New to Lagers. When do I dry hop?

I just brewed my first Lager yesterday: an IPL using Citra, Amarillo, and Cascade hops. At first I was going to just let the beer ferment and drink it, but when I was looking at how long it takes (2-4 weeks fermenting + 4-6 of lagering) to produce a lager, It seemed like most of my hop character might fall out in the process, so I've been considering dry hopping during the diacetyl rest to add some of that back in. Is there any reason that wouldn't work? Also, Is the hop drop off over those 4 weeks as significant as it would be in an ale?

Also a few general questions about Lagers:
Can I do the diacetyl rest in the same fermenter I'm using for fermentation?
Can I do the lagering in the same keg I plan to serve out of?
If I have to do one of these in a separate carboy, what's the best way to purge oxygen from said carboy?

Thanks,
Matt

 

I recently brewed an IPL, and I dry hopped in primary during the diacetyl rest for about 4 days. Looking back after a few weeks of having it on tap, I would also dry hop in the keg next time and leave the hops in there.

 

Yea, I generally prefer to dry hop in secondary, rather than the keg. I've had a few instances where it's taken me a couple weeks to finish a beer, and the hops that are left in start tasting more grassy after a bit. It's a little trickier to do that with a Lager, though. Maybe I'll look for a hop ball that's easy to get in and out of a keg.. Thanks for your input! It seems lagers taking longer makes hops a little trickier to deal with, for sure.

 

To be honest, while the IPL I made is a fine beer, it tastes just like an IPA. The hops dominate, leaving no spotlight for the delicate malt character of a well-made lager to revel in. So it was an experiment that was a technical success, but left me thinking there was not much point of doing it again. Just my $0.02.

 

Well, I've already brewed it. No reason to stop now =]