To Dry-Hop or Not to Dry-Hop?

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saluki_brewer

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Over the weekend, I brewed a Red IPA using the hopburst technique, inspired by Jamil's Evil Twin. My measured OG was 1.070 and I used 2 oz each of Amarillo, Centennial, and Citra all in the last 20 minutes.

I bought one extra ounce of each hop with the intent of dry-hopping with some combination of them, but the beer is sitting in my fermentation chamber and every time I crack the lid, it smells like there is a hop orgy going on in there.

My question is is it even worth dry-hopping? One reason not to dry-hop is because the entire purpose of hopbursting is to get a ton of flavor and aroma out of your hops, so I don't know that there is a huge advantage to dry-hopping since it will just increase the aroma and may make it overpowering. Another thing I know about hopbursting is that these beers are waaaay better while they are young. Would adding another 2-3 weeks in the secondary with dry-hops pretty much negate a lot of the benefits gained by hopbursting? It seems to me, I may be better off just doing a 3-4 week primary and then bottling to maximize the flavor/aroma gained by exclusively using late hop additions.

This is my first beer that I would consider to be extremely hop-forward, so hopefully those of you with more experience in this type of beer can weigh in.
 
I would definetly dry hop, and I'd do it in the primary during week 3, or the last week before you bottle. I'd also recommend a fine mesh nylon hop bag. You can't beat dry hop aroma, hop bursting just isn't enough, well not enough for me anyway.
 
I don't know why dry hopping in the primary never crossed my mind. I will probably take a hydro sample around week 3 and taste it to determine if I should dry hop and how much. I love all three of the hops that I have, so I can't imagine a combination of them that I wouldn't like, I just didn't want to overdo it.
 
all that orgy of aroma you're smelling is because those aromatics are leaving the actively fermenting beer and dissipating into the atmosphere and your nose. that's the point of dry hopping after fermentation settles down.

so i'd say yes.
 
Letting it sit for a while will allow a lot of the malt and alcohol flavors as well as bitterness subside and just blend together. When you dry hop you bring back a lot of the hop aroma you lose from letting the beer sit. This is what I've experienced. I know it tastes delicious at first, but I find the beer balances better if you let it rest some. Also, late addition hops act very differently than what you get from dry hopping. Try steeping some hops in 65F water and steeping it in water that is post-boil, then smell and taste it. By dry hopping you are getting less bitterness, with more aroma from the hops. You're also allowing them more contact with the surface of your beer, than the 10 or 15 min you gave it previously.
 

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