Dry Hop Schedule Question

[psuhammer14]

Hello,
I brewed an IPA this past Sunday, so it's been 5 full days. Active fermentation has slowed considerably, getting a few bubbles here and there. I have a 4oz. dry hop that I am planning on doing sometime, and that is what I would like some input on. If I add the 4oz today, is there an issue in bottling next weekend, IE having the dry hop going for at least 7-8 days? I have read conflicting reports that say hop oils only really take 2-4 days to release into the beer, but there wont be off flavors developed unitl about 2 weeks of dry hopping...

Would it be better to wait until Wednesday to do the dry hop, then bottle Saturday or Sunday? Do I risk anything by waiting longer to do the dry hop?

 

[grassfeeder]

Hello,
I brewed an IPA this past Sunday, so it's been 5 full days. Active fermentation has slowed considerably, getting a few bubbles here and there. I have a 4oz. dry hop that I am planning on doing sometime, and that is what I would like some input on. If I add the 4oz today, is there an issue in bottling next weekend, IE having the dry hop going for at least 7-8 days? I have read conflicting reports that say hop oils only really take 2-4 days to release into the beer, but there wont be off flavors developed unitl about 2 weeks of dry hopping...

Would it be better to wait until Wednesday to do the dry hop, then bottle Saturday or Sunday? Do I risk anything by waiting longer to do the dry hop?

Need more information. What hops are you using to dry hop with? What was your existing hop bill? Post your recipe.

 

[psuhammer14]

Total Hop Bill Below:

1 oz. Warrior Hops ( Soft-Bittering) with 30 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Amarillo Hops (Flavoring 1) with 15 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Nugget Hops (Flavoring 2) with 10 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Centennial (Finishing 1) with 5 minutes left in the boil.

Dry Hopping
1 oz. Columbus Hops
2 oz. Cascade Hops
1 oz Amarillo Hops

Full Recipe Below:

West Coast IPA
This West Coast IPA boasts unforgiving hop aggressiveness, but will cradle your taste buds with juicy hop flavor. The
exclusion of crystal malts sets this apart from its East Coast counterpart and promises a crisp, dry finish, creating a
lingering hop tongue-lashing.
Ingredients Statistics
8 lb. Canadian Light Liquid Malt Extract Original Gravity 1.074
2 lb Muntons Light DME Final Gravity 1.014
3/4 lb. Dingemann's Aromatic Malt* Alcohol Content 7.8%
1/4 lb. Weyermann Rye Malt*
1/4 lb. Flaked Wheat*
1 oz. Warrior Hops ( Soft-Bittering) with 30 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Amarillo Hops (Flavoring 1) with 15 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Nugget Hops (Flavoring 2) with 10 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Centennial (Finishing 1) with 5 minutes left in the boil.
1 oz. Columbus Hops (Finishing 2) with 2 minutes left in the boil.
2 oz. Cascade Hops (Finishing 3) with 0 minutes left in the boil.
1 oz Amarillo Hops (Dry Hop)
Mangrove Jack M44 West Coast Ale x2
14 Muslin Bags
5 oz Priming Sugar (for bottling)
* The malted grains are all crushed together in the clear plastic bag.
Procedure
A few hours before you begin to brew, prepare your liquid yeast according to the package instructions. We assume that you are
familiar with basic homebrewing techniques, so these procedures are abbreviated.
1. Divide the cracked grains among 3 of the muslin bags (approximately ½ pound per bag) and add them to your brew
kettle along with up to 2½ gallons of cold water. Heat slowly.
2. Steep the grains in hot water (about 145° – 160°F) to extract flavor and color – do not allow to boil. After about 30
minutes, remove the grain bags and then bring the water to a boil.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add 4lbs of the liquid malt extract and the two bags of dried malt extract. Do not add
the other bag of liquid malt extract at this time. Keep the kettle off the burner and stir until the malt extract is
completely dissolved.
4. Put the pot back on the burner and bring to a boil. Once boiling, Set timer for 1 hour. After 30 minutes of boiling, place
bittering hops in 1 muslin bag (no more than 1 oz. per bag), add them to the pot.
5. After 40 minutes of boiling, remove the pot from the heat (you do not have to stop the timer) and add the second bag of
malt extract. Keep the kettle off the heat and stir until the extract is completely dissolved, then bring back to a boil.
6. After 45 minutes of boiling, add flavoring hops 1 (in a muslin bag, no more than 1 oz per bag). You may also ½ teaspoon
of Irish moss, or 1 Whirlfloc tablet, to help clarify beer (optional).
7. After 50 minutes of boiling, add flavoring hops 2 (in a muslin bag, no more than 1 oz per bag).
8. After 55 minutes of boiling, add finishing hops 1 (in a muslin bag, no more than 1 oz per bag).
9. After 58 minutes of boiling, add finishing hops 2 (in a muslin bag, no more than 1 oz per bag).
10. After 60 minutes of boiling, add finishing hops 3 (in a muslin bag, no more than 1 oz per bag). and turn off the heat. Put
a lid on your pot and cool it in an ice bath (use your sink) for about 30 minutes.
11. Pour 1 gallon of cold water into your sanitized fermenter, remove the hop bags from the kettle and add the cooled wort
(the stuff in your pot), and top up to 5 gallons. Aerate the wort with vigorous stirring, rocking the fermenter, etc.
12. Make sure the wort is below 80°F before adding yeast. Take a hydrometer reading if desired. Add the yeast to the wort.
13. Store the fermenter where the temperature will be a fairly constant 65° – 70°F. Once the vigorous phase of fermentation is
complete (typically 5 to 6 days), add the “dry hops”(no need to put them in a muslin bag). Allow the dry hops to soak for at
least and additional 5 days. Keep the beer in the primary fermenter until active fermentation is complete (no signs of active
fermentation for the last 2 to 3 days).
14. When ready to bottle, siphon beer into your sanitized bottling bucket, leaving sediment behind. Boil the priming sugar in
1-2 cups of water for a few minutes, gently stir into the beer, and bottle as usual.

