Dry Hopping a big beer

[rwberne]

I am trying my first big beer, a Christmas Beer called "Sinking Feeling". OG is over 1.1, ends up at 1.028 or so, with 11.3% ABV. I am doing a 3 gallon batch, and using two packs of Wyeast American Ale Yeast. The recipe also calls for dry-hopping, which I have never done. My plan is to aerate the wort very well before and after pitching, pitch the two packets of yeast, and keep in 5 gallon primary for 2 weeks. I thought I would throw the dry hops (Kent Goldings) into my secondary, rack on top of them and then let it sit for 4 or 5 weeks. What I'm unsure of is:

1) Will the dry hops settle out sufficiently (between time in secondary and brief time in bottling bucket) or should I use a hop bag (I'm using pellets - Kent Golding)?

2) Will I need to pitch additional yeast into bottling bucket, or will my normal amount of priming sugar (1 oz per gal) work?

Advice is welcomed!!!

 

[bob1852]

I am trying my first big beer, a Christmas Beer called "Sinking Feeling". OG is over 1.1, ends up at 1.028 or so, with 11.3% ABV. I am doing a 3 gallon batch, and using two packs of Wyeast American Ale Yeast. The recipe also calls for dry-hopping, which I have never done. My plan is to aerate the wort very well before and after pitching, pitch the two packets of yeast, and keep in 5 gallon primary for 2 weeks. I thought I would throw the dry hops (Kent Goldings) into my secondary, rack on top of them and then let it sit for 4 or 5 weeks. What I'm unsure of is:

1) Will the dry hops settle out sufficiently (between time in secondary and brief time in bottling bucket) or should I use a hop bag (I'm using pellets - Kent Golding)?

2) Will I need to pitch additional yeast into bottling bucket, or will my normal amount of priming sugar (1 oz per gal) work?

Advice is welcomed!!!

First off, 4-5 weeks for a dry hop sounds like I long time. I've never gone more than 10 days.

But, for your questions:

1) Yes, your hops will settle out enough in secondary, but you could use a hope bag if you wish

2) Sounds like at ~11%, your original yeast may have exceeded it's alcohol tolerance, so you'll likely need some more yeast at bottling; and yes, your usual priming amount will work.

 

[fatmoose]

I am trying my first big beer, a Christmas Beer called "Sinking Feeling". OG is over 1.1, ends up at 1.028 or so, with 11.3% ABV. I am doing a 3 gallon batch, and using two packs of Wyeast American Ale Yeast. The recipe also calls for dry-hopping, which I have never done. My plan is to aerate the wort very well before and after pitching, pitch the two packets of yeast, and keep in 5 gallon primary for 2 weeks. I thought I would throw the dry hops (Kent Goldings) into my secondary, rack on top of them and then let it sit for 4 or 5 weeks. What I'm unsure of is:

1) Will the dry hops settle out sufficiently (between time in secondary and brief time in bottling bucket) or should I use a hop bag (I'm using pellets - Kent Golding)?

2) Will I need to pitch additional yeast into bottling bucket, or will my normal amount of priming sugar (1 oz per gal) work?

Advice is welcomed!!!

I did a pale ale recently that I dry hopped and then ran out of time to do anything with, for about a month. After being in the bottle for 5 weeks it still has a weird funkiness to it that I attribute to the extended dry hopping. Lots of people report a grassy taste from beers that have been dry hopped for too long, I can kind of see that with my beer. Dry hop for about a week, that will give you a good amount of aroma from the hops. A bag will help isolate the sediment but I'd anticipate that the pellets would settle out pretty well.

 

[Sea]

I agree with the other posters. I'm drinking an IPA right now that was dry hopped for 2 weeks and it was too long - slight funky/grassy flavor. 7-10 days max. Let your beer clear/condition in the secondary for a while then dry hop about a week before kegging/bottling.

 

[rwberne]

Thanks for the quick replies! In looking back at my recipe, it does say 7 days for the dry hopping, so that leads to another (forgive me if this is a foolish one) question:

If I intend to have the beer sit in secondary for 4 weeks or more, and want to only dry hop it for 1 week, do I put the hops when first racking to the secondary then re-rack into another fermenter (a tertiary?), or do I just drop the hops in 1 week before bottling?

 

[bob1852]

Thanks for the quick replies! In looking back at my recipe, it does say 7 days for the dry hopping, so that leads to another (forgive me if this is a foolish one) question:

If I intend to have the beer sit in secondary for 4 weeks or more, and want to only dry hop it for 1 week, do I put the hops when first racking to the secondary then re-rack into another fermenter (a tertiary?), or do I just drop the hops in 1 week before bottling?

Either way would work - if it were me, I'd just toss the hops in the secondary a week or so before bottling...

 

[northernlad]

I tried using a hop bag for dry hops but when I went to rack it always moved the bag and filled my precious clear beer with hop schwag. So now I toss the pellets in and let them settle out which they do very nicely in 7-10 days.

 

[kuphish]

I tried using a hop bag for dry hops but when I went to rack it always moved the bag and filled my precious clear beer with hop schwag. So now I toss the pellets in and let them settle out which they do very nicely in 7-10 days.

This is my method, as well. Just toss the pellets in and wait a week or so. Just to make sure, I also attach a sanitized extra fine nylon bag to the end of my autosiphon. Any remaining hop particles typically get filtered out by that.

 

[northernlad]

This is my method, as well. Just toss the pellets in and wait a week or so. Just to make sure, I also attach a sanitized extra fine nylon bag to the end of my autosiphon. Any remaining hop particles typically get filtered out by that.

I have a method that takes care of that without any type of filter.
I prop my carboy up in the back with my wing capper. Then I insert the racking tube in one motion all the way to the bottom in the front. I am careful not to move the tube at anytime after that. When you start the siphon it pulls a small bit of trub from around the end of the tube creating a void where only beer flows through. I end up with almost nothing in my bottling bucket.

 

[kuphish]

I have a method that takes care of that without any type of filter.
I prop my carboy up in the back with my wing capper. Then I insert the racking tube in one motion all the way to the bottom in the front. I am careful not to move the tube at anytime after that. When you start the siphon it pulls a small bit of trub from around the end of the tube creating a void where only beer flows through. I end up with almost nothing in my bottling bucket.

Cool, I'll have to give that a try. It doesn't pull out too much yeast and trub?

 

[rwberne]

Great ideas guys. I will wait til last week in secondary, toss the pellets in (I assume no need to sanitize them) and then at bottling time I will try the nylon bag filter. The other method sounds cool - but I fear I'd jiggle something and end up with hops in bottling bucket. This will be one potent brew!

 

[Naked_Eskimo]

Are you bottling or kegging?

I worry about whether a 1.100 beer will be anywhere near ready/mature enough to drink in time for Christmas.

 

[rwberne]

I am bottling, not kegging. I will try a taste at Christmas, but I realize this one might not be ready for months. Might actually be NEXT Christmas's beer!

 

[jfr1111]

You don't need to sanitize hops, they are antiseptic.