Dry Hopping

[BadgerBrigade]

I have only tried two ciders with hops... But so far I think I like hopped cider more than anything else. There is something about it I can't put my finger on? I have tried Anthem Hopped and I have tried Tieton Yukima Vally Hopped.

I'm assuming that there is only one way to hop cider? But I sometimes hear it referred to as dry hopping? Is this different?
In your opinion what does this do, what are the benefits and what are the drawbacks. Is a hopped cider still gluten-free or does gluten only apply to grains?

Maybe you can also tell about your experience with hopping a cider and a little bit about the method of doing this.

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

Since you don't have a hop schedule in a boiling wort like beer, dry hopping is the only method I am aware of. (I guess you could boil the juice) I suppose there are different ways to approach it though. A hop tea, adding at the beginning of fermentation, in secondary...

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Since you don't have a hop schedule in a boiling wort like beer, dry hopping is the only method I am aware of. (I guess you could boil the juice) I suppose there are different ways to approach it though. A hop tea, adding at the beginning of fermentation, in secondary...

Okay so then dry hopping is pretty much the normal way to go?
How is this done and what does it do to the cider? Still gluten-free?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

I would just rack your cider on top of hops in the secondary and let it sit until you get the desired taste. As far as being gluten free...I assume it would be since it's just a flower. But you'd have to check to make sure.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I would just rack your cider on top of hops in the secondary and let it sit until you get the desired taste. As far as being gluten free...I assume it would be since it's just a flower. But you'd have to check to make sure.

What type of timeframe are we looking at for the cider to sit on the Hops? The reason I ask is because I plan to rack it off the yeast cake probably after about three weeks or a month from primary into secondary... Then I'm going to let it sit in secondary for about three months, So if it takes only a month then I will do it at the last month... Unless I'm not supposed to do it this way?
And do I just put them in loose or do I need to put them in a little hops bag? I'm using a glass carboy so the neck is small, not like a bucket

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

If you use pellet hops they start out small, but will swell up, so I would suggest just putting them in the carboy...not in a bag. They will eventually settle out or you can rack from underneath them.

I would start tasting your cider at 7-10 days. There are so many variables involved it's hard to say exactly how it should be handled. Hops will vary among the varieties as to how much Alpha Acids they contain. The higher the AA the more it's going to attribute to the flavor/aroma of the cider. You'll also have to consider the flavor of the hops. Some impart Pine, Citrus, Spice, Floral, Mint...the list goes on and on.

I use this list quite often when looking for hops to brew with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties

You could always let it age for three months in secondary, rack to gallon jugs and try different varieties in each jug for varying lengths of time.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

If you use pellet hops they start out small, but will swell up, so I would suggest just putting them in the carboy...not in a bag. They will eventually settle out or you can rack from underneath them.

I would start tasting your cider at 7-10 days. There are so many variables involved it's hard to say exactly how it should be handled. Hops will vary among the varieties as to how much Alpha Acids they contain. The higher the AA the more it's going to attribute to the flavor/aroma of the cider. You'll also have to consider the flavor of the hops. Some impart Pine, Citrus, Spice, Floral, Mint...the list goes on and on.

I use this list quite often when looking for hops to brew with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties

You could always let it age for three months in secondary, rack to gallon jugs and try different varieties in each jug for varying lengths of time.

I see 6% AA Summit hops In the BrandonO Graff recipe? I wonder if I should try that in a jug? I have only made cider and never made any beer so I'm very unfamiliar with hops. What would be closest to the hop flavor that they use in cider normally off of the shelf? I would assume it would be something not too bold? If I was going to do three different 1 gallon test batches what do you feel the best three hops choices would be for you?

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I think that's what I'm going to do... I'm going to do three 1 gallon test batches...
I am very interested to hear what Pickled Peppers three hops choices are going to be, but I would also like to hear what the rest of you would choose as your three choices would be.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I use this list quite often when looking for hops to brew with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties

Thanks for this by the way

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

I've made a few batches of Graf and just never seemed to find a combo that worked for me. I'm partial to UK varieties and I've been using Kent Goldings and Challenger in all of my beers lately. That doesn't mean that I would use them in cider though A lot of hops have certain attributes (apricot, tropical fruit, currant) but these qualities might not show up unless they are boiled in a wort. Again...a lot of variables involved.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

So guys.... Give me your three favorite choices for Dry Hopping....
Gonna do 3 experiments this Sunday and I need to have three good hops choices. Keep in mind I knew to Hops not that it matters I guess..

 

[ChasidicCalvinist]

I made a 3 gallon batch of cider and dry hopped it with .5oz of cascade. It was awesome. There is another thread on the cider forum somewhere which is where I got the recipe. I've also dry-hopped with centennial...I don't recommend that. When I do it again--and I will--I'll be using cascade again.

Yes, it is gluten free. All hops are gluten free. I actually only brew gf and if that is something you are interested in there is actually an excellent forum on here for GF brewing.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I made a 3 gallon batch of cider and dry hopped it with .5oz of cascade. It was awesome. There is another thread on the cider forum somewhere which is where I got the recipe. I've also dry-hopped with centennial...I don't recommend that. When I do it again--and I will--I'll be using cascade again.

Yes, it is gluten free. All hops are gluten free. I actually only brew gf and if that is something you are interested in there is actually an excellent forum on here for GF brewing.

Do you have any additions or changes you do to Brandon O's recipe?

