Primary is done, rack to secondary or just dry hop in the primary?

[tmorrell]

I've gone both routes before and have had ok results both ways. I'm brewing an IPA that uses a total of 11 ounces of hops, so in this case I'm thinking that racking to a secondary may be beneficial to clear it up. Any thoughts? (I'd prefer to just throw the dry hop addition into the primary, but also don't want to compromise the end result)

 

[JBIII]

I brewed a Holey Moley and Double Sunshine clone which both call for about 11oz of hops total and I skipped the secondary on both. Both beers turned out well.

I have a pale ale and a black IPA which are both fermenting right now and I plan on adding the dry hops, without a transfer to secondary. I rarely, if ever move my beers to secondary anymore and haven't experienced any issues or noticed any real or perceived differences in identical batches I brewed compared to the batches brewed before I started leaving my beers in primary for the duration...

 

[snow16]

I wouldn't think twice about just doing it in primary. I always dry hop in primary and have never had any issues. Why make things more difficult than they have to be, ya know?

 

[tmorrell]

Thanks, this is good to know. I'm working on a heady topper clone so I'm glad you had good results with the Double Sunshine. I doubt it's going to be like heady but it should still be tasty. I haven't tried Double Sunshine yet, but if you want to trade recipes I'm game.

 

[homebrewdr]

Agree to dry hop in primary. If you are seeking clarity you can transfer to a secondary for the sole purposes of getting it off the hops and trub and letting it clear out. 11 oz sounds tasty.

 

[tmorrell]

Agree to dry hop in primary. If you are seeking clarity you can transfer to a secondary for the sole purposes of getting it off the hops and trub and letting it clear out. 11 oz sounds tasty.

That's a good idea. So basically dry hop in the primary but before racking to bottles transfer it to a secondary first.

 

[tmorrell]

That's a good idea. So basically dry hop in the primary but before racking to bottles transfer it to a secondary first.

I doubt I'll do that, but it's good to keep as a game day decision if things are looking too murky.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I've completely stopped doing secondaries whether dry hopping or not. Haven't noticed any difference in the taste of my beers.

 

[Natdavis777]

Dry hop in the primary, cold crash at the end to drop out the hops and remaining yeast, then package.

 

[homebrewdr]

That's a good idea. So basically dry hop in the primary but before racking to bottles transfer it to a secondary first.

Yep. That is my input.

I always dry hop in the primary (easier access cause I use buckets). If you choose not to secondary, your beer will most likely still clear out in the bottles if you let it. Of course you'd have that bottle sediment. Doing a secondary can help reduce that sediment, but is not by any means necessary. Always a matter of personal preference.

When I made a pliny clone, I transferred to a secondary for the sole purposes of cold crashing. That beer turned out super clear and super good !

 

[tmorrell]

Yep. That is my input.

I always dry hop in the primary (easier access cause I use buckets). If you choose not to secondary, your beer will most likely still clear out in the bottles if you let it. Of course you'd have that bottle sediment. Doing a secondary can help reduce that sediment, but is not by any means necessary. Always a matter of personal preference.

When I made a pliny clone, I transferred to a secondary for the sole purposes of cold crashing. That beer turned out super clear and super good !

I appreciate all the feedback. Just for my own sanity would you all agree that this final gravity is 1.012? Or should I be reading the meniscus which looks to be maybe 1.014? When I checked the OG it was somewhere near 1.072 at it's peak, meniscus might be 1.074. I'm just not sure how to get the most accurate reading.

 

[Natdavis777]

looks 1.012 to me

 

[JBIII]

+1 to NatDavis, looks like 1.012 to me

 

[TurnipGreen]

So, I new to skipping the secondary and I'm getting ready to dry hop a brew. I plan on dry hopping for five days with pellets and then I'm gonna cold crash. This will also be the firt beer I cold crash.

Should I count the cold crash days as part of my dry hopping? Meaning if I don't want to dry hop more than five days, that would be two or three days of dry hop at basement temps and two or three days at mid thirties. Or should I dry hop five days at basement temps then crash it for two or three days before bottling?

 

[JBIII]

So, I new to skipping the secondary and I'm getting ready to dry hop a brew. I plan on dry hopping for five days with pellets and then I'm gonna cold crash. This will also be the firt beer I cold crash.

Should I count the cold crash days as part of my dry hopping? Meaning if I don't want to dry hop more than five days, that would be two or three days of dry hop at basement temps and two or three days at mid thirties. Or should I dry hop five days at basement temps then crash it for two or three days before bottling?

Generally speaking, the cold crash duration is not part of the dry hopping duration...so 5 days dry hopping and then cold crash...

 

[TurnipGreen]

Thanks guys. I just bottled this weekend and the hops dropped right down. This is gonna be my cleanest dry hopped beer yet!

One strange thing happen though. My second gravity reading (at room temp) was 1.010 and then my final at bottling was 1.014. Normally I leave my caraboy out on the counter at room temp for a few hours, but this time I pulled it right out of my fermentation chamber and it was probably around 40-45 degrees. Do you guys think the cold and the bit of priming sugar was enough to make that much of a difference?

Once it's all done carbinating I'll take another reading out of curiousity and I normally don't.

Thanks!

 

[JBIII]

Thanks guys. I just bottled this weekend and the hops dropped right down. This is gonna be my cleanest dry hopped beer yet!

One strange thing happen though. My second gravity reading (at room temp) was 1.010 and then my final at bottling was 1.014. Normally I leave my caraboy out on the counter at room temp for a few hours, but this time I pulled it right out of my fermentation chamber and it was probably around 40-45 degrees. Do you guys think the cold and the bit of priming sugar was enough to make that much of a difference?

Once it's all done carbinating I'll take another reading out of curiousity and I normally don't.

Thanks!

Gravity readings are in fact dependent upon temperature. Say if you take a reading at around 40 degrees, you'll generally subtract a point and if you take a reading at around 77 degrees, you would add two points.

So yes, it is plausible that your F.G. reading was a bit high if you measured at around 40-45 degrees and you added priming sugar...not sure what the expected increase in density would be with the priming sugar, but if the temperature of your initial reading was warmer than 60 degrees and your last reading was at 40ish, with priming sugar, a swing of 4 points does not seem significantly unusual...

 

[ncbrewer]

One strange thing happen though. My second gravity reading (at room temp) was 1.010 and then my final at bottling was 1.014. Normally I leave my caraboy out on the counter at room temp for a few hours, but this time I pulled it right out of my fermentation chamber and it was probably around 40-45 degrees. Do you guys think the cold and the bit of priming sugar was enough to make that much of a difference?

The FG is final gravity before adding priming sugar.

This page from How to Brew http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-a/using-hydrometers
shows how to adjust your hydrometer reading for temperature. Your actual specific gravity is the adjusted number. Hope this helps.