I am constantly studying different techniques and phenomena in brewing. I have a question. let’s say I’m brewing an IPA for a competition. Theoretically, hop compounds can potentially cling to yeast and drop out of solution during flocculation. This of course is dependent on a lot of factors. Would it be better to use a slightly less attenuative yeast strain and mash a little lower…, leaving a slightly more cloudy beer and keep more hop compounds in the beer or is it better to add additional hops to the beer and use a more attenuative yeast. Since appearance is only 3 points on a scoresheet, is hop flavor more important than clarity? Just curious what you guys think…
Actually, less attenuative strains like 1968 often (not always) drop clearer quicker than more attenuative, powdery ones that stay in solution until they finally finish their job and settle out. IMO the very easiest way to avoid yeast absorbing more of your hop character is to remove as much of the yeast from your beer as possible before dry hopping. As in : 1/ Leaving the beer in primary for say 2 - 3 weeks, rack to secondary or keg and dry hop , or
2/ After fermentation is verified done, cold crash the yeast ~ 32F for a few days, then rack to secondary or keg and dry hop.
Either way, you’ve effectively separated your beer from a lot of yeast. I’ve done this with 1056, not a terribly flocculent strain, many,many times.
Do you think there are any issues with bottle conditioning with either of these approaches?
Not at all. There is always yeast in beer, but below a certain threshold it just doesn’t appear as cloudy. More than enough in any beer to carb your bottles though. Good luck !
IME with competitions, you’re more apt to get dinged for not enough flavor/aroma than clarity if the style calls for hop presence
In an IPA huge hop flavor and aroma are expected and some haze is also. But in my opinion the drier IPAs are more drinkable, so less attenuative yeast won’t help. Less floculant? Maybe, but it’s kind of like using the wrong tool. If you want more hop just add more hop. I know it sounds too easy, but it might just work.
Bingo. Use the yeast that gets you the flavor profile, attenuation, and flocculation you want. If it drops the hop character too much, then add more hops. We’re homebrewers; it’s no big deal to add an extra ounce of hops.
What seems like a good starting point for adding more hops. Mostly trial and error I’m sure, I’m feeling like adding 10% to my hop bill may be a sufficient starting point.
As a side note, I do use beersmith. I know it figures the yeast strain into its calculations for attenuation, I wonder if it does the same thing for hop utilization?
If you have heard Stan Hieronymus speak at the NHC and follow what he writes on hops, he talks about biotranformantions that happen when the yeast are active. For example, it has been found that Linalool concentration goes up during fermentation. Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker like to add dry hops with 1 or 2 Plato left in the fermentation so that the yeast can work on the hop oils. Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River like to remove the hops. I think it comes down to what aromas the brewer is after. As homebrewers, we can do both if we wish.
I have Stan’s hop book, but I haven’t started it yet. I’m about halfway through “Brewing Better Beer”. I really need to listen to the NHC seminars…
I agree, I’ve made good beers using both methods. I guess I just prefer Vinnie’s method a little better. OTOH, FW makes crazy good beers as well.
I’ll be dry hopping this beer in a few days and I had a question about my racking to secondary. Does it matter if you rack at low temps as opposed to fermentation temps? Are you more likely to suffer oxydation when the beer is cold vs ferm temp? or is it a matter of indifference.
Doesn’t matter, just be careful to avoid any splashing, if possible.
EDIT - It is best, as mentioned, to purge your secondary if at all possible. I dry hop in a purged keg - hop aroma compounds are susceptible to oxidation which can reduce the hop aroma we’re after in hoppy beers.
Since oxygen is more soluble at lower temperatures, I’m sure there’s some hypothetical, miniscule increase in risk at colder temperatures. I think in reality that the difference is likely so small that you would have no need for concern. Proper technique (i.e., minimizing aeration, CO2 flushing if possible, etc) will have much more impact on the final product.
Very good. Does it matter if you purge before or after racking? Also I saw an interesting video where a guy put his dry hop in the secondary before racking. thought it was a cool idea.
You have to purge before you rack - CO2 is heavier than O2, so the CO2 will tend to sit in the bottom of your next vessel. So, you are racking into a mostly CO2-rich environment. You want this. I place my dry hops into a purged keg, into the canister I use, and then rack on top.
cool. That’s what I’m looking for. I’ve been trying to find some form of SS canister for dry hopping, but haven;t found anything that fits my better bottles. I tried the “tea balls” but they are just a shade too big. Thought about using a kettle screen and just plugging the end and hanging it in the carboy. Of course I could just do what I’ve been doing and use a bag over my siphon. 
Thanks again for the help.