Double ipa dry hopping need help !!!

[Sebastien]

I have a dipa in a primary fermenter and it's been 15 days now. I took a hydrometer reading the beer is now at 1.020 from 1.082 ( the recipe said 1.018 was final)
I have like 4-5 bubbles a min.

My question is when do I start dry hopping and do I rack it into a secondary with the dry hops at the bottom or I just throw the pellets in my primary?

I'm not sure if I should wait longer before dry hopping :S

Btw I have 4oz of dry hops


Thanks
Sebastien

 

[kev211]

As most people on this website would tell you, secondary's arent really necessary unless youre going to be aging in the carboy. So, dont worry about racking to a secondary. Just sanitize everything and dump those hops right in.

Oh, and as much fun as it is to watch the bubbles, its not generally recommended that you use bubbles as an indication that fermentation is occurring.

Edit: My bad, thought he had said FG was reached. Ya, wait til FG is stable, then plunk those suckers in.

One thing to add, make sure everything is super sanitized when you go to do those hops. I usually sanitize the hop bags and the scissors Im using to cut them open if Im feeling o.c.d. enough

 

[mascervesa]

You're going to get varying opinions on secondary vs. primary only. As far as when it's ready to dry hop, I would wait until the fermentation is complete by making sure the FG reading has stabilized over the course of a couple days.
1. You want as much of the yeast to drop out of suspension to minimize the yeast clinging to the hops and stripping some flavor.
2. Either toss into the primary for 5-7 days before bottling, or rack onto the hops in the secondary.
3. Bubbles aren't always a solid indication it fermentation is complete or still in progress.
Just my .02

 

[Sebastien]

Well so it's best to wait a couple of days to see if the fg is stable then i drop the pellets right into my primary for 5-7 days and bottle my beer maybe I'll try to cold crash before bottling too!

Does it sounds right ?

 

[DarthCitra]

Well so it's best to wait a couple of days to see if the fg is stable then i drop the pellets right into my primary for 5-7 days and bottle my beer maybe I'll try to cold crash before bottling too!

Does it sounds right ?

how many ounces of hops are you using? I always try to suggest to do 1.5oz on the first day of dry hopping, on the third day add another 1.5oz then two days later do another 1 or 2 oz's for 2 days then bottle/keg. It works best when you're dry hopping with a couple different hops.

Adding your dry hop addition now wont hurt at all your yeast are finishing up now. Throwing the pellets in is the best way IMO.

 

[Sebastien]

I have a total of 4 oz 2oz Amarillo and 2 centennial I really love ipa and High ibu beer

 

[DarthCitra]

I have a total of 4 oz 2oz Amarillo and 2 centennial

I suggest splitting up your dry hopping schedule over 3 days, It will add nice complexity to the aroma.

 

[Sebastien]

So I drop 1.5oz the first day (.75 Amarillo and .75 centennial) then same thing the third day and the rest on day 5???

 

[mascervesa]

That's sounds good. Another reason I mention waiting until fermentation is complete to dry hop is that the CO2 escaping from active fermentation can drive off some aromatics from the hops. Cold crashing will help to drop those hops to the bottom too.

 

[Sebastien]

I'll check in 2 days if the fg is stabilized then I'll start the schedule thanks a lot for your help!!!

 

[DarthCitra]

So I drop 1.5oz the first day (.75 Amarillo and .75 centennial) then same thing the third day and the rest on day 5???

yes sir! you got it:rockin:

 

[PGEduardo]

Personally, here would be my approach:

1 - wait a full week and then check gravity to make sure it's stable. Depending on how well you controlled fermentation temperatures (taste the hydrometer sample) a little more time might help smooth out any off flavors.

2 - If you split up the dry hop over a few days I'd just add one variety at a time so that the hops are as fresh as possible. Unless you have a vacuum sealer, the hops will start to lose aroma in an open bag. Potentially there's less of a chance for infection.

3 - cold crash around day 4 or 5 for a few days.

3 - or don't overthink it and do what you think is easier. RDWHAHB

 

[Durandal]

Remember that the reason we don't add hops immediately is because the aroma gets blown out with the CO2. So the question: "Is fermentation complete?" is a red herring. If the airlock is bubbling, it's not time to add your dry hops.

 

[Sebastien]

I got a vacuum sealer but it will change all the taste if I put them 1 bag at a time

 

[PGEduardo]

I got a vacuum sealer but it will change all the taste if I put them 1 bag at a time

Meh. It will, but I guarantee that if your base beer turned out great, the dry-hopped product will turn out great regardless of dry hop schedule. Also, the degree to which you will be able to taste and interpret the subtle difference is likely to be negligible. It's not like adding the same varieties of hops in a slightly different order will make the difference between good and great beer.

As a relatively green homebrewer, your gains will come from improving other parts of your process like yeast, water, fermentation control, and most importantly patience. My 2nd brew ever was a DIPA and I totally missed the mark. Dry hopping was the least of my issues...

 

[Sebastien]

Yes i understand that thanks alot everyone the beer taste so good after 15 days i hope its gonna be near perfection once in Bottle.