Dry hop airlock activity?

[sky4meplease]

I brewed an American IPA and after a week in primary I hit my finish gravity plus a few points (1.017/1.014). I transferred to secondary and dry hopped with two ounces of pellet hops and air locked my 5 gallon glass carboy with plans to cold crash after a week. Ever since I dry hopping I have had air lock activity and it looks like there is fermentation activity in the carboy with pieces of hop rising and falling and rolling around in suspension. Additionally, tiny bubbles are rising to the surface. There doesn't seem to be evidence of an infection and the out gases smell yummy. Without a ton of dry hopping experience (first time using two ounces) I wondered if this seems like normal behavior.

 

[LovesIPA]

Sounds perfectly normal to me.

 

[brewkinger]

Not only does it sound perfectly normal, it sounds perfectly delicious!

After only a week in primary, you probably roused the yeast and got them to go back and finish up.
Some normal off gassing and fermentation is what it sounds like to me.

Post your recipe, I am always up for a taste of something new.


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[myndflyte]

Transferring is going to release some CO2 that was dissolved in the beer. Sounds normal to me.

 

[stru]

Likely just Co2 trying to escape. Happens every time I dry hop.

 

[unionrdr]

Agreed. Normally, dry hopping creates nucleation points for dissolved co2 to escape. But being a couple points higher, it could even be finishing up?...

 

[sky4meplease]

Thanks everyone.

5.5 gal. batch (fermenter volume)
OG 1.066
FG 1.014
IBU 80.13
SRM 7.67

10lb Pale 2 row 76.9%
2lb Caramel/Crystal 20L 15.4%
1lb CaraPils 7.7%

1oz Summit 45 mins
1.5 oz Cascade 15 mins
.5 oz Cascade 5 mins
1oz Amarillo dry hop 7 days
1oz Kent Goldings dry hop 7 days

Mashed 1.33 qt/lb at 152 degrees 60 minutes.

60 minute boil.

US-05 dry pack yeast.

"Light colored and hoppy" water profile built from R/O water (Brewers Friend)

I am new to building recipes so any advice on that is welcome. I hope it is alright to hack my own thread.

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like it'll be a golden color with grapefruit flavors among others.

 

[sky4meplease]

Will it be best to let all activity stop before cold crashing? My seven day dry hop schedule is up tomorrow. Give it a couple more days?

 

[brewkinger]

Yup... Love Amarillo as a dry hop!
Very delicious.

I once messed up and dry hopped with Citra and Amarillo together and have never once doubted that mistake.


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[unionrdr]

Will it be best to let all activity stop before cold crashing? My seven day dry hop schedule is up tomorrow. Give it a couple more days?

If 7 day dry hop is up tomorrow, & it's only bubbling occasionally, it's likely just off-gassing. Proceed as normal I say. but a hydrometer test couldn't hurt just to be absolutely sure it;'s done, or below the 2.017 you got previously. 10 days is maximum for dry hopping without fear of grassiness they say. I never go beyond 7 days myself...

 

[sky4meplease]

My plan was to cold crash for seven days starting seven days after dry hopping. This will leave the dry hops in for fourteen days. Do you see this as a problem? I really wasn't planning on racking again until bottling.

 

[unionrdr]

Being at the colder temp during the crash, I wouldn't think so?

 

[sky4meplease]

Thanks for sticking with the thread unionrdr.

There does seem to be a fair amount of activity still. It's in glass so I can physically see it as well as getting a bubble every minute or so from the air lock.

I think I will give it an extra day to see if the activity slows and then cold crash. I just want to give the yeast a chance to finish up before I do that.

Maybe it will finish a little dryer than planned which is fine by me. It was supposed to finish at 1.017, I transferred to secondary at 1.014 and we will see where it ends up.

Thanks again.

 

[brewkinger]

If it has been 7 days in dry hop, there is no problem starting the crash phase.

As long as your gravity is stable, the cold crash will basically slowly bring everything to a halt.
I agree with the previous comment about 7 day rule. If a recipe says dry hop for 7 days, then I do it 7 days before I bottle. I am a stickler for following directions when it comes to beer.

 

[unionrdr]

One bubble per minute is likely just off-gassing dissolved co2. Test it to make sure it's done & at 7-10 days bottle it.

 

[Druman07]

I did my first time dry hopping in my primary fermenter for 5 days after 14 days of fermentation, and while preparing to bottle, I noticed bubbling and movement within the jug. I assumed fermentation was some how restarted so I took a SG reading, racked to a secondary container and waited 4 additional days. At the end of the 4 days the SG was the same, so I bottled the batch. I don't really understand what was happening, but now I know what to expect for future dry hop batches.