Advice for a first time hop bomber?

[Microscopist]

Inspired by but in no way meant to be a clone of Brewdog's 5am Saint after doing a beer school session. Aiming for something dark red with grapefruity and grassy aromas.


Pale malt 1.27kg
Wheat malt 0.5kg
Black malt 60g
Crystal rye 110g
Amber malt 140g

Mashed at 68C

Simcoe 10g 60min
Wakatu 10g 20min
Simcoe 10g 5min
Progress 10g 0min
simcoe 10g 0min
Wakatu 10g 0min

Burton Yeast
12l
OG 1040

Dry hopping - to be worked out once I've had a taste. The fermenting wort smells amazing.

I'm wondering about the best way to do the dry hop. I'll be relying on yeast action to do my carbonation so I'm concerned that leaving the dry hops in for the whole time I'm drinking it might lead to an off aroma ( Brewdog dry hop for 5 days apparently ).

Would I get a similar effect by adding my dry hops to primary for five days, then kegging?

I'm wondering about the hopping levels for the dry hop as well and whether it'd be worthwhile adding a little citra to the mix.

 

[philosofool]

For leaf hops, you will need to put them in a bag and, weight down and drop them in.

For pellets, just them to a fermenter.

In any event, don't add them while fermentation is very active, wait until it's almost done or truly done.

For both types, rousing the fermenter every other day is recommended by Mike McDole, a cohort of Jamil and a guy who I think understands what he's doing as well as anyone. This process is a fine substitute for double dry hopping, and good even in lightly dry hopped beers.

 

[Microscopist]

For both types, rousing the fermenter every other day is recommended by Mike McDole, a cohort of Jamil and a guy who I think understands what he's doing as well as anyone. This process is a fine substitute for double dry hopping, and good even in lightly dry hopped beers.

Thanks. On the dry hopping levels I'm wondering how far to push it - I have had commercial brews in the past that have been great on initial taste but even half a pint has been a bit wearing on the palette. I'm wondering if 20g each of the Simcoe and Wakatu and 10 of the Progress might be sufficient.

I have dry hopped before but never to this sort of level. I still can't decide whether a bit of Citra would help the combo

 

[philosofool]

Thanks. On the dry hopping levels I'm wondering how far to push it - I have had commercial brews in the past that have been great on initial taste but even half a pint has been a bit wearing on the palette. I'm wondering if 20g each of the Simcoe and Wakatu and 10 of the Progress might be sufficient.

I have dry hopped before but never to this sort of level. I still can't decide whether a bit of Citra would help the combo

2 oz/60g is about right for an assertive dry hop character, so 50g should be about right. The returns on dry hopping seem to me to diminish: the first two onces go further than the second two. Dry hops, like salt, are easy to add if you didn't add enough but the laws of thermodynamics prevent removing them, so I wouldn't do more than 50g to start. You can always add another 25-50 if you want more kick; if you are rousing the fermenter, you should reach the full strength of the dry hops in 6 days, assuming your doing this between 60 and 70 degrees.

 

[Microscopist]

The deed is done. It's got quite a hop hit already but I've gone ahead with the dry hops. The Wakatu has a slightly funny aroma that I'm not sure would work as a major addition so I've gone for 20g Simcoe, 20 Progress and 10 Wakatu.

I'm aiming for this to be a running beer so I'll be adding isinglass when it goes to keg in the hope of speeding up the clearing and leaving it the workshop ( around 8C ) as soon as the gas has built up enough.

 

[ScotlandHomeBrewer1]

Love a 5am. Let me know how it turns out.

 

[Microscopist]

Just kegged it with a bit of priming sugar. Turns out handful of marbles isn't enough to make than many hops in a bag sink but I gave it a good squish every day.
Flavourwise it seems to be pretty much bang on what I was I after - much more dry hop would have pushed it over the edge. There's a little priming sugar in there so it's just a question of letting the pressure build up then putting it somewhere cold for a while.
No finings in the end - I really should check what I have in stock more more often.