Opinions on fermentation/dry hop setup

[fightingfreuds]

I'll be brewing what I feel is my first true batch this Saturday (not counting Mr. Beer for much). The recipe is for a Rye IPA and I'll be dry hopping 2 oz of pellets during secondary fermentation.

I have 1 glass carboy and 1 bottling bucket from a True Brew kit available for fermentors. For convenience sake I've been considering using the bucket as a primary for a couple weeks, racking to the carboy for dry hopping for a week, and then back to the bucket which will have the priming solution and bottling from there.

Anyone with a similar setup prefer a different method?

 

[tre9er]

Ferment in carboy, dry-hop in carboy, no secondary, cold crash for 48 hours, rack to bottling bucket on top of cooled sugar water, bottle.

No need to secondary unless you're after a crystal-clear beer and even then...it can be difficult to achieve anyway the first few times.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

That's pretty much how I do it. Primary until FG is stable and beer is starting to drop clear, then onto secondary for dry hops for ~5-7 days, then onto keg or bottle. For bottling, I add my priming solution to the empty sanitized bucket and rack the beer on top to mix it in.
You can also dry hop in primary, I do that a lot too, but I have noticed that pellet hops will sink a bit as you pour them in, and they can get stuck in the trub, so pour slowly.

 

[fightingfreuds]

Thanks for the responses. I guess dry hopping in the primary would be a convenient option, had read that it's not the most effective but I'm not very concerned with secondary fermentation so if it'll still do the trick might as well save the effort.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks for the responses. I guess dry hopping in the primary would be a convenient option, had read that it's not the most effective but I'm not very concerned with secondary fermentation so if it'll still do the trick might as well save the effort.

My experience with dry hopping in primary is it's best to use whole hops and not pellets. The yeast can remove some of the aroma compounds as it falls, so I like to dry hop in secondary, but it works fine in primary. I pretty much always have a ~2.5 gal batch of IPA going, and I dry hop all my IPA's, but since I don't have a appropriate sized vessel to secondary 2.5 gal, I just do it in primary. I've had mixed results using pellets, but when I pour them in really slow so they don't sink the results are good. Whole cones float, so I like those best regardless of where. YMMV

 

[tre9er]

I have to dry-hop my IIPA in the near future when gravity falls. I have all pellets. I'm wondering if a voile hop-bag is fine or should I rack to secondary? Just don't want another change to introduce infection.

 

[AmandaK]

Dry hopping is best done in a "yeast free" and warm environment. Meaning that you should rack to a secondary off of that yeast cake so the yeast don't strip the volatile aromas you are trying so hard to get into the beer.

That being said, I don't always rack to a secondary before dry hopping. Sometimes I'm just in a hurry.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I have to dry-hop my IIPA in the near future when gravity falls. I have all pellets. I'm wondering if a voile hop-bag is fine or should I rack to secondary? Just don't want another change to introduce infection.

If you're using a bucket you can pour them in gently so they won't sink, should be good. Just be sanitary.
Amanda made a great point, ideally you'd dry hop a clear beer, off the yeast around 70 degrees. But sometimes you can't and it'll still be good beer.

 

[tre9er]

I have a ferm bucket soaking in oxyclean right now. Guess I'll sanitize it and rack over once I hit FG. I'm slightly worried about the excess headspace in a 6.5g. bucket for secondary though. Maybe I'll use a 5g. bucket.