Did I dry hop wrong?

[matt76]

A few weeks back I brewed AG#2, a 5L batch roughly approximating an English IPA using MO, fuggles and EKG:
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/ag-2.79337/

After 14 days I added 5g fuggles + 5g EKG pellets for dry hopping by tipping them through the airlock bung hole (i.e. I deliberately did not remove FV lid to reduce risk of infection). Then I gently agitated FV to mix.

After another 7 days I bottled. I gave in to temptation last night and tried a bottle after only 2 weeks conditioning/carbonating (yeah, yeah, I know).

It tasted like beer but no surprise, probably wants another week or two to condition/carbonate. Also rather cloudy, probably chill haze.

But there was very little hop aroma - might this improve with time? Or is my dry hopping technique no good? Or is this just not enough hops (or wrong type) to get English IPA aroma?

 

[Drunkula]

I'd say not enough. 10g of something like columbus, cascade or citra you'd taste but ekg and fuggles don't jump at you in the same way.

 

[terrym]

Wot @Drunkula said.
And in my personal view you are extremely unlikely to get an 'infection' by removing the FV lid to add your hops. You may get an infection by having dirty brewing kit but not by taking the lid off for a few seconds. Breweries have traditionally brewed beer in open systems and don't get 'infections' or if they did they wouldn't do it (google yorkshire square or burton union system to see what I'm on about) .

 

[Drunkula]

google yorkshire square or burton union system to see what I'm on abou

 

[matt76]

I'd say not enough. 10g of something like columbus, cascade or citra you'd taste but ekg and fuggles don't jump at you in the same way.

Ok, understood, thanks for your input @Drunkula

Good to understand where i went wrong - I'm happy with this, it was a user-upper recipe (leftovers of AG#1!) before i went and bought more stuff, and once it's conditioned I'll have beer of some sort :-)

Interestingly, for AG#3 (black IPA) i used the same technique to dry hop - good to know the method is sound enough.

But i note that the hops used (Simcoe and Citra) have roughly twice the AAUs of fuggles and EKG - however, I'm not sure if that's relevant for aroma or dry hopping, or if it only applies to bittering...

Cheers,

Matt

 

[Drunkula]

People are going to say that dry hopping doesn't add to the bitterness and they'll be right. And they'll also be wrong. Google "dry hop perceived bitterness" and you'll see why. With those type of hops start at 10g per gallon for dry hopping and you can call it from there on future brews. Take a look at some recipes and you'll see mental levels of dry hopping in some beers. To be honest until you're thinking Jesus Christ! This dry hop will bankrupt me! then you're probably fine throwing more in.

 

[Ghillie]

@matt76,

If I was going for a huge hoppy beer - I go in with about 6g/L as a dry hop. I use new world hops exclusively.

A beer with a hint of hop aroma and a light fragrance - 2-3g probably.