Dry Hopping

[Beerisnom]

I've been working with extracts thus far, and am about to venture out into my first non-kit recipe (The Blood Moon IPA that Bowlersp put up on this site in the Recipe Database under IPA's).

The recipe calls for dry hopping one week into the fermentation process (after primary fermentation is completed). I've dry-hopped before, but the instructions always called for dry hopping right when you seal up the fermentation barrel. What is the purpose of waiting for a week to dry hop rather than doing it right at the start of fermentation?

 

[brettg20]

Because you will lose aroma if you dry hop during fermentation. The yeast and CO2 that is created will drive away the aroma.

 

[bobeer]

not only will you lose aroma from fermentation but the oils and stuff can prohibit the yeast from top fermentation, as ales do, so your attenuation might also suffer.

Plus you want to wait until you're about 5-7 days from bottling/kegging so you can let your beer condition for a bit before you add the hops. Any more than 10 days or so dry hopping and your beer will have sort of a grassy taste from leaving them in for too long.

So let the beer ferment out and condition a little bit then add the dry hops for 5-7 days then package.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I would wait longer than a week into fermentation. I always wait until I hit FG..typically about 2 weeks after fermentation begins then dry hop for another week, then bottle. If it's a bigger beer, I will go 3 weeks and then dry hop on the 4th then bottle.