BeverleyBrews
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Anyone ever tried dry-hopping a stout? Just curious.
So..
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Yes, and the results can be amazing.
Back in the ye olden days of yore, Mr. Don Younger of the Horse Brass Pub in PDX would get Rogue Ales to dry hop casks of Shakespeare Stout, served through Mr. Younger's beer engine, the results were spectacular. Whenever I run a Shakespeare Stout clone, I dry hop it aggressively.*
The trick is picking the right stout and pairing it with the right hops. The recent vogue for complicated stouts has largely been lost on me, so I can't really speak to how those might be dry hopped--artisanally, I suppose. I'm sure that others that actually know about those styles can give you a hand on that front.
Recipes that have their headwaters in the UK/Irish traditions, such as the first couple generations of US micro/homebrewing stouts, easily lend themselves to dry hopping. Indeed, the defining characteristic of the first generations of US stouts was their (for the time) bludgeoning use of hops compared to their contemporary UK/Irish counterparts. These beers are much less cluttered than today's flabby stouts and they allow plenty of space for flavor, aroma, and dry hops to express themselves. While some of the recipes from this tradition only utilize a single high AA% bittering charge, all of them can easily support 5min additions. Simply pick a 5 minute hop, then double down on that hop as a dry hop--also consider reinforcing with a 20min flavor addition.
The flavor profile of these stouts are painted in bold, stark lines. I have a hard time seeing how the modern trend toward using several hop strains would work here, but I'm a knuckle-dragging troglodyte. Others will know more.
From the UK/Irish tradition, EKGs (obviously), Fuggles, and Bramling Cross (killer in a dry hopped porter, BC loves brown malt) are outstanding. I've also had success with Northern Brewer, Target, and--off the beaten path--Magnum. If you're brewing in the US, make sure the hops you're using are up to snuff for use as a dry hop. Willamette is often a better substitution.
From the US tradition Cascades (obviously), Newport, Nugget, Willamette, Northern Brewer. I never figured out how to make the piney hops work in a stout, CTZ was okay, with restraint. As one of those perverts that really likes a nicely obnoxious Simcoe SMASH, I don't think it really works in a stout. I'm old, so I still think Amarillo is more precious than anti-matter and should be carefully hoarded away for judicious use in PA/IPA. I'm sure it'll work, though.
*It should be noted that Shakespeare Stout is a bit of an anomaly. It gets most of its color and flavor from crystal malts, not roast malts. You could argue, from a recipe perspective, that it's more of an imperial dark mild than a stout. It's an odd duck. But it's a duck that really likes dry hops.
Back in the ye olden days of yore, Mr. Don Younger of the Horse Brass Pub in PDX would get Rogue Ales to dry hop casks of Shakespeare Stout, served through Mr. Younger's beer engine, the results were spectacular. Whenever I run a Shakespeare Stout clone, I dry hop it aggressively.*
The trick is picking the right stout and pairing it with the right hops. The recent vogue for complicated stouts has largely been lost on me, so I can't really speak to how those might be dry hopped--artisanally, I suppose. I'm sure that others that actually know about those styles can give you a hand on that front.
Recipes that have their headwaters in the UK/Irish traditions, such as the first couple generations of US micro/homebrewing stouts, easily lend themselves to dry hopping. Indeed, the defining characteristic of the first generations of US stouts was their (for the time) bludgeoning use of hops compared to their contemporary UK/Irish counterparts. These beers are much less cluttered than today's flabby stouts and they allow plenty of space for flavor, aroma, and dry hops to express themselves. While some of the recipes from this tradition only utilize a single high AA% bittering charge, all of them can easily support 5min additions. Simply pick a 5 minute hop, then double down on that hop as a dry hop--also consider reinforcing with a 20min flavor addition.
The flavor profile of these stouts are painted in bold, stark lines. I have a hard time seeing how the modern trend toward using several hop strains would work here, but I'm a knuckle-dragging troglodyte. Others will know more.
From the UK/Irish tradition, EKGs (obviously), Fuggles, and Bramling Cross (killer in a dry hopped porter, BC loves brown malt) are outstanding. I've also had success with Northern Brewer, Target, and--off the beaten path--Magnum. If you're brewing in the US, make sure the hops you're using are up to snuff for use as a dry hop. Willamette is often a better substitution.
From the US tradition Cascades (obviously), Newport, Nugget, Willamette, Northern Brewer. I never figured out how to make the piney hops work in a stout, CTZ was okay, with restraint. As one of those perverts that really likes a nicely obnoxious Simcoe SMASH, I don't think it really works in a stout. I'm old, so I still think Amarillo is more precious than anti-matter and should be carefully hoarded away for judicious use in PA/IPA. I'm sure it'll work, though.
*It should be noted that Shakespeare Stout is a bit of an anomaly. It gets most of its color and flavor from crystal malts, not roast malts. You could argue, from a recipe perspective, that it's more of an imperial dark mild than a stout. It's an odd duck. But it's a duck that really likes dry hops.
Twinkeelfool
Well-Known Member
Occasionally I really like a big dank US dry hop in my uk mild ales. Works very well, a stout would surely work nicely
