Dry hopping early

[DMTnew2brew]

So, my black IPA recipe says that active fermentation will be done in about 7days(brew day was Friday), well it's Wednesday, and it looks like active fermentation is done. Is it too early to dry hop? Or should I wait til Friday?

 

[gelatin]

How long are you planning to dry hop for? Usually you'd start dry hopping 3-10 days before bottling, so you'd be "OK" to start now but waiting can help the beer condition a little more if you have any odd flavors in there currently.

 

[DMTnew2brew]

I'm going to keg the beer, does that make a difference?

 

[gelatin]

There are a ton of dry-hopping strategies for kegging, including dry-hopping in the keg itself and leaving the hops in there, but that's not something I have much experience with.

 

[mike_in_ak]

There's some thread on here about dry hopping causing fermentation to re kick or knocking Co2 out of solution. The hops given the Co2 something to form up on, so it foams or something. Anyway, guy had a blow out when he he dropped in hops. Never happens to me, but I always let sit for at least three to four weeks before touching the primary.

I would definitely keep an eye on it if you drop it early.

And remember all the talk about all the crazy helpful things yeast do even after they're done fermenting.

And remember airlock activity is not the best indicator of gravity.

 

[DMTnew2brew]

When you add the dry hops what happens?

 

[DMTnew2brew]

So, I opened the fermenter to add the dry hopps and noticed a lot of dry foam type stuff that had accumulated during fermentation, what is it? And what do I do with it or to it?

 

[gelatin]

Foam on the sides of the fermenter? Ignore it, it's normal, just don't mix it back in as there's no reason to and it can give some off-flavors.

Dry hopping adds aroma, a tiny bit of flavor, and lessens clarity.

 

[mike_in_ak]

I read that you're kegging and figured you must have been doing this a while. Now it sounds like you're pretty new.

There's a pretty steadfast rule with all of this: don't rush things. 10 days is very short in general for primary.

 

[DMTnew2brew]

I'm going to let it sit another 2 weeks before I move it to the keg, is that long enough?

 

[DMTnew2brew]

And I am very new to this, it's my first batch

 

[unionrdr]

Let the beer reach FG,then give it another 3-7 days to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then dry hop 1 week to 10 days. If you dry hop too early,the hop oils coat the settling yeast & go to the bottom.

 

[leokatero]

so it foams or something. Anyway, guy had a blow out when he he dropped in hops.

 

[mcangeli]

Follow the instructions.

The longer you dry hop, the greater effect it will have on the finished product. If you're going for a specific style and the recipe says to dry hop for 4 days before bottling or kegging, do that. Just bottled my first batch and the hardest part was the waiting. I gave it two weeks before I checked the FG, and then waited and checked it again three days later. It was the same, so then I dry hopped for 4 days and then bottled.

Glad I did. I poured some from the bottom of the bucket into a glass after the rest was bottled (52 bottles) and it was awesome. Will be even better cold and carbonated. Now more waiting.

 

[unionrdr]

In regard to hop schedules,the instructions would get you to where the beer is intended to be flavor/aroma-wise. But for my own recipes,7 day dry hop works a treat.

 

[DMTnew2brew]

Well, I dry hopped a day earlier than the direction said, now I'm gonna give it the 7 days the directions call for. But as for kegging, the directions give guidance for bottling, and say to let it sit in the bottles for 7-10 days, since I'm kegging, do I need to do that?

 

[unionrdr]

Even though you're kegging,you still need to give the beer time to condition the flavors & aromas.

 

[DMTnew2brew]

I know I have to wait, but that additional 7-10 days it calls for after bottling is so it can carbonate and what not in the bottles right

 

[mike_in_ak]

And guess what! 7-10 is the minimum again! So don't drink it all on day 10.

There's a ton of talk on here about aging. But a common theme is that stuff gets better in bottles at least for the first several months.

I started drinking my last IPA at 10 days, but I know that it will be much better at 1 month.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,in bottles 3-4 weeks is a good average. Kegging I understand is a week or two on average to condition.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

I read that you're kegging and figured you must have been doing this a while. Now it sounds like you're pretty new.

There's a pretty steadfast rule with all of this: don't rush things. 10 days is very short in general for primary.

10 days is actually a pretty standard time for fermentation. There is no need to let things sit for 3-4 weeks providing you have pitched enough healthy yeast. Talk to any professional brewer and they will tell you the same. There are a few exceptions based on yeast strain and style of course.

As far as aging goes, most session style beers (<6% abv) should be ready to drink as soon as they are carbed up. The reason most homebrewers advocate longer "conditioning" is because their brewing technique and process are not good. Improper yeast pitch and poor fermentation practices are usually the biggest culprits.

Dry hopping has several schools of thought and each has their own merits. Many people who make great beer will disagree on the proper way to dry hop. Some like a shorter 3-5 day contact, some like 10-14 day contact, some like to dry hop cooler around 50-60F, while some like to dry hop at fermentation temps. Some say to dry hop towards the end of fermentation so any residual O2 can get eaten up by the yeast, while some say to let the beer clear so the hop oils don't stick to the yeast cells. All of these techniques just need to be tried and experienced until you find what works best for you and your process. I have gone back and forth over the years and now tend to clear the beer first and dry hop for no more than 5 days. I have found that for me, this limits the excess tannins and green vegetative flavors(grassiness) that I don't like as much in my beer.

 

[unionrdr]

In my own experiences,beers generally do not condition as fast as they carbonate. The malts & hops need time to meld into the final product. Processes aside. A bad process can need more time to get rid of of flavors,etc. But carbing & conditioning do not happen at the same rate.