A couple of quick questions about my current beer in the fermenter. I’m pleasantly surprised that after 72 hours or so, this pale ale has gone from 1.050 down to 1.010. I know many of you have said to dry hop while a little bit of fermentation is still going on. Would now work?
Secondly, I know gravity is just an estimate, but this beer started slightly lower than the estimated 1.052. The final gravity estimation was 1.013. Is a lower FG normally associated with a lower mash and drier beer?
Justin, I think if you start lower than expected, you should expect to finish lower as well, but not 100% sure on that. You can probably get away with dry hopping now, but I have never really checked the gravity on any of my brews before they had been working for at least a week, if not 2. Should not cause a problem to do it now, just not familiar territory for me. What yeast got you here this fast?
Good old WLP 001 and a starter, or was it some commercial yeast slurry from a local brewery? Muhhhhahaahh.
I have discovered unpleasant interactions between dry hops and yeast so dry hopping is one of the few times that I use a secondary.
you using kegs yet? rack to keg and then dry hop. otherwise rack and dry hop, then bottle.
I will cold crash to get as much yeast settled as possible and then dry hop in the primary. I have keg hopped too with good success.
I’m STILL bottling! Hmm, the last two responses are different than what I’m use to seeing here. I thought previously people were dry hopping with some fermentation left. I also have never used a secondary, although this is for a competition so I would consider it.
not me… i’d rack to bottling bucket/secondary and dry hop, then bottle. i let the beer finish, rack it to keg and dry hop there.
EDIT: FWIW, I may rack to keg and then wait to dry hop until about a week or so before I m ready to tap the keg…then I dry hop and leave it in keg through the end. (they don’t tend to last long)
Ken, you’re killing me…
I let the beer finish completely, dry hop for 5-7 days and then crash, all in primary, always liked the results regardless of keg or bottle, in fact I’m sitting on my IPA that’s just about done, hoping tonight to get the dry hops going
ha! well one thing i know you’ve heard me and others say…there’s more than one way to get there. give it a try a few ways and see what you like and works best for you.
+2. I dry hop in keg, too. About 5 days, then chill/carb. Like you say, if it’s a lager I plan to dry hop, I wait until ~ a week before I plan to serve. I like being able to add more dry hops to a keg when the aroma drops off, too.
EDIT - And +1 that there are lots of ways to hop your wort and dry hop your beer. Gotta experiment to find out whatcha like.
I agree, though I can’t say with certainty what negative effects are necessarily predictable. I’ve successfully dry hopped over yeast cakes, and ive had some that came out with odd flavors, and on occasion they just refuse to drop clear (as in ubber murky).
I dont see a benefit in the quality of the finished product when compared to dry hopping in secondary. At best they are equal. After my last beer that was dry hopped in the primary, which refused to drop clear even with gel fining, im not going to do primary dry hopping any more.
By the way, if I dry hopped frequently, this is one area where a conical with a bottom valve would be handy. Drop the yeast, then add dry hops.
I have never picked up any off-flavors from dry hopping in the primary in presence of yeast. In fact, I tend to get a fairly strong hop aroma in this fashion. Although I do use about 6 oz per 5 gallons as a typical IPA dry hop regimen.
Dry hopping in the primary also minimizes cleaning/sanitizing, racking, and time which I don’t have much of with 2 little ones in the house and a commute to work daily.
Vinnie Ciluzo says drop the yeast and dry hop. Matt Brynildson says dry hop with 1-2.P to go. I have read that either linalool or geranoil increase in level during fermentation.
Play with the variables, see what you like.
Just curious why you don’t just drop the yeast out in the primary and dry hop there? I will crash cool, warm back up and add my dry hops. Seems to work just fine without use of secondary.
So you end of crashing the primary twice befor bottling or kegging?
I crash the yeast out of suspension before adding dry hops. In my experience the yeast drags down hop aroma as it falls out of suspension. You can have a perfectly fine hoppy beer sitting in a glass but it will be hazy. As the beer clears you will notice most or all the aroma disappears.
Sorry, my last post had some typos…I was asking if you end up cold crashing a second time after dry hopping.
You can, or you don’t have to. Sometime sthe hops drop out without crashing twice.