compensate for the effect of time.

agreed, kegging & hopstands are the two biggest factors that enabled me to get hop aroma similar to commercial IPAs. Hopstands are easy to implement since you dont need to have the upfront cost of kegging. You can basically toss in as much hops as you want. The bitterness has never gotten out of hand for me

 

[Cyclman]

+1 I like to add hops at flameout. Dry hopping in my experience fades within 2 months. Still good, just not as good as fresh.

 

[schematix]

For a 5G batch you need a lot more hops than you'd think to get that intense hop flavor. Add an oz or 2 at 60 for some tongue curling bitterness, then add another 5-8oz at BKO for a nice long steep (45-60 min), then cap it off with another 5-8oz dry hops. High sulfate water helps too.

 

[QuadConPana]

You know what?

I'm actually toying with the possibility of giving up on brewing IPA's entirely. As many IPA's as there is out there, there's very little chance I'm going to create something new in that style

And, price isn't a substantial issue. New Belgium Rampant is a damn fine DIPA. At my neighborhood liquor store, it's 6/$7.99 That's $72 for the equivalent of a 5 gallon batch.

I would rather brew something I can't buy. Or, at least, something I can't afford.

 

[1977Brewer]

I skipped a lot.

I drink mine, fast. That's your lesson for dry hopped beers. They go first, but I bet they still taste great.

 

[SanPancho]

And, price isn't a substantial issue. New Belgium Rampant is a damn fine DIPA. At my neighborhood liquor store, it's 6/$7.99

christ. that'd be a $10 or $11 sixer out here in SF. if you're lucky you might find it on sale for $9.

anybody have any experience with hopstand/whirlpooling with lagers? ive been delicately dancing around it without giving it a full effort. my concern is that DMS production doesnt stop until wort drops below 180F. so i'd be worried that i'd get higher DMS levels in the beer if i did a whirlpool/hopstand.

i've toyed with the idea of tossing in hops at flameout, and then starting the whirlpool as i immediately begin chilling to 180.

but if anyone has actual firsthand experience with lager whirlpooling, i'd love to hear.

 

[VegasBrew1]

I've been dry hopping with 4 ounces for a 5 gallon batch (but no hopstand). What I love about the Rampant is it's really chock full of alcohol. The taste is good, but not great IMO. A twelver here @ Total Wine is extremely affordable however. I'm with ya there. Cheers.

 

[QuadConPana]

The other thing that takes the fun out of brewing an IPA here in SW Fla is that if I keep my eyes open, I can get Jai Alai that's 3 days old. I WISH I was so talented that I could beat that.

I love hops though, so I know I'll be eating my words soon enough.

 

[eko]

For a 5G batch you need a lot more hops than you'd think to get that intense hop flavor. Add an oz or 2 at 60 for some tongue curling bitterness, then add another 5-8oz at BKO for a nice long steep (45-60 min), then cap it off with another 5-8oz dry hops. High sulfate water helps too.

In your experience, how much wort is absorbed with a 5oz flameout addition? I always seem to end up short on wort after a big hop addition. Even after I keep adjusting up.

 

[schematix]

In your experience, how much wort is absorbed with a 5oz flameout addition? I always seem to end up short on wort after a big hop addition. Even after I keep adjusting up.

That's a tough number to judge exactly. It's very dependent upon your equipment. Don't sweat it too much though. If you end up short one time, adjust up next time. IPAs are an incredibly forgiving style anyways.

I'd guesstimate on my system (G1 20G BoilerMaker) that with 16oz of hops in the kettle i probably 'lose' about 2 gallons. With 4oz (what i'd have for a pilsner) I probably lose about 1.25 gallons.