 

[grassfeeder]

just dry hop on Monday and bottle on Saturday. no harm in if you do it tomorrow tho

 

[RM-MN]

Hello,
I brewed an IPA this past Sunday, so it's been 5 full days. Active fermentation has slowed considerably, getting a few bubbles here and there. I have a 4oz. dry hop that I am planning on doing sometime, and that is what I would like some input on. If I add the 4oz today, is there an issue in bottling next weekend, IE having the dry hop going for at least 7-8 days? I have read conflicting reports that say hop oils only really take 2-4 days to release into the beer, but there wont be off flavors developed unitl about 2 weeks of dry hopping...

Would it be better to wait until Wednesday to do the dry hop, then bottle Saturday or Sunday? Do I risk anything by waiting longer to do the dry hop?

I think the biggest risk you run is that your beer may not be ready to bottle so soon. I've had one batch that was really slow to ferment and at the end of 2 weeks still hadn't reached final gravity. By week 3 it was fine. You really want the beer to be at final gravity before you dry hop.

By waiting longer to dry hop you also get the benefit of more yeast settling out so you don't get a quarter inch of sludge in the bottom of the bottles.

 

[Yesfan]

^^^

I agree with RM-MN. If it's only been 5 days since you brewed it, I would let it sit another week so the yeast can clean up the beer and then drop out of suspension (less trub in the bottles). If the gravity hasn't changed, then dry hop it for a few days, then package it.


I usually just let mine ride for 2 weeks, then dry hop for another week. I know every beer is different, but I usually do a general 2.5-3 week primary on my beers, then keg them.

 

[grassfeeder]

just cold crash it instead of waiting.....if primary has stopped no sense in waiting around before dry hopping

 

[psuhammer14]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it. Related question... should I raise the temp I am fermenting at a few degrees as active fermentation is ending? i've read that might clear up off flavors and give the yeast a chance to fully attenuate.

 

[joshesmusica]

I add my dry hops as soon as I start to raise the temperature, which is about the time the fermentation starts slowing down. But, then again, I cold crash and use gelatin, so mine don't have a problem clearing out. I also don't have a problem with letting the hops sit for a week if they need to, though I do like to at least have 4-5 in there before the cold crash.
But all of these things I do also depend on when I want them to be done, or if my pipeline is pretty full and I'm feeling lazy (read my legs are full so I have to bottle this one). I also don't use difficult yeasts. I'm always at FG by day 9-10. Hell I was even at FG on a simple Pilsner when I racked it to a secondary vessel on day 8. No off-flavors detected on this one either.

 

[psuhammer14]

I decided to dry hop last night. the airlock showed very little activity, but when i opened it there was still a think layer of krausen on the wort. The gravity reading showed 1.020, and the FG should be 1.014

I was surprised to still see a large layer of krausen on top with such little airlock activity. is that normal? the wort tasted fine when i sampled it, still slightly sweet, but a good hoppyness to it from the hops added towards the end of the boil.

This is the 1st time I have had to use 2 smackpacks of yeast, and i did a starter, also my 1st one. The starter was working for about 18 hours before pitching though. I didnt check the gravity of the starter, but i used 4 cups water to 1 cup light DME which should have been ok.

 

[joshesmusica]

I decided to dry hop last night. the airlock showed very little activity, but when i opened it there was still a think layer of krausen on the wort. The gravity reading showed 1.020, and the FG should be 1.014

I was surprised to still see a large layer of krausen on top with such little airlock activity. is that normal? the wort tasted fine when i sampled it, still slightly sweet, but a good hoppyness to it from the hops added towards the end of the boil.

This is the 1st time I have had to use 2 smackpacks of yeast, and i did a starter, also my 1st one. The starter was working for about 18 hours before pitching though. I didnt check the gravity of the starter, but i used 4 cups water to 1 cup light DME which should have been ok.

Sometimes krausens are that creepy friend at the party that just kind of lingers even when the party has mostly died down. I would suspect they are still working a bit though. Airlock activity isn't really always a sign of fermentation though. Sometimes your seal isn't that great, and when the there's tons of activity the easiest escape route is actually through the airlock. But then the activity starts to slow, and the easiest route then becomes through the not so tight seal on the lid.

Adding the hops now won't be a terrible thing since you're most of the way to FG. But I would use a sanitized spoon to make sure they get below the krausen and get soaked into the beer, otherwise you could be giving a chance for infection.