I recently brewed an American IPA. My brew day went very well and I hit all my numbers. After fermentation, I transferred to a clearing vessel (big mouth bubbler) and added my dry hops. I used 3 oz. Of Challenger UK (5.3 alpha, 4.9 beta) for 10 days. The result was/is nothing. This beer, while tasty, has as close to zero nose as one could get after dry hop. It’s very disappointing. What did I do wrong?
The beer temperature during dry hop was about 65°, steady. The FG was about 1.020.
Recent research has shown that hops start reabsorbing oils after 72 hours. So going 10 days is far too long.
http://scottjanish.com/a-case-for-short-and-cool-dry-hopping/
That is a great article Denny. Thank you for sharing! Another great learning experience.
In my experience, Challenger isn’t a hop that is loaded with flavor/aroma. I used to use it a lot, and I found it gave a subtle chai tea character. It’s delicious when paired with EKG, but I don’t know if I’d expect a lot from it in dry hops.
That’s great information to know. Thank you. Seems the wrong hop kept in the beer for too long results in nothing more an effort in futility.
I big problem can also be oxidation. No need top use a “cleaning vessel”. Oxidized beer has a tendency to destroy hop flavor and aroma. Dry hopping is usually best done in the primary fermenter, then packaged.
Did the Challenger hops seem fresh? Older or mishandled hops might not give you the punch you want. I learned that when you order hops, you really need to get them from a source that respects the hops… Yakima Chief Hops, Yakima Valley Hops, Hop Heaven, etc. I have been burned by “homebrew supply” hops more times than I care to say. Also, the way you store your hops matters. If you open a bag and put the remainder in the freezer, get a vac-sealer. I think the one I have was $30-something dollars on Amazon. Seal them back up and put them back in the freezer. This is especially true for hops you want to use for dry hopping. They need to be at (or close to) their peak if you want that character in the beer.
^^^^^
All very good points to consider. Thanks, all, for your input!
I wonder what the logistics are regarding a shorter dry hop; start the dry hop near the end of fermentation?
Denny posted a link (above) that explains this subject.
I do it post fermentation after cold crashing. The shorter time is due to the fact that hops start to reabsorb the oils they’ve released after 48 hiurs.
That is a great article by Scott Janish. Thanks, Denny, for that reference. It shows how much of the pro and homebrewer understanding of things has advanced over recent years.
Indeed. Although it often seems to be a problem getting people to give up their ingrained ideas and accept something new.
I’m not much of a dry-hopper but this information from Denny and some others was a surprise to me. You might think that the longer the hops had contact with the beer, the better your dry-hop character would be. I know many people who put bags of hops in the keg and they stay there until the keg is empty. So when I do make a dry-hopped pale ale (which will happen over this winter), I’ll add them post-fermentation in a muslin bag for 48-72 hours and then transfer to a keg. We can all appreciate the little details that make our hobby better.
More along these lines for me:
I don’t dry hop that often but when I do I add them during active fermentation ~2-3 days before packaging.
+1