just a confirmation on dry hop for a newb

[olotti]

I've read through all the threads and all I'm looking for is confirmation that I'm thinking about this dry hop schedule correctly and if so this is what I'll do from here on out. I have an APA I'm going to dry hop with 2oz of hops Galaxy and FF 7C's, I'm planning on checking gravity at day 10 and 13 if at the second check it has stopped falling I'm going to throw 2oz of hops directly into the primary, no bag. Dry hop in ambient temp for 4 days and then crash cool for another 3 days, this should drop the hops out of suspension along with the yeast correct,total dry hop time is 7 days. Next day pull the bucket out of cold crash just before bottling prob about 11am or noon then bottle. Am I on the right track here?

 

[WayFrae]

Yes, that sounds good. Some people will tell you that you should cold crash before you dry hop so the hop oils don't bond with the yeast that is still in suspension but it is really up to you. I have done it both ways and I couldn't tell a difference.

 

[CadillacAndy]

That sounds good to me too. I always dry hop warm (at least 65F) because it seems to minimize grassy and green matter flavors and aromas.

 

[peterj]

I've read through all the threads and all I'm looking for is confirmation that I'm thinking about this dry hop schedule correctly and if so this is what I'll do from here on out. I have an APA I'm going to dry hop with 2oz of hops Galaxy and FF 7C's, I'm planning on checking gravity at day 10 and 13 if at the second check it has stopped falling I'm going to throw 2oz of hops directly into the primary, no bag. Dry hop in ambient temp for 4 days and then crash cool for another 3 days, this should drop the hops out of suspension along with the yeast correct,total dry hop time is 7 days. Next day pull the bucket out of cold crash just before bottling prob about 11am or noon then bottle. Am I on the right track here?

Sure, that's one way to do it. Sounds like it would work very well to me. There really is no "correct" way to do it though. I've heard of people leaving the dry hops in for anywhere from 1-31+ days (the 31+ was in the keg in the fridge though). You can cold crash or not. It's just whatever you prefer.

That being said, I will tell you that what you have planned is almost exactly what I did recently for a DIPA I brewed. Though I added some dry hops for 4 days, then added some more for another 3 days, then I cold crashed. I was planning on a 3-4 day cold crash, but it ended up being about a week because life got in the way.

 

[olotti]

Sure, that's one way to do it. Sounds like it would work very well to me. There really is no "correct" way to do it though. I've heard of people leaving the dry hops in for anywhere from 1-31+ days (the 31+ was in the keg in the fridge though). You can cold crash or not. It's just whatever you prefer.

That being said, I will tell you that what you have planned is almost exactly what I did recently for a DIPA I brewed. Though I added some dry hops for 4 days, then added some more for another 3 days, then I cold crashed. I was planning on a 3-4 day cold crash, but it ended up being about a week because life got in the way.

Cool so how did it work out for ya or is the beer still conditioning.

 

[BierMuncher]

Your plan sounds fine. I dry hop the primary all the time, but I don't cold crash until I rack the beer to the keg. Cold crashing the bucket will clear the beer up pretty well. I might suggest that the combination of hop-goo and trub could make your transfer a bit mirky. This kind of setup is what i always use when racking a dry hopped beer...just a paint strainer zip tied to the rigied end of your racking cane:

 

[peterj]

Cool so how did it work out for ya or is the beer still conditioning.

It's only been in the bottle for about a week, so I haven't tried it yet. But the hydro sample at bottling was awesome! The cold crash dropped everything out pretty well.

 

[olotti]

Your plan sounds fine. I dry hop the primary all the time, but I don't cold crash until I rack the beer to the keg. Cold crashing the bucket will clear the beer up pretty well. I might suggest that the combination of hop-goo and trub could make your transfer a bit mirky. This kind of setup is what i always use when racking a dry hopped beer...just a paint strainer zip tied to the rigied end of your racking cane:

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Ill try This out I have a couple extra strainer bags I use for my hop spider so ill just cut em up. Now I use an auto siphon to transfer I'm assuming its the same principles apply with the autosiphon. The hop goop doesn't clog the bag up to where u get stuck transferring does it? ???? Last transfer I didn't dry hop but I added a little more water to account for wort loss due to trub and I'm ok if I lose tenths of a point on the abv.

