I know this topic probably has been covered a hundred times, but I havent seen it in any recent topics.
I have a American IPA just about ready to dry hop. My normal procedure has been to transfer to a secondary ferm., than dry hop. Is this step necessary anymore? Should I just dry hop in the Primary? I had a blow-off and the primary carboy is pretty messed up with fermentation residue above the beer line, would this be a problem?
What experiences have you had and the pros and cons of each?
thanks
Do it in “secondary”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a secondary vessel. Just after primary fermentation is finished. Whether you rack to a different carboy or not is up to you, I typically don’t.
I usually just dump hops into my primary carboy after fermentation has completed. It’s up to you either way.
I get less from the hops in primary. The yeast cake absorbs a lot of the goodness.
If you’re kegging then dry hop in the keg, but if you are bottling rack into the secondary and dry hop. When racking try to minimize any potential oxidation by carefully siphoning the beer into the secondary. Avoid any spashing and place the siphon tube at the bottom of the carboy and keep it beneath the surface of the beer while transfering. If you have access to CO2 try purging the carboy prior to racking.
I just can’t understand why that would be?
Some of the hop oils coat the yeast and fall out of solution. The more yeast still in solution, the more hops will be taken away. It’s a recipe issue - use more hops. Some people believe, but I have never seen any evidence other then here say, that if dry hops are added to still actively fermenting yeast (last few days of primary) that the yeast will synthesize some of those hop compounds into more complex flavors.
This is what I do - I add during the last few days of primary, but my reasoning is that I want the yeast to scavenge any oxygen that I may be introducing to the beer when I dump in the dry hops.
OK, I have heard often that the yeast pull the tannins down with then as they drop out. I just didn’t understand why the yeast cake on the bottom would be an issue. On the flip side though many brewers believe that you get more hop aroma at cellar or room temps when dry hopping as opposed to cold conditioning temps, and my beers are all racked directly to kegs or bright tanks after primary fermentation. So in the end perhaps it is a toss up? When in doubt, just add more hops. Thats my solution. 