After its done in the primary should I let my IIPA sit for say a couple months then dry hop and cold crash or should I just got straight to dry hopping?
I guess aging it is kind of a trade off for hop flavor vs smoothness?
I don’t know why you’d want to age an IIPA for several months. For me, a DIPA/IIPA is a month and done beer. You want that fresh hop burn and bite.
Otherwise, you might as well be making barleywine!
Thanks. That’s what I was debating. This is my first crack at one.
Few years back, before the AHA Vegas conference (2004? 05?) I wrangled the Falcons into brewing a conference beer and convinced them to make a new recipe of mine “Double Down Double IPA” I completely winged the recipe and developed one way I like to think about hops in a beer - Using and Balancing Hops.
But I remember the big debate amongst the Falcons board while I was wrangling this was whether or not 4 months (Feb-June) were going to be enough for a beer this big and strong to age. I remember fighting with the older members who wanted to age the holy hell out of it. The initial batch worked so well that we did another batch in April that went both into kegs and cask. By far the draft version was superior
That recipe still gets broken out anytime we do a cask for things like the AHA conference. It’s good stuff.
It’s funny to me how a mindset has developed that says if a beer is over such and such an OG or IBU level, then it must be aged. What about taste and personal preference? AFAIAC, ANY beer is ready to drink when your tastebuds tell you it is!
I agree. I’ve had session beers that needed time to smooth out, but every DIPA I make is ready in 5-6 weeks. I’ve found that strong beers that are not big on hop flavor and aroma need more time to meld flavors and smooth out rough edges.
Agreed.
I personally like IIPA young as well,
but I have also let these same beers age,
and have enjoyed those as well, albiet a different product.
I would say try it both ways…young and aged a bit…see what you like.
As to the original question
If you are going to dryhop an aged beer,
I think it best to bulk age it, and then 10 days before packaging…dryhop. The fresher the better.
Have fun!
We wrill sherve no beer befer itsh time…
It’s time. 
+1 - that’s what I always do with the 2 annual beers that I actually do a secondary for and then gulp bottle.
otherwise, its keghopping, but that is a whole nother animal…
+2
Except for a Barleywine or the like.
Hops and aging usually don’t mix well.
Denny says, “It’s funny to me how a mindset has developed that says if a beer is over such and such an OG or IBU level, then it must be aged.”
The Barleywine we brewed on Jan 2, 2009, got a first in the NHC first round, and a Gold in the Second round. Was that enough aging? According to some, it is not. Big yeast slurry, O2, and temp control were important to the quick maturity.