Dry Hop @ 34 F?

[ultravista]

In an email exchange with John Kimmich, he suggested dry hopping my Heady Topper clone at 34 F. Dry hop no more than 5 days and no less than 4.

Does anyone dry hop at serving temperature? From what I have read, most dry hop at ambient (say 70 F).

 

[Denny]

Don't get caught in the trap of thinking there is only one way, or one "best" way, to dry hop. Different methods produce different results. FWIW, I pretty much always dry hop around 34F.

 

[ultravista]

Denny - do you find any difference in flavor/aroma when d-hopped @ 34 vs. 70ish?

 

[Denny]

Denny - do you find any difference in flavor/aroma when d-hopped @ 34 vs. 70ish?

Yeah, think it's "cleaner" at lower temps.

 

[popgunandy]

I dry hop at room temperature out of convenience, but it makes complete sense to use lower temperatures - the beer is far less volatile, so just like C02, the compounds drawn from the hops will stay in suspension better at lower temperatures.

I might have to try it in a keg sometime.

 

[Jondack]

There is actually an interesting article in the latest 'Brew Your Own' magazine. It suggests that dry hopping should be done at the end of primary ferm and at a warmer temp. The reason is because adding hops can introduce oxygen, and leaving some yeast in the fermenter and keeping the temp at a yeast friendly temp, the yeast will deal with any oxygen that had been introduced.

 

[Jondack]

This can also be done cold, but the yeast won't be able to help you

 

[divrguy]

I dry hop while cold crashing all the time [emoji106]

 

[Denny]

There is actually an interesting article in the latest 'Brew Your Own' magazine. It suggests that dry hopping should be done at the end of primary ferm and at a warmer temp. The reason is because adding hops can introduce oxygen, and leaving some yeast in the fermenter and keeping the temp at a yeast friendly temp, the yeast will deal with any oxygen that had been introduced.

OTOH, I find unpleasant interactions when I dry hop on yeast. I prefer to get the beer off the yeast first. Although adding hops may introduce O2, I've never found that to be a problem in the real world. And IMO dry hopping on the yeast is a problem. But like I said, thee is no one right way and each method produces different results. Try a few and see what you like. That's how I reached my conclusion.

 

[ExperimentalMental]

I have seen in the past where people talk about dry hopping in the keg at serving temps. I would think the same principals apply.

 

[ultravista]

Denny - do you get 'grassy' notes when leaving hops in the keg until it kicks? For me, kicking a keg will be months.

 

[jerbrew]

If you through your hops in a keg and purge with a bit of co2 then close transfer your beer there is little risk of O2 meeting your beer. That part is about technique not how to best extract aroma from dry hopping.

The only big difference I've noticed is the time it takes to see the full affect of my dry hopping. I recently dry hopped ahtanum smash with 5Oz at kegging. It aroma really didn't hit its peak until about 2 weeks in the keg. Otherwise, I dry hop for 3-5 days cold crash and keg with great preservation of aroma.

This makes sense to me as well since, these aroma compounds need to diffuse out of the hops and dissolve and marry into the beer. This should easily be a faster process at higher temperatures than a temperature 35F lower or so.

Just my experience. I hope it helps a bit.

 

[Denny]

Denny - do you get 'grassy' notes when leaving hops in the keg until it kicks? For me, kicking a keg will be months.

Months for me, too, and in hundreds of keg hopped batches it's never happened.

 

[55x11]

If you through your hops in a keg and purge with a bit of co2 then close transfer your beer there is little risk of O2 meeting your beer. That part is about technique not how to best extract aroma from dry hopping.

What is your "purge with a bit of CO2" procedure?
Because chances are, even if you purge a couple of times, you still have a great deal of oxygen in there.

In fact, I would rather drop the hops into startsan-filled keg, then push all the liquid out, then fill it with beer using closed transfer, than just purge it with "a bit of CO2".

 

[jerbrew]

What is your "purge with a bit of CO2" procedure?

Because chances are, even if you purge a couple of times, you still have a great deal of oxygen in there.



In fact, I would rather drop the hops into startsan-filled keg, then push all the liquid out, then fill it with beer using closed transfer, than just purge it with "a bit of CO2".

