Dry Hopping: Necessary to move to Secondary?

[Atlmustang]

I know the secondary racking is discussed ad nauseum here but I've seen the only times it is probably best to do it is adding fruit or dry hopping. Can you not just throw in the hops in primary after primary fermentation period and get the same effect?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

No need to rack to secondary for dry hopping unless you want to harvest yeast.

 

[freisste]

That's what I do. I've never secondary'd an IPA and they come out great. No need to secondary for dry hops.

 

[h22lude]

Just as the others have said, no need for secondary. As a matter of fact, some breweries (and home brewers) are experimenting with dry hopping during fermentation (usually as it slows down, day 4 or 5) in primary and have made some of the best beers I have tasted.

 

[Revvy]

I dry hop in primary as well. Thank you for reminding me, that today's the day.

 

[BuglessDuster]

I know the secondary racking is discussed ad nauseum here but I've seen the only times it is probably best to do it is adding fruit or dry hopping. Can you not just throw in the hops in primary after primary fermentation period and get the same effect?

I usually do move my beer to a secondary prior to dry hopping, but after reading a few comments here, I decided to dry hop in my primary on my current batch.

 

[EcuPirate07]

So this will be my first time trying gelatin. I've read using gelatin can deminish hop aroma if you have already dry hopped, and it might be best to cold crash with gelatin, then bring it back up to room temp, dry hop, then cold crash again to drop out debris. This doable in primary only? I feel like it's a go but just checking, I haven't racked to secondaries in forever.

 

[Atlmustang]

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the input!

Tonight was my first bottle night. Time for a keg system lol. It wasn't too bad honestly. But I want the keg.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the input!

Tonight was my first bottle night. Time for a keg system lol. It wasn't too bad honestly. But I want the keg.

You really don't want the keg. With that you have 5 gallons of a single beer on tap. With bottles (provided you have room to store them) you can make and have several different beers on hand and can have a choice of beers to chill and drink.

 

[RM-MN]

So this will be my first time trying gelatin. I've read using gelatin can deminish hop aroma if you have already dry hopped, and it might be best to cold crash with gelatin, then bring it back up to room temp, dry hop, then cold crash again to drop out debris. This doable in primary only? I feel like it's a go but just checking, I haven't racked to secondaries in forever.

That schedule sounds like a nightmare. Instead of all that extra work why not just let your beer have more time to settle out in the fermenter, then dry hop. Try 3 weeks before dry hopping for a week (4 weeks total in the fermenter) and then bottle or keg.

 

[PADave]

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the input!

Tonight was my first bottle night. Time for a keg system lol. It wasn't too bad honestly. But I want the keg.

I felt the same way after bottling the first few times and thought about kegging because of how easy everyone says it is. Now I got my process down, and bottling day is pretty painless. I personally want nothing to do kegs, would much rather bottle.

 

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

You really don't want the keg. With that you have 5 gallons of a single beer on tap. With bottles (provided you have room to store them) you can make and have several different beers on hand and can have a choice of beers to chill and drink.

Or, build yourself a 3 tap system, and have 5 gallons of 3 different beers on draft. And bottle batches to put in the fridge as well. And use a DIY beer gun and bottle after a keg, and put that in the fridge. Result? You don't lose selection of beers, you just expand it to "draft or bottle"?