 

[Yooper]

Ill try This out I have a couple extra strainer bags I use for my hop spider so ill just cut em up. Now I use an auto siphon to transfer I'm assuming its the same principles apply with the autosiphon. The hop goop doesn't clog the bag up to where u get stuck transferring does it? ???? Last transfer I didn't dry hop but I added a little more water to account for wort loss due to trub and I'm ok if I lose tenths of a point on the abv.

I can't use a bag, as then I do clog up my siphon. I have no idea why others can do it, but I can't!

I am an old winemaker, and pretty proficient with racking, so I don't use a bag for hops anymore when dryhopping. However, if your racking skills are in doubt, I'd suggest trying a bag, just like in biermuncher's photos, and that should work out well.

 

[olotti]

I can't use a bag, as then I do clog up my siphon. I have no idea why others can do it, but I can't!

I am an old winemaker, and pretty proficient with racking, so I don't use a bag for hops anymore when dryhopping. However, if your racking skills are in doubt, I'd suggest trying a bag, just like in biermuncher's photos, and that should work out well.

So bag over siphon to start but if it gets clogged drop the bag re sanitize and try without? Everything now for me being only my second batch and first dry hop is a learning experience so I'm expecting to lose wort along the way through trub loss hop absorption etc and it just gets me in the right direction for future batches. First batch I lost over half gallon in the BK to hop gunk next batch made a hop spider and lost minimal amount to hop goop. Well c how the first dry hop and transfer goes.

 

[BierMuncher]

So bag over siphon to start but if it gets clogged drop the bag re sanitize and try without? Everything now for me being only my second batch and first dry hop is a learning experience so I'm expecting to lose wort along the way through trub loss hop absorption etc and it just gets me in the right direction for future batches. First batch I lost over half gallon in the BK to hop gunk next batch made a hop spider and lost minimal amount to hop goop. Well c how the first dry hop and transfer goes.

You'll notice the fermenter in my top pic is tilted at an angle using a piece of 2x2 wood. I do that to pool the beer deeper in the "corner" of the fermenter and this means I can suspend the base of the racking can above the very bottom using a clothes pin where the cane enters the rim of the fermenter, and minimize any clogging. (in other words I don't simply jam the racking cane into the cake of goo on the bottom).

 

[olotti]

You'll notice the fermenter in my top pic is tilted at an angle using a piece of 2x2 wood. I do that to pool the beer deeper in the "corner" of the fermenter and this means I can suspend the base of the racking can above the very bottom using a clothes pin where the cane enters the rim of the fermenter, and minimize any clogging. (in other words I don't simply jam the racking cane into the cake of goo on the bottom).

I may try that. How do you sanitize the bag. Would soaking it in starsan be ok. Along with the zip tie.

 

[BierMuncher]

I may try that. How do you sanitize the bag. Would soaking it in starsan be ok. Along with the zip tie.

I use a very diluted belach water as my sanitizer (always have). Just a few minutes soak in the right side of my shop sink (that is always filled with said solution) and then a hot rinse under the tap will do just fine.

 

[Yesfan]

Biermuncher,

Are you using just the racking cane piece during transfer, or the whole siphon assembly? I tried the same technique on an IPA with the auto-spihon and I kept aerating my beer. I guess the siphon was pulling beer through the straining bag too fast as the bag kept clogging with hops. I just tossed my hops into the primary when I dry hopped. It was a 3 oz addition if that helps. I also did rack above the yeast cake, so I wasn't jamming the bottom of the siphon into the trub and tilted the carboy to keep a deep pool of beer as you've done. The only thing different was I didn't cold crash.


If you're just using the racking cane, how are you pushing your beer to the keg? I see you have the bag over the racking cane instead of the part the cane slides into to start the siphon, so that why I ask.

 

[BierMuncher]

Biermuncher,

Are you using just the racking cane piece during transfer, or the whole siphon assembly? I tried the same technique on an IPA with the auto-spihon and I kept aerating my beer. I guess the siphon was pulling beer through the straining bag too fast as the bag kept clogging with hops. I just tossed my hops into the primary when I dry hopped. It was a 3 oz addition if that helps. I also did rack above the yeast cake, so I wasn't jamming the bottom of the siphon into the trub and tilted the carboy to keep a deep pool of beer as you've done. The only thing different was I didn't cold crash.


If you're just using the racking cane, how are you pushing your beer to the keg? I see you have the bag over the racking cane instead of the part the cane slides into to start the siphon, so that why I ask.

Never owned an auto-siphone. My they're not ugly enough.