Dry hopping time question

[RRR_BrewCo]

I'm planning on brewing a pale ale this weekend and was considering attempting a dry hop in the secondary fermentor. I'm fairly new to all this, so I was wondering what would be a good length of time to dry hop with one ounce of whole cascade? The guys at my home brew store suggested racking on top of the hops which I could put in a sanitized bag at the bottom of my carboy.

I've just been reading various posts about problems with dry hopping too long. Should I just rack on top of the hops and let the secondary ferment last just a week? Would it be ok to let them stay in for two weeks? Maybe add them in for just the last week of secondary fermentation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DannPM]

Once fermentation is complete you can put them right in the "primary." I'll some others knowledge about dh answer the length question.

 

[day_trippr]

I definitely recommend dry hopping in the last week of "fermenting" (whether you use a secondary or not).

As for technique, I always hop with pellets, let them swim free for 5 or 6 days, then crash cool them to the bottom, then immediately keg and start it on "set and forget" carbonation in one of my fridges.

I've noticed if I let the dry hopping run much longer that the aroma punch is already starting to wane a bit from its peak, though I've never let it run long enough to start picking up any veggie/grassy notes...

Cheers!

 

[Carter5112]

Sanitation isn't really an issue with dry hopping so don't worry too much about that. I generally dry hop for 7 to 14 days. I would think somewhere in that range you've dissolved all the oils and then the hops are just hanging out. What did you read about issues with dry hopping too long? I believe lots of people stick a sack of hops in with their kegs while serving with no ill effects.

 

[RRR_BrewCo]

Sanitation isn't really an issue with dry hopping so don't worry too much about that. I generally dry hop for 7 to 14 days. I would think somewhere in that range you've dissolved all the oils and then the hops are just hanging out. What did you read about issues with dry hopping too long? I believe lots of people stick a sack of hops in with their kegs while serving with no ill effects.

I was reading a thread which talked about a grassy taste after dry hopping for two weeks. But it seemed that the grassy/vegetable taste could have been caused by something else. I will plan on dropping them in for the last week. Thanks everyone for the advice!