Dry Hop Timing

Ingredients
1

I know I’ve asked a similar question before, but my current recipe calls for…

“after nine days, rack to secondary fermenter and dry hop.Let rest another nine days at 68°F (20°C).”

Can I dry hop sooner than 9 days? Secondly, doesn’t 9 days seem like a long time to dry hop? I was going to dry hop for 4 days or so and bottle assuming it’s done fermenting which after 6 days is already getting close.

2

Yes.  I usually dry hop for 3-4 days.

3

+1

I’d toss 'em in today.

4

My only concern with adding them today was that the krausen was still pretty high as of yesterday. Think that would matter at all?

5

I always assume that home brew recipes are not meant as “DO THIS” but rather “This is what the recipe writer did”. So take your knowledge and experience and make changes, or do what they did if you want. WWKJD? I’d let it primary till its at terminal gravity and no byproduct off flavors, then I would dry hop for 3 to 7 days depending on what hop how much and what form. I probably wouldnt rack it off the yeast unless it is going to be dry hopped in the keg, or if I wanted to use the yeast before dry hopping.

6

Would all that airlock activity blow off the aromatics you’re trying to get from dry hopping?

7

+1.  At least wait until most or all krausen has fallen.

8

After many trials of other methods, I now move the beer from primary before dry hopping.  I feel I get much better results like that.  I also always dry hop cold and leave the hops in for 2-3 months.  Keep in mind that there’s not just one way to do things.  Try a number of different methods and decide for yourself.  I find that the “conventional dry hopping wisdom”, as stated in your post, doesn’t work as well as my method.

9

Yes.  Wait til the beer tells you it’s ready.  That’s the only schedule that matters.  Not what’s in the recipe.

10

+1.  I like dry hopping in the keg best, but you’re right. There are a lot of ways to hop and dry hop. It’s best to just experiment and figure out what you like best.

11

I would judge it by today.  ;D

If you want to play it safe, wait till everything drops and start dry hopping from there.  Many, many ways to do this.

12

Welllll, this thing is still a monster. The hops will have to wait  ;D