Fair enough. I could have been a bit more specific. What in talking about is this:

1) fill keg with starsan and let sit
2) remove starsan to another keg using co2
3) quickly open and throw in hops
4) fill with 10 psi and release 8-12 times
5) close transfer beer
6) purge headspace 8-12 times with co2

I get it... A bit of co2 is vague. Apologies. There's a good chart somewhere on here where they did the leg work and made a great chart. Don't want to search for it but it's good. That being said, I would never drop my hops into a keg of starsan versus purging a few times to ensure most of the oxygen is gone. And is you're still not convinced just prime with sugar in the keg and oxygen is even less of a problem.

I'm curious as to what "a great deal of oxygen" is. A couple times to me is about 10 which at 10 psi will dilute oxygen into low ppm levels doubt that has an affect. Purging works you just have to know what your doing and why.

 

[seatazzz]

I've "cold" dry-hopped my last two House IPAs in the keg, and won't go back to room-temp dry hopping. To me cold-hopping in the keg brings out more of the flavor I'm looking for (Mosaic hops, it's quite a fresh taste with some piney/grapefruity notes). Also it seems safer to me; don't have to open the primary to drop in the hops, just rack straight from primary into the keg with the hop bag, and boom I'm done.

 

[enkamania]

I do a combination, dry hop for 3 days at room temp and then keg

 

[m00ps]

Dry hop no more than 5 days and no less than 4.

4 is the number thou shalt dry hop and the number of the dry hopping shall be 4.

6 is RIGHT OUT

 

[IslandLizard]

Fair enough. I could have been a bit more specific. What in talking about is this:

1) fill keg with starsan and let sit
2) remove starsan to another keg using co2
3) quickly open and throw in hops
4) fill with 10 psi and release 8-12 times
5) close transfer beer
6) purge headspace 8-12 times with co2

I get it... A bit of co2 is vague. Apologies. There's a good chart somewhere on here where they did the leg work and made a great chart. Don't want to search for it but it's good. That being said, I would never drop my hops into a keg of starsan versus purging a few times to ensure most of the oxygen is gone. And is you're still not convinced just prime with sugar in the keg and oxygen is even less of a problem.

I'm curious as to what "a great deal of oxygen" is. A couple times to me is about 10 which at 10 psi will dilute oxygen into low ppm levels doubt that has an affect. Purging works you just have to know what your doing and why.

I'd modify that procedure with the following:
Once that keg is 100% "Starsan" purged, fill with beer using a closed transfer. Then while the gas is streaming through the in port, open the PRV, remove the lid, dump in the hops, either loose or in a squeezed bag, refit the lid and purge the headspace a few times (5-10x).

Reasons:
1) The outflow of gas while adding the dry hops with the lid open will prevent a lot of air from getting in.

2) The smaller headspace after filling with beer is much easier to purge than an empty keg (nearly impossible).

 

[jerbrew]

4 is the number thou shalt dry hop and the number of the dry hopping shall be 4.



6 is RIGHT OUT

I often view my dry hops as a holy hand Grenade of aroma.

 

[m00ps]

I often view my dry hops as a holy hand Grenade of aroma.

Holy Hand Greenade
*new hop strain / beer name* i call dibs

 

[jerbrew]

Holy Hand Greenade
*new hop strain / beer name* i call dibs

Should have called dibs...this will torment me forever.

 

[jerbrew]

I'd modify that procedure with the following:
Once that keg is 100% "Starsan" purged, fill with beer using a closed transfer. Then while the gas is streaming through the in port, open the PRV, remove the lid, dump in the hops, either loose or in a squeezed bag, refit the lid and purge the headspace a few times (5-10x).

Reasons:
1) The outflow of gas while adding the dry hops with the lid open will prevent a lot of air from getting in.

2) The smaller headspace after filling with beer is much easier to purge than an empty keg (nearly impossible).

I forgot to mention this part. My co2 in line is connected to the carboy cap. So as i'm transfering beer in i'm replacing the volume with the co2 from my keg. Here's a pic. otherwise I would just be loosing that Co2 and filling my carboy with air. The little amount of oxygen in my keg after purging the starsan dropping in the hops and purging a few times is minimal gas will difuse in immediately upon opening that lid but the time is short and oxygen isn't a ninja. It's not going to see an oportunity to ruin my beer and come streaming in. These things are controlled by thermodynamics and diffusion is a slow process. A can deal with a few PPM of oxygen. I never have to vent the keg while i'm filling from the port since i'm venting into the carboy.

The only thing I might do differently is close transfer the keg and then drop in the hops and purge. It would be more effective i guess and use less CO2.

 

[divrguy]

Check out this months BYO Magazine. They have an article bout dry hopping just after fermentation slows down which is how I did it for years