Can I add a packet of hops to a 40 pint brew of lager

[Datanode101]

Hello,

I'm very basic and have for years just used the kits etc.

I did brew a middle of the range kit once that had a extra packet of hops in it, so after the initial fermentation the instructions told me to add them (sprinkle on the top) and then allow another 7 days or so before the 2nd fermentation.

I had to top an online order up and added a packet of Perle Hops 100g - Harvest 2019, I am currently making some lager at the moment, Young's Harvest Pilsner, and I'm wondering if I can follow the same process?

I've often wondered this if it can be done to what ever brew and also, why do they need to be added to the end after the yeast has done it's bit.......

sorry if it's a basic question.

 

[jMac]

Firstly, there are no basic questions!

The quick answer is yes, you can use your packet of hops to dry hop your kit beer. However, I’d suggest using a bit less than the full pack if you wish to do this. I’d suggest no more than 1g/litre for your beer (others may advise differently), or maybe slightly less, so about 15-20g from the packet. Lager isn’t traditionally dry hopped but I know there are plenty of dry hopped craft lagers about these days. Just seal the bag up with a clip or some tape and stick it in the freezer for future use.

 

[uDicko]

Yes you can follow the same process. They don't have to be added after fermentation, depends on the recipe but some peeps like to add it in once it's all stopped.

It's entirely up to you.

 

[jMac]

I've often wondered this if it can be done to what ever brew and also, why do they need to be added to the end after the yeast has done it's bit.......

Yes, you can dry hop any beer, although some styles aren’t traditionally dry hopped. Dry hopping is done to add additional hop aroma and thus perceived flavour to the beer without adding bitterness.

As to why it’s done after active fermentation - some suggest that the act of fermentation has a detrimental effect on the aroma/flavour additions provided by the dry hop. A common dry hopping schedule is to do it after active fermentation has finished and 3ish days before bottling/racking, so generally around day 11 after brewday.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I have just drunk my last bottle of Youngs Harvest Pilsener, it was second brew I did after dusting off my kit at the beginning of lockdown.
It's an enjoyable crisp, dry pilsener, I dry hopped with Saaz leaf towards the end of fermentation for about 3 or 4 days.
The Youngs kits are very reliable in my experience, normally best brewed to the instructions but this maybe benefits from an added flavour profile.

 

[Datanode101]

This is great news!

I shall have a go with the recommended dosage, This has got a fire burning in me now....lol I mean how exciting that I can alter the end product with a twang of something, I can start experimenting with hops and flavours!

I mean there's loads to pick from, and I did really enjoy the kit that had them in with it, really nice. I see there's ones for pale ales etc.

"Well suited to modern Blondes, Pale Ales, IPA’s and Belgian-style Ales "

This is the best news I've had all day! haha! :)

(Question, you know when you bottle and that, could I melt 20 grams of sugar say in 40ml of water and then use a syringe for 1ml per bottle)

I've tried the drops and the like and they were OK but they did stick to the bottom of the bottle, not the end of the world as a little tap and they dislodged, but when using sugar, it's kinda has to be shook a little more to dislodge it, and then when you tip the bottle back up I notice there's quite a lot drops back to the bottom of the bottle)

I might go and have a look at some more hops as I just picked up this order yesterday..

Coopers Draught Beer Kit
Coopers Canadian Blonde Beer Kit

.....and thanks, 20-25 grams out of a packet of a 100! great stuff, and also, why the freezer for the hops?

Thanks again for the top tips!

@Tanglefoot nice pint man!

 

[NPi]

This is great news!

I shall have a go with the recommended dosage, This has got a fire burning in me now....lol I mean how exciting that I can alter the end product with a twang of something, I can start experimenting with hops and flavours!

I mean there's loads to pick from, and I did really enjoy the kit that had them in with it, really nice. I see there's ones for pale ales etc.

"Well suited to modern Blondes, Pale Ales, IPA’s and Belgian-style Ales "

This is the best news I've had all day! haha! :)

(Question, you know when you bottle and that, could I melt 20 grams of sugar say in 40ml of water and then use a syringe for 1ml per bottle)

I've tried the drops and the like and they were OK but they did stick to the bottom of the bottle, not the end of the world as a little tap and they dislodged, but when using sugar, it's kinda has to be shook a little more to dislodge it, and then when you tip the bottle back up I notice there's quite a lot drops back to the bottom of the bottle)

I might go and have a look at some more hops as I just picked up this order yesterday..

Coopers Draught Beer Kit
Coopers Canadian Blonde Beer Kit

.....and thanks, 20-25 grams out of a packet of a 100! great stuff, and also, why the freezer for the hops?

Thanks again for the top tips!

@Tanglefoot nice pint man!

Try dry hopping in a hop sock, or similar. You can pick up a reusable veg bag from your local supermarket that you can use, for as little as 30p. This let's the hop oils leave the hops and enter your beer, whilst being easily removed at the end, stopping you getting hops in your bottles.

