Dry Hopping Final Gravity

[nsmills83]

I'm still pretty new to brewing. About to brew my first batch of IPA and dry hop in the secondary.

Does dry hopping have any affect on the final gravity readings, when calculating alcohol%?

 

[Uziyahu]

I can't imagine it would. By the time you add your hops to the secondary, fermentation should be done. I've never had a change in gravity when dry-hopping.

 

[mux]

You should wait until fermentation is complete. after you have a consistent gravity reading you can dry hop in the primary, secondary, keg. I have done all and usually drop a hop sock in the keg now. Hops will have no effect on terminal gravity.

 

[nsmills83]

You should wait until fermentation is complete. after you have a consistent gravity reading you can dry hop in the primary, secondary, keg. I have done all and usually drop a hop sock in the keg now. Hops will have no effect on terminal gravity.

Thank you!

When do you consider fermentation complete? After so many days, or after the airlock stops bubbling?

 

[LoneWolfPR]

When the hydrometer stops changing.

 

[homebrewdad]

Thank you!

When do you consider fermentation complete? After so many days, or after the airlock stops bubbling?

Bubbles mean nothing at all. Fermentation is not done until gravity readings are stable when talen two days apart.

Even then, you may want to leave the beer for a few days more, to allow the yeast to metabolize any byproducts and thus clean up the beer.

A lot of the vets here tend to go with three week primaries, no matter what the recipe calls for.

Hopes give you no sugars - which is what affects gravity, so dry hopping has nothing to do with gravity. Sugars come from grain, extract, or some adjuncts (table sugar, molasses, honey, etc).

 

[nsmills83]

Bubbles mean nothing at all. Fermentation is not done until gravity readings are stable when talen two days apart.

Even then, you may want to leave the beer for a few days more, to allow the yeast to metabolize any byproducts and thus clean up the beer.

A lot of the vets here tend to go with three week primaries, no matter what the recipe calls for.

Hopes give you no sugars - which is what affects gravity, so dry hopping has nothing to do with gravity. Sugars come from grain, extract, or some adjuncts (table sugar, molasses, honey, etc).

Thanks a bunch! Excited to see how it turns out

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

My thoughts on this, is that hops contain oil. This oil is what we are extracting from the hops when dry hopping. Oil stays in a droplet form within water, as the two don't mix. Would the additional oil extracted from your hops cause your hydrometer to give you an incorrect FG? I have recently read that Sierra Nevada begins dry hopping when the gravity is within 1 degree plato of target FG, so the yeast is still active, so that co2 dispersed from yeast can push out any oxygen within the hops. The addition of hop oils when measuring final gravity may or may not alter the gravity of the beer, as oil does not congregate with water.