First Dry Hop

[J_B_22]

Hey all,

Finished brewing my 2nd batch on Saturday, and it was an even better time than the first! We brewed a pale ale, and it calls to dry hop, but doesn’t indicate when and for how long. I’ve searched through this forum and reddit about optimal timing of when to add dry hops. I’ve seen a wide range of responses saying around the 3-4 day so the real active fermentation gets rid of oxidation that’s introduced when added. I’ve seen people suggest 3-4 days before bottling to avoid undesired grassy flavors.

If hops are added after the first 3-4 days of fermentation, should they be removed 4-5 days after as to not introduce any grassy flavors, or will that introduce oxygen that was hoped to be avoided by adding during active fermentation.

Basically just wondering your guys processes and thoughts on the topic!

 

[Kaz]

Lately, I've tried to add dry hops a few points before the beer hits FG. Then let them on the hops for about 5 days and then transfer to a keg or secondary to condition.

 

[IslandLizard]

You can leave most dry hops in for a week, even 2, without any problems. Most extraction is done after 5 days, sooner if you agitate periodically.

I think grassy flavors are a myth with most high alpha IPA type hops. Now, with noble hops it's probably a different story.

Avoid secondaries, they're old hat, not needed, and can be detrimental to your beer causing oxidation and increase the risk of infection. There are very, very few exceptions, all well outside beginner brewing and 99.999% of all beers brewed.

What kind of fermentation vessel are you using?
Bottling or kegging?
Do you have CO2 on hand?

 

[J_B_22]

Simple plastic bucket FVs, no C02. In a small apartment, so not much space for a larger operation at the moment

 

[IslandLizard]

Simple plastic bucket FVs, no C02. In a small apartment, so not much space for a larger operation at the moment

Just drop the pellets in through the airlock hole, one by one. It's the least intrusive and mostly preserves the CO2 in the headspace. Gently swirl the bucket once or twice a day. Resting it on a small (tennis) ball eases the swirling, make sure to firmly hold on to the top. Ready to package after 5 days. They should have all sunk by then.

You could tie a (small) sanitized mesh bag or a piece of voile material over the end of the racking hose (the end that goes into your bottling bucket) to catch any hop particles that make it through. Avoid any aeration during transfer.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I'm anal about O2 ingress so if I were you I'd try to dry hop at the end of fermentation when there's still some activity(but slowing), to help purge the headspace. I would not recommend dry hopping after fermentation is complete unless you have a way to thoroughly purge it. Although a lot of homebrewers do it and still make pretty good beer but I don't think they're making the best beer they could.

Unless you've brewed the exact batch before and/or are pulling quite a few samples it's a general guess though where you're at. Based on lag time, type of yeast, how healthy the pitch was, etc. When I try to do this I usually add the dry hops at around 60 hours post pitch when there's still bubbling but it's started to slow down. As you do more batches especially if you use the same yeast you'll get it dialed in.

 

[J_B_22]

I'm anal about O2 ingress so if I were you I'd try to dry hop at the end of fermentation when there's still some activity(but slowing), to help purge the headspace. I would not recommend dry hopping after fermentation is complete unless you have a way to thoroughly purge it. Although a lot of homebrewers do it and still make pretty good beer but I don't think they're making the best beer they could.

Unless you've brewed the exact batch before and/or are pulling quite a few samples it's a general guess though where you're at. Based on lag time, type of yeast, how healthy the pitch was, etc. When I try to do this I usually add the dry hops at around 60 hours post pitch when there's still bubbling but it's started to slow down. As you do more batches especially if you use the same yeast you'll get it dialed in.

I see. Will you leave the hops in there until racking to bottling bucket/bottles, or do you try to extract them if they’re in a bag?

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I see. Will you leave the hops in there until racking to bottling bucket/bottles, or do you try to extract them if they’re in a bag?

I ferment in kegs and leave the hops in until I transfer out. I don't want to open the fermenter at all once fermentation is done. You may have to open the fermenter if you're using a bucket or carboy but I would at least minimize the amount of times you do it(e.g. not removing the dry hops). This is just my opinion though. The beauty of homebrewing is you can experiment and decide what process works best or at least what process is most worth the effort to you(based on the results it gives you)