I will do one with cascade

Now maybe a Belgian hop? Or German?
Or English? (I'm assuming cascade hop is American)

 

[iluv2brew]

I remember correctly I once tried a cider that had been hopped with Amarillo hops. What about trying Willamette? It's mild, slightly spicy, fruity, floral, a little earthy. Sounds like something that might compliment a cider.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I remember correctly I once tried a cider that had been hopped with Amarillo hops. What about trying Willamette? It's mild, slightly spicy, fruity, floral, a little earthy. Sounds like something that might compliment a cider.

Sounds good... What cider had Amarillo and tell me about it. I've never used hops...

 

[iluv2brew]

I doubled checked my facts and I was only partly correct about the Amarillo hops in the cider I tasted. The cider is Reverend Nat's Hallelujah hopricot. This cider has it all. apples Apricot juice and a combo of Cascade hops and amarillo hops. Check out their site:
http://reverendnatshardcider.com/my-ciders/
If your interested in other hopped ciders type in ciders for hop heads. There is a pretty good online story about 4 or 5 different hopped ciders.

 

[LandoAllen]

I am currently dry hopping three one gallon batches that I'm making for two friends and my father. I use Czech Saaz for all my ciders. I normally use about 0.1 oz per gallon (using pellets) and I let the hops sit for 4-7 days. I use tea bags and empty out the tea. Then I tie off one end and put the hops and one glass marble into the bag. then I tie off the other end with the string so i can suspend the hops about in the middle so it wont sink all the way. Then I dunk the bags in Star San solution to kill off anything bad. The slight bitterness and aroma really compliments the sweet/slight tartness of the cider.

 

[CRock303]

I've had dry hopped ciders with cascade, simcoe, xythos, and sorachi ace. I really like the cascade and simcoe. The sorachi ace i did myself and it is still kind of in development, but the hop flavor was pretty good.

 

[skaDank]

I just kegged one that was dry hopped with a half oz of Cluster for 10 days. The citrus notes work really well IMHO.

 

[TheCollector]

I'm very interested in all this as well. Though I haven't made a cider yet..... Could you try steeping the hops around 150 degrees like we do with specialty grains??? And also what about Chinook hops? Bet they'd be great in one and +1 to cascade hops!

 

[LandoAllen]

I'm am about to start a side by side comparison between Saaz and Citra hops to see which I like better. I've read that Citra has a lot of fruity flavors that it gives off and I thought this would be ideal for a cider.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Okay folks, today is the day! I am heading down to the brew store after I get out of the shower!
I am definitely going to do the cascade hops & A few others that were mentioned so far on this thread...

If you have any ideas about hops styles or types, please chime in today. I am curious what you guys think would be good hop to try

 

[TheCollector]

Good luck! And happy st. Patty's!

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Update: I used .28 oz of the Mosaic hops in a 1 gallon batch and .5 oz of Cascade hops in a 3 gallon.

I'm crossing my fingers

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Update: I just carbed up the hopped cider...

I have Cascade in one batch, Mosaic in one batch and the cider that I just carbonated is a mix of both and I think I like hopped cider better than anything in the world!!

This is so good I recommend anyone who has not dry hopped a cider to do so!

 

[Fermentdean]

Update: I just carbed up the hopped cider...

I have Cascade in one batch, Mosaic in one batch and the cider that I just carbonated is a mix of both and I think I like hopped cider better than anything in the world!!

This is so good I recommend anyone who has not dry hopped a cider to do so!

That sounds great I haven't tried the hop thing yet, how do you go about it. I just bottled 5 gals last night and have another month till the next one is ready, I will try it on that one, any info you could share would be great ... Thanks

 

[BadgerBrigade]

That sounds great I haven't tried the hop thing yet, how do you go about it. I just bottled 5 gals last night and have another month till the next one is ready, I will try it on that one, any info you could share would be great ... Thanks

If you want to do the whole 5 gallons just throw in the hops pellets like I did about a week before you bottle.... Try the Cascade or Mosaic...
I would use .5oz to .7oz... (A few of the guys suggest .1 ounce per gallon, But I really wanted to know what this flavor was like so I used a bit more)
Make sure you get some cheesecloth, Sanitize it along with a rubber band and wrap that around the tip of your racking cane so you can filter the sediment and larger pieces... But seriously dude once you do this you will be dry hopping cider all the time! It's 4:00 PM where I am and I cannot wait to get home for my evening glass of cider!

 

[LandoAllen]

+1 to dry hopping. I am about to try Citra hops this time since it supposedly gives fruity tastes so I figured it would compliment cider well.

 

[LandoAllen]

That sounds great I haven't tried the hop thing yet, how do you go about it. I just bottled 5 gals last night and have another month till the next one is ready, I will try it on that one, any info you could share would be great ... Thanks

Read thorough this whole thread and you will get a better idea of how it works.

 

[Fermentdean]

If you want to do the whole 5 gallons just throw in the hops pellets like I did about a week before you bottle.... Try the Cascade or Mosaic...
I would use .5oz to .7oz... (A few of the guys suggest .1 ounce per gallon, But I really wanted to know what this flavor was like so I used a bit more)
Make sure you get some cheesecloth, Sanitize it along with a rubber band and wrap that around the tip of your racking cane so you can filter the sediment and larger pieces... But seriously dude once you do this you will be dry hopping cider all the time! It's 4:00 PM where I am and I cannot wait to get home for my evening glass of cider!

Hey guys thanks for the advise. It does sound like one of those " you'll never go back again " type of things! My cider is killer and I like it dry, my last batch leaned just a bit towards sweet, barely , still great but if that same batch was hopped I bet it would turn into a top secret recipe. Thanks again and Badger I see I'm just up the big pond from you im in HMB