Dry hopping

[Rhymenoceros]

So I'm making a pale ale for my third batch, and I dont really know how to go about dry hopping. any suggestions?

 

[daktruckie99]

Drop 1oz of Cascades into your secondary for 7-10 days.

 

[bdnoona]

Throw whatever hops you want to use in your beer for 7-14 days before bottling or kegging. I've done it with Cascade, Centennial and Amarillo; they all made great beer. When you rack to bottling or keg, try to strain as much out as possible. Mmm, delicous hops.

Edit: I usually use 1 oz per 5G's.

 

[KDM]

7-10 days, 7-14 days . . . then what, yank 'em back out? I've always wondered...

 

[A4J]

7-10 days, 7-14 days . . . then what, yank 'em back out? I've always wondered...

If I'm dry hopping in a keg, I just leave it in, but if you're doing it primary or secondary, yes, you yank it out.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Siphon to your bottling bucket with 'em in there. You might want to tie a muslin bag around the end of your auto siphon to help filter out the hops.

I typically dry hop with leaf because it results in a clearer end product.

 

[bdnoona]

Well, by that point you'll be racking to your bottling bucket or keg. Strain them out in the process. If using whole hops (which I've never done for DH) you can use something sanitized to fish out whatever is on the top and leave whatever dropped out to the bottom. When using pellets, I siphon them through a paint strainer and it catches 99% of the hop residue that remains in large clumps. Piece of cake.

 

[zippyslug31]

Thanks for posting this question... it's been on my mind as well.

One thing that seems odd to me about DH though: everybody says to keep grains far away from your wort after you cool it since the husks have lots of nasty bacteria. Why aren't hops just as nasty since they just look like a bunch of yard debris???
I read yesterday that hops are a natural antiseptic (or something to this effect).... are they naturally a decontaminate?

 

[TexasStu]

I believe it's the acidic composition of hops.

 

[BarleyWater]

Hops are naturally bacteriostatic, preventing cell replication in bacterias and yeasts.

 

[coeceo]

Hops are naturally bacteriostatic, preventing cell replication in bacterias and yeasts.

Woah. That sounded cool.

Also by this point your wort is now mostly beer and the alcohol is usually strong enough to kill bacteria, like the bacteria in the unsanitized bag you used to put your hops in. Or your fingers.

 

[0202]

There are wild things that will devour your alcoholic beer.

Also, some people use metal tea balls or mesh capsules
on chains to dry hop, and pull the steeper out when it's
time to rack.

 

[BierMuncher]

I like to dry hop with pellets. Seems to saturate the beer more.

1 to 1.5 ounces for 5-7 days for me.

Then the ole paint strainer around the racking cane to avoid siphoning them into the bottling bucket or keg.

 

[mr_clean]

Dry hopping adds a nice aroma

 

[secinarot]

Would dry hopping be appropriate for an American Amber Ale? I have one in the primary now and have some leftover Cascade and Centennial so I was thinking about using them to dry hop.

 

[defenestrate]

Would dry hopping be appropriate for an American Amber Ale? I have one in the primary now and have some leftover Cascade and Centennial so I was thinking about using them to dry hop.

yes sir, i'm going to add centennial to my amber for a DH. bud american ale does it!

 

[Rhymenoceros]

yes sir, i'm going to add centennial to my amber for a DH. bud american ale does it!

Because when I think of good brewing examples, I think Bud.

 

[defenestrate]

Because when I think of good brewing examples, I think Bud.

hence the

 

[Rhymenoceros]

I should have had a too.

 

[secinarot]

Then the ole paint strainer around the racking cane to avoid siphoning them into the bottling bucket or keg.

BM, what do you use to secure the strainer around the cane? Can you use a sanitized rubber band?

 

[bdnoona]

I'm sure anything like that would work, just make sure you sanitize it.

 

[KDM]

So why's it called 'dry hopping'? Looks like they get wet to me.

 

[defenestrate]

So why's it called 'dry hopping'? Looks like they get wet to me.

i'm thinking it has something to do with the beer being fermented, maybe thats what the "dry" means? i'm probably completely wrong.

 

[BierMuncher]

BM, what do you use to secure the strainer around the cane? Can you use a sanitized rubber band?

Use a zip tie.
Zip ties rule. :rockin:

I like to keep a pair wire snips near by to cut them when I'm done.
Wire snips rule. :rockin:

If you don't have any handy....a rubber band will work fine.
Rubber bands rule. :rockin: