Dry Hopping Pale Ales

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rodwha

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So a pale ale, to me, was always just a simple beer, a small bittering addition followed by equal flavoring and aroma additions, never a dry hop. When I dry hop an IPA as a general rule I try to use the same amount of hops as I do for the entire beer. At what sort of rate does one dry hop a much less hop forward beer?
 
I've done one dry-hopped pale, and I used something like 7g/L in it (IIRC, about 125g in a 19L batch) which felt "about right" (though I overshot my intended IBU thanks to an overexuberant whirlpool which probably masked its effect somewhat).
 
So you dry hopped yours at about the same rate as an IPA? Is that about right? I’ve wondered if half or 1/3 would even be worthwhile.
 
So you dry hopped yours at about the same rate as an IPA? Is that about right? I’ve wondered if half or 1/3 would even be worthwhile.
I forgot to update, I revisited by Brewfather and it was about 5g/L not 7g/L. 120g in 23L, so about what I'd usually dry hop and English IPA at, and about half of where I'd normally start for a West Coast.
 
I'm far from an expert on hoppy beers, but in my admittedly limited experience, alcohol contributes to the perceived hop punch. So using the same amount of hops in a lower abv beer will result in a less intensely hoppy beer.
I wouldn't dare use the (to me) absurd amounts some use in their DIPAs or NEIPAs, but I think 5g/l is a good starting point to figure out how you like your Pale Ale.
 
I'm far from an expert on hoppy beers, but in my admittedly limited experience, alcohol contributes to the perceived hop punch. So using the same amount of hops in a lower abv beer will result in a less intensely hoppy beer.
I wouldn't dare use the (to me) absurd amounts some use in their DIPAs or NEIPAs, but I think 5g/l is a good starting point to figure out how you like your Pale Ale.
I’ve made quite a few 40-50 IBU pale ales, none of which were dry hopped, and they were all excellent, some better than commercial to me (HBC-342 is/was
amazing in a pale ale), though I use a small bittering addition to get 10-20 IBUs and load up the end, but I am a bit intrigued by dry hopping to improve it if it’s worth it, but also without hitting IPA levels.

For me the hoppy pale ale is something I can swap to after drinking a few IPAs or as an all day drinker targeting 5.2% ABV and 40+ IBUs.
 
I wouldn't entirely agree or disagree with your explanation of a pale ale. It's especially tough to pin down because the lines blur into no real distinction. There are low ABV session IPAs but then pale ales clocking in at 6%. Some pale ales are dry hopped but some aren't. Some are just lower gravity IPAs, some are designed completely different. Some pale ales lean more malty, some more balanced between hop and malt character, some are very IPA all hops, all the time. I do think it is tough to make an IPA without dry hopping and give it that real sense of being an IPA. I find a pale ale can really go either way.

Personally, I don't dry hop pale ales. I tend to bitter at the start of the boil and then make one big whirlpool addition for aroma and flavor. I get plenty of clear, bright aroma and flavor out of that. These days I only add during the last half hour of the boil or flameout when I want the hops to take more of a backseat to the malt profile. (Plenty of great pale ales and IPAs use intra-boil and flameout additions.)

If you want to dry hop your pale ale, there is nothing wrong with dry hopping as aggressively as you might in an IPA. The best rule would be to taste the beer and decide whether it needs that fresher dry hop character and if so, how much would improve the beer. A safe bet for dry hopping pale ale/IPA is 1oz/gal (more would be appropriate for hazy styles) but even half or a quarter ounce per gallon might be appropriate for a pale ale. You can always add but never take back.
 
I have had good luck dry hopping a Pale Ale in the 1 to 2 oz of hops per 5 gallon batch. The last few times I have switched to adding hops in a hopstand for 20 mins at around 180F. I find that gets me similar to the amount of hop flavor and aroma that I expect from a dry hop, without having loose hops in the fermenter to deal with. I tend to dry hop an American IPA at around 4 oz, and a NEIPA at 6 to 8 oz.

I agree that amounts are personal preference. I have a 4.6% ABV beer on tap now that had 3 oz in a hopstand. I am not sure if the beer is a Hoppy Blonde, Session IPA or Pale Ale...so I just call it a Summer Ale.
 
I have had good luck dry hopping a Pale Ale in the 1 to 2 oz of hops per 5 gallon batch. The last few times I have switched to adding hops in a hopstand for 20 mins at around 180F. I find that gets me similar to the amount of hop flavor and aroma that I expect from a dry hop, without having loose hops in the fermenter to deal with. I tend to dry hop an American IPA at around 4 oz, and a NEIPA at 6 to 8 oz.