Just make sure you sterilise the hop bag before you add it to your fermenter. Use either boiling water, vodka, or your normal sterilisation liquid to soak the bag before filling with hops. You may also want to add some marbles or a tea spoon to weigh it down.

Regarding your priming sugar, you may want to use a larger volume of liquid to dissolve in first. If you bottle your beer, add up the liquid volume (330ml bottles, 500ml bottles, multiplied by number), plug that figure into the priming calculator on brewers friend and select your level of carbonation.

Take this measurement of sugar, dissolve in 300ml of tap water. Heating it to a quick boil to sterilise. Then divide 300ml by the total volume and multiply by the size of your bottles.

This should allow for consistency across your bottles, no matter the size.

If you are able to, try to cool your beer as cold as you can (above freezing) just before you decant to bottle. This should drop as much matter out of suspension as possible, leaving you with clear beer. Also, try not to shake or disturb your beer at any point (be it in the fermenter or bottle), as this will disturb it and may cause oxidation.

Nick

 

[Datanode101]

aha! never even thought about something like that, I'll get one of them bags.

Sugar,

Am I making this calculation right for 500ml bottles and brewing 40 pints it's suggesting 114 g of normal sugar...!??!

40 pints = 22.73.04 litres, 114g table sugar ÷ 40 bottles = 2.86 g per bottle?

Seems like a shed loads...

It's rather hot here today (just had a check of the fermentor and it's 32-34 degrees! , I'm surprised it's not leaked up and out the air lock!

I didn't know about cooling it, could I put it in the bath and fill the bath with cold water, of course trying not to move it, don't want it bobbing around or anything.....

Thanks again

(P.s forgot at add! honey! OMG! like how nice would a brew beer with honey be! YUM!!)

 

[NPi]

That's correct, however you may want even more.

Just below the figures for different priming additives is the carbonation style guides. So a lager you may want to carbonate to 2.2 - 2.7 volumes.

You will also want to set your temperature on the calculator to whatever temperature you will store at. Ideally this should be similar to your fermentation temperature.

Using different fermentables is a great way to experiment. But don't be too beaten up if you don't get the full flavour you were expecting. This is because different additions have different levels of fermentability. So the honey for example may be fully eaten by your yeast leaving little taste.

Regarding your volume of beer, you may want to measure that by counting your bottles post filling them. You will certainly have some loss from your trub, spillage and other areas. If for example it ends up being 114g, add that to 300ml of water and dissolve on the hob.

You will then need to divide your priming volume (300ml) by your beer volume (20,000ml) and multiple by the bottle size (500ml).

300/20000*500= 7.5ml

Which handy enough is 1.5 of the calpol syringes. Try not to let your priming sugar boil, or you will loose some to evaporation.

If you end up with the solution being too thick add another 100ml of water and adjust your calculations.

Regarding your temperature, try to keep in the high teens, low twenties if possible. A cold bath is a good way of doing this. Lots of people also sit their fermentors in big buckets, drape wet towels over them and then point a fan at them.

Alternatively, try to find the coldest place in your house and put it there. You may also want to look into a fermentation chamber further down the line. This sounds expensive and complex, but is really just a second hand fridge with a £30 temperature monitor.

Finally, remember to measure your FG before you add sugar, or else you won't get an accurate reading.

Anyway, life's a lesson and I'm sure it will turn out great.

Cheers, Nick

 

[GerritT]

aha! never even thought about something like that, I'll get one of them bags.

Sugar,

Am I making this calculation right for 500ml bottles and brewing 40 pints it's suggesting 114 g of normal sugar...!??!

40 pints = 22.73.04 litres, 114g table sugar ÷ 40 bottles = 2.86 g per bottle?

Seems like a shed loads...

It's rather hot here today (just had a check of the fermentor and it's 32-34 degrees! , I'm surprised it's not leaked up and out the air lock!

I didn't know about cooling it, could I put it in the bath and fill the bath with cold water, of course trying not to move it, don't want it bobbing around or anything.....

Thanks again

(P.s forgot at add! honey! OMG! like how nice would a brew beer with honey be! YUM!!)

View attachment 30830

Yeah that's quite reasonable. But it's only a few grams, and most of it will be transformed to CO2.
There are ways to use honey in your beer but if you use it early, in the boil, a lot of flavour and aroma might be lost. For bottling it's alright, or otherwise later in the process.

 

[Skyler]

The rule of thumb here in California is that anywhere from 1/10 oz to a full oz of dry hops per gallon (US) of beer. Our gallons are differently-sized than yours because our pints and quarts are standardized to weights (1 fl oz of water weighs 1 oz and 16 fl oz = 1 pint, so 1 pint = 1 lb). I know, why not just use metric, right?

Anyway, what that means is that you can dry hop with up to about 1-7 g of hops per liter for west coast hoppy styles.

 

[Datanode101]

Great thanks! I really need to take a bit more time with my brew, I can't believe it, you see, I was just using a measuring spoon 0.5 g of sugar and that was it, no wonder they've been flat, some have been OK, but considering that's telling me to use 2 g more than I have I bet there going to turn out way better than they have.

