I just tapped my first all grain IPA this past weekend and it was amazing. Of course there are a few things I would like to alter and one of those things is hop aroma. There’s nothing I like better than smelling a heavy hop aroma prior to taking that sip. I do have aroma to this beer but not like I would like to have.
This is for a 5 gallon batch 60 min boil. My hop additions were 1 oz at 20, 15, 10 and then 4 oz whirlpool for 50 minutes. After 8 days in the primary, I added 2 oz for dry hopping.
Does anyone have suggestions for accomplishing more aroma to the final product???
Double or triple the dry hops. Increasing the flameout/whirlpool wouldn’t hurt either. I would keep 15 or the 20 but eliminate the other two flavor additions and move them to the end.
Also using a blend of hops helps too in my opinion.
I haven’t tried this yet but I do wonder what would happen if you “dry hopped” in 3-4 ounces of vodka and then dumped that into the finished beer on bottling/kegging day? I am going to try this in near future, as I am fairly certain that it will work awesomely.
I found recipe for my last ipa here. It has 2oz FWH, 2oz at 60, 4oz at 10,&0 as well as 4 oz dry hop. I can smell the beer from across the room. Columbus for 60, each other addition was equal parts Amarillo, Citra, centennial, and simcoe. Loving every sip and smell!
Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like larger amounts of late hop additions and more for dry hopping is the suggested way to go…and maybe a little dry hopping in vodka. Will have to try that one in another version once I get this one dialed in. Thanks!
My IPA’s use about 4-5 ounces of dry hops for a 3-gallon batch. Two oz of dry hops in 5 gallons is pretty low if you want a big hop aroma. Try at least 4-5 ounces next time around.
You can also double or even triple your whirlpool hop addition if you’re crazy like me
Lots of late hops, fresh hops, low cohumulone, low bicarbonate water and higher gravity like greater than 1.055 which can hide some of the byproducts of large amounts of hops. Also a simple grain bill and clean yeast. Some say a crap ton of dry but i think it gives to much of a grassy/green flavor. i also whirlpool i really really like the characteristic this gives.
In regards to the whirlpool… I added my hops at flameout and let them steep for 50 mins. I’ve read where the hops should go in at lower temps (around 170 degrees) before steeping. Is there a specific temp to add for aroma? Will adding at flameout increase bitterness instead of aroma?
Isomerization of hop alpha acids will occur at temps above 185F so yes you will get bitterness. i depend on software to get me somewhat there. Once the temps goes below 185F i think there are just different characteristics that come out of the hops Such as the essential oils such as myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene which could contribute more the aroma.
i recently brewed a IIPA with 10ml of hop extract for bittering @ 90m and then 1 oz each of Mosaic, simcoe, columbus and galaxy in a 30m whirlpool and then 2 dry hops for 5 days each containing the same. The aroma is killer
I think I get better results by splitting them up. I’ll dryhop for 2-3 days in the primary before transferring into the keg, then dryhop in the keg as well. 2-3 oz per dose.
+1 on splitting up the dry hop charge into two or three additions. Also give the Carboy a little swirl each time you walk by to help increase their contact with the beer.
I routinely brew IPA’s and IIPA’s with between 12 ad 16 oz of hops to 6 gallons. I mostly do a large dry hop at 5 days but sometimes do a 7 and 3 day dry hop, splitting the amounts in half and the aroma is killer. Sadly, it doesn’t last very long so drink up.
OP - For reference, 2 -2.5 oz dry hops (5 gallons) is fairly common for APA-level hop character. I use 5 -6+ oz dry hops for AIPA, 7 days. 8- 12 oz dry hops for IIPA, half each in separate 5 day hopping additions.
As for hop stands/whirlpool/steeping, you have to decide what you want to accomplish. If you’re looking to pick up some bitterness as well as some hop flavor and aroma, adding the hops from flameout down to 185F will accomplish that. I prefer to get basically all of my bitterness from the boil addition, so I like to cool to 170F before adding the hops. You get very little to no noticeable bitterness at this temp, and additionally less of the volatile oils are driven off as compared to adding at flameout, leaving better flavor and aroma IMO. Good luck !
I agree with the other about increasing the dry hops. I tend to use upwards of six ounces over two phase for up to six days on most of my big IPAs or showcase hop-blasted APA. Also, I’ll echo the advice of increasing the flameout hop additions. I tend to use at least 30% of my hops at flameout for a hop steep.
I’ve found that no matter the dry hop amounts, the aroma always fads too fast. I’ve gone to late additions, steep and whirlpool, then use a hop rocket to keg or bottle with. Makes a huge difference. If you really want a lot of aroma, connect your hop rocket or randle to your serving tap.