I agree that amounts are personal preference. I have a 4.6% ABV beer on tap now that had 3 oz in a hopstand. I am not sure if the beer is a Hoppy Blonde, Session IPA or Pale Ale...so I just call it a Summer Ale.
Hmmm, sounds like you just added something to my list to test, dry hopping vs whirlpool.

Something interesting is that you are adding your hopstand hops early, at a higher temp. What I had read years back was that the hotter the wort the more flavor you’d extract vs a lower temp being more aromatic. I attempted to test this but I lost interest in brewing for a bit.

For now I have 2 oz of high AA Cascade and Amarillo for single hop pale ales, maybe I’ll even use some Centennial. An ounce in 2.5 gals brings me into the low 40 IBUs, and that’s always been quite hop forward, but I may just have to try a dry hop of an ounce to see what it provides.
 
Something interesting is that you are adding your hopstand hops early, at a higher temp. What I had read years back was that the hotter the wort the more flavor you’d extract vs a lower temp being more aromatic. I attempted to test this but I lost interest in brewing for a bit.

I have not played around with may different temps for hopstands. What I read is that around 180F is where the extraction of bitterness starts to drop off, so that temp seemed like a good balance of hop flavor extraction and lower bitterness while also being in a safe pasteurization temperature range. The temp usually drops 10F or so over the 20 minutes.
 
I tend to whirlpool at ~170f (about 76°C), but I'll maintain using the element on my brewing system.
Why have you chosen 170°? It’s been quite some years now, but what I recall seemed to focus around the magic numbers of 185° and 155° for whirlpooling. I attempted to test this, but gave up on brewing for awhile.
 
Why have you chosen 170°? It’s been quite some years now, but what I recall seemed to focus around the magic numbers of 185° and 155° for whirlpooling. I attempted to test this, but gave up on brewing for awhile.
Because it's where I've personally got the best results- significantly reduced bittering compared to 80°C or up but should keep oils nice and soluble. I've never tried whirlpooling below 70°C but I have at or above 80°C and prefer the result from a lower temperature.

I'm pretty happy with my whirlpool utilisation and don't feel the need to experiment too much with something that works well for me, but YMMV.
 
Because it's where I've personally got the best results- significantly reduced bittering compared to 80°C or up but should keep oils nice and soluble. I've never tried whirlpooling below 70°C but I have at or above 80°C and prefer the result from a lower temperature.

I'm pretty happy with my whirlpool utilisation and don't feel the need to experiment too much with something that works well for me, but YMMV.
Apparently I need to revisit testing whirlpool temps. I’ve generally cooled it quickly to 185° and then let it ride for 30 mins whirlpooling it here and there throughout. My temp drops down around 150° or so by the time I’m done. So for a good portion of my whirlpool I’m around your desired temp. I’ve liked what I got.
 
I brewed this beer 2 days ago.
https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/pages/electric-pale-ale#Recipe
It's fermenting away and smells wonderful. My dilemma is I just realized I don't have any Citra for dry hopping. Looking for a recommendation which if any, or combination to might be an alternative to Citra.

My current hop variety inventory is:
Centennial
Amarillo
Mosaic
Azacca
Belma
Chinook
Idaho 7
 
I like using a dry hop that is also used in the boil so I would go more centennial and amarillo also seems closest to what citra would add.

Mosaic or Azacca would bring something different from citra but seem like they would be OK.
 
Mosaic, definitely. Plays awesomely with Citra, I use those two together often.

After that, in the order I'd play them: Idaho 7, Azacca (I use those two together with Strata for one of my hazies), Amarillo, Chinook (I often use those two together in my wcipas), then finally Centennial (but only if it's GOOD Centennial - no garlic or onion undertones desired!). Then find someone who'll take the Belma away ;)

Cheers!
 
lol - apologies, I should have read the recipe. I thought the OP had used Citra in the kettle and was looking for something to go with it :)
Anyway...One could literally use any of the hops they have on hand - except the Belma - but I'd go with Mosaic in this case. They'll love it!

Cheers!
 
I brewed this beer 2 days ago.
https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/pages/electric-pale-ale#Recipe
It's fermenting away and smells wonderful. My dilemma is I just realized I don't have any Citra for dry hopping. Looking for a recommendation which if any, or combination to might be an alternative to Citra.

My current hop variety inventory is:
Centennial
Amarillo
Mosaic
Azacca
Belma
Chinook
Idaho 7
None of them is comparable to citra but all of them are great, don't know belma though. You can use each of them. Some of them are pretty much characters on their own, like mosaic and Chinook. Amarillo can also be quite distinctive, depending on the year. I'd probably go with Chinook, but that's because I really like that one.
 
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