Dry hopping

[KW9375]

I'm racking an IPA to secondary carboy tonight. I plan on cold crashing for 7-8 days before bottling. I'm also planning on dry hopping 1 oz Mosaic hops pellets and 1 oz Citra hops pellets, but I'm not sure when I should throw them in? I'm also hoping that by cold crashing, all the pellets will sink to the bottom, and then I can siphon from the very top when racking to bottling bucket. How many days should I leave the hops in before racking to bottling bucket? 3-5 days?


In Secondary: Belgian tripel
In Primary: Gateway IPA (original recipe)

 

[Peyope]

I typically dry hop for seven days then cold crash my ipa for a few days. I dry hop when I move to the secondary and don't leave it in for more than 14 days; I've read to not dry hop for more than 14 days cause it could create a grassy taste.

For what it's worth you probably would be just as fine with 4-5 days.

 

[KW9375]

Do you think it makes a difference if I go ahead and cold crash now? Then about 4-5 days before I bottle, add the hops? Or should I dry hop first, and then cold crash a few days before bottling? I have a chest freezer with a temp controller.


In Secondary: Belgian tripel
In Primary: Man Dog IPA (original recipe)

 

[Peyope]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/cold-crash-while-dry-hopping-329796/

Did a quick search and found a thread saying that it will take a lot longer to get the aroma from dry hoping at cold temps. Makes sense, my guess is it has to do with oils being released more freely at warmer Temps.

So I'd say dry hop now 4-5 days then crash later.

 

[PrinceOfThePoint]

Personally I don't think cold crashing for 7-8 days is necessary. I would add the dry hops for about 5 days at room temp and then cold crash for 2. It's your call though!

 

[LakeErieMonster]

Personally I don't think cold crashing for 7-8 days is necessary. I would add the dry hops for about 5 days at room temp and then cold crash for 2. It's your call though!

^This for sure.

 

[Roadie]

Personally I don't think cold crashing for 7-8 days is necessary. I would add the dry hops for about 5 days at room temp and then cold crash for 2. It's your call though!

+2.

If you were set on cold crashing now you could do that and then let the beer warm back up to room temperature, then dry hop for 3-5 days (I usually do 4 days) and then cold crash again. You will probably have hop haze from dry hopping which is why people usually forgo the cold crash until finished dry hopping. Whatever hasn't dropped after 2-3 days of cold crashing isn't going to.

We poured a huge IPA at a festival last weekend that I dry hopped 6 times at 4 days each (removing the old dry hops and replacing it with the new batch). In total over a pound of dry hops. We transported the kegs to the event a few hours before it started to set up and let the beer settle. Once it started the first few glasses were a little cloudy but then it poured crystal clear. When we handed people their glasses the first thing most did was smell the beer and almost universally the response was "WOW".

 

[KW9375]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm a newbie and this is my 4th batch of brewing, but it's my first original recipe. I have a lot to learn. So I put the carboy in my temp controlled vessel last night and set it at 36*F, and did not throw in the hops pellets yet. Sounds like I need to jump that temp back up today...maybe throw in hops tomorrow...and in 4-5 days, cold crash it for 2-3 days...and then bottle it. Should I set the temp high, at maybe 76*F for the dry hopping?

 

[PrinceOfThePoint]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm a newbie and this is my 4th batch of brewing, but it's my first original recipe. I have a lot to learn. So I put the carboy in my temp controlled vessel last night and set it at 36*F, and did not throw in the hops pellets yet. Sounds like I need to jump that temp back up today...maybe throw in hops tomorrow...and in 4-5 days, cold crash it for 2-3 days...and then bottle it. Should I set the temp high, at maybe 76*F for the dry hopping?

No compelling reason to set it any higher than a normal room temperature of about 70-72. But hey, try it out. It couldn't really hurt, assuming fermentation is essentially finished.

 

[KW9375]

No compelling reason to set it any higher than a normal room temperature of about 70-72. But hey, try it out

OK, thanks. I just tossed out 76 because that's about room temp in my house (Texas).

 

[PrinceOfThePoint]

OK, thanks. I just tossed out 76 because that's about room temp in my house (Texas).

That would be totally fine

 

[Wes440]

I'd put each ounce of hop pellets into fine mesh dry hop bags to minimize hop trub.

There are the common disposable type that are cheapest called muslin bags, but I've also found a finer mesh bag sold at ~$5 or so each at most home brew stores with tie strings. These are much more effective at holding all the hop particles in from your beer, and also quite sturdy for multiple reuses.

Just don't put more than 1.5 ounces in each bag, or they're near impossible to remove!

 

[grainbill]

Dry hopping, in secondary, a Vienna Lager now. Currently at 46 degrees and dropping 2 per day. Hops will be "on" for 14 days and then transfer to tertiary for a least 6 more weeks...

 

[WNCBrewman]

with dry hopping when the beer is cold. Pellets tend to sink straight to the bottom and are less effective. As a result I have had better success dry hopping at 60+ degrees and making sure my pellets have warmed up to room temps before I chunk them in. I have also had them sink to bottom of carboy when I threw them in straight from the freezer. I have found that If I dont get a good layer of hop debris to cover the surface of my IPA for the first couple of days before they fall on their own, I dont get near the amount of hop punch. I have also had IPA's that I have cold crashed after the pellets have almost completely fell out only to end up with an oxidized off taste. It isnt there at bottling time, but appears after they are carbed up. Cold crashing is very effective to compact the yeast and the hop debris. However, I will no longer do it with my dry hopped beers and I belive I am getting some type of oxygen suck back into by carboy when I drop the temp down as it sits in my chamber giving an oxidized off flavor. The IPA's or dry hopped pales that I have not cold crashed, have improved and have that hop kick and no indication of off flavors. Cheers.

 

[Yooper]

Do you think it makes a difference if I go ahead and cold crash now? Then about 4-5 days before I bottle, add the hops? Or should I dry hop first, and then cold crash a few days before bottling? I have a chest freezer with a temp controller.


In Secondary: Belgian tripel
In Primary: Man Dog IPA (original recipe)

What I do, for freshest dryhopping aroma and flavor (which fade really fast!) is to make dryhopping the very last thing I do before bottling or kegging.

I dryhop about 5 days before bottling, after cold crashing or oaking or whatever else is being done.

Cold crashing a dryhopped beer means a clearer beer- but partly because the yeast will flocculate and pull out some of the hops oils with it- so I never cold crash after dryhopping.

 

[KW9375]

Interesting. So if you just throw in the hops pellets (carboy) and don't cold crash afterwards, do the hops fall to the bottom? How do you rack to bottling bucket without transferring any "gunk"?


In Secondary: Belgian tripel
In Primary: Man Dog IPA (original recipe)