Ordered one of them bags for the hops.

Just a question on temperature when it's fermenting, I was under the impression that the warmer that it brewed then the faster that the yeast would eat the sugar and the quicker the brew would be done.....

Just had another check and she's riding high!

I'll stick a damp towle around it now.....

 

[jMac]

great stuff, and also, why the freezer for the hops?

Just to keep the hops fresher longer. An open packet of hops, even sealed with a clip or tape, is going to stale quite quickly if you just keep it in the back of a cupboard (particularly with the current weather). Keeping them in the freezer will keep them good to use for months and months.

I re-vacuum pack my opened hops and I still keep them in the freezer!

 

[jMac]

Just a question on temperature when it's fermenting, I was under the impression that the warmer that it brewed then the faster that the yeast would eat the sugar and the quicker the brew would be done.....

Strictly speaking, that’s true. However, it may not be desirable. All yeasts have a recommended temperature range that it’s best to ferment them within. If you stick within that range you should produce good beer. A little bit out of that range you might also produce good (or at least passable) beer. Far out of that range, you’re not going to have great beer. Most around here would probably recommend you brewed at the lower end of the yeasts recommended temperature range.

Basically, if you brew too cold, your yeast are going to get sleepy and if you brew too warm, they’re going to get a little crazy and overwork, producing unwanted compounds in your brew.

 

[Datanode101]

Thanks for this, yes I've suffered from both over the years, I tried "restarting" a batch once that just ended up flat as a pancake, but of course I'm kicking my self by not following basic recipes and instructions, what I've been doing is ruining my brews at the final stage of bottling by being lazy!

I came home one day and I thought that there washing machine had leaked and then realised that it was the HB that was all over the floor, foamed out the top!

So as of today I'm going to stick to the recipes and the calculations for sugar etc.

Going to order my self a hydrometer and the like so I can get the readings etc. needed.

This is quite exciting if I can turn what is ok'ish brews into amazing ones!

I had some left over sugar that I've just been using when brewing, so I really need this to see the specific alcohol content etc. which will of course help with all the calculations.

After all just been guessing so have no idea what I've actually been making...Some are probably shaking their heads in there hands at me for this n00bish behaviour! LOL...

*Kaching*

 

[terrym]

@Datanode101
1. Don't overload your lager with hops. Its not an IPA. I suggest no more than 25-30g of your chosen hop. Saaz or Hallertau will suit the style.
2. In my opinion faffing about with several syringes of sugar solution to prime your bottles is not the way to go. Either batch prime (by transferring the beer into a second vessel into which you have dosed with the correct amount of sugar as a solution or or as a solid which must then be gently stirred to dissolve, and then bottle from that ), or just adding sugar using a teaspoon and funnel. I do both but mostly the latter.
3. The idea of a wet towel is good to cool your FV. If you have a garden, builders or laundry trug half fill it with cold water and place your FV in that and periodically change some of the water with chilled water from the fridge. However its best not to brew in really hot weather, unless you are using a speciality yeast. Certainly I put off a brew day this week because of the hot weather
4. This may still be of help to you. In it you will see reference to the 2+2+2 rule which is 2 weeks in the FV, 2 weeks to carb up, and two weeks to condition before you sample to see if its drinkable. Use that until you have gained some experience and can adjust timings
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

 

[GerritT]

Something tells me you could do with a book, or other reference material. One of my first mistakes was to try ALL THE THINGS and most of them turned out quite okay ._. But it could've been better if I had known stuff better.
There are plenty of books, some dedicated to style, some more about the history, and a recent one about nordic farmhouse ales, for instance. There are even quite bad ones (do NOT pour hot wort in a glass carboy! Not that I did, but it was suggested).

Here's a website, based upon a book: Welcome to How to Brew - How to Brew

 

[Datanode101]

Thanks, got loads of time on my hands and agreed I need to start from the beginning, and not miss out steps in the whole process!

Kit's arrived!

 

[terrym]

Thanks, got loads of time on my hands and agreed I need to start from the beginning, and not miss out steps in the whole process!

Kit's arrived!

View attachment 30901

View attachment 30902

I suggest you save your Perle hops for something a bit more robust.
Cascade US or another citrussy hop would complement the Draught and you could use Saaz or Hallertau in the lager as I suggested earlier, and any of these would suit the Blonde. But if you haven't done these kits before its often good to do them as they come to judge how best to improve them , if necessary, next time.
And Crossmyloof have a good range of hops at good prices, and are apparently well liked by Forum members including me.
https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/hop-guide

 

[Datanode101]

Thanks for the tips, these are the kits that I've been making for years, but as mentioned just became super lazy no measurements are anything. Like when I found out about the sugar today using that calculator. nearly 2 grams more than I'd ever used!

I'm going to knuckle down and get reading! back to school!

Thanks for the link to that shop, sure is a load to choose from....

p.s what would you suggest I use them hops on if anything at all? and they go in the freezer now or only once opened?

Thanks