Dry hopped equals grassy taste?

[Ashman]

I’ve experimented with dry hopping homebrew and they have always had a grassy taste to them. In addition a few (not all) commercial dry hopped beers I had recently also had the grassy taste. I remember reading that Brewdog had special equipment for dry hopping. Any tips for avoiding it?

 

[Slid]

I’ve experimented with dry hopping homebrew and they have always had a grassy taste to them. In addition a few (not all) commercial dry hopped beers I had recently also had the grassy taste. I remember reading that Brewdog had special equipment for dry hopping. Any tips for avoiding it?

I assume you mean avoiding a grassy taste.

Maybe two lines to suggest, first is to reduce the time of dry hopping. Usually the maximum recommended time you see quoted is 5 days.

Second is the suggestion that some people notice a grassy taste more than others. You could ask some others to try the beers you find grassy and see what they think. If you really are sensitive to dry hopped beer, then hops at end of boil and hop teas might be a substitute for dry hopping.

Hope this helps.

 

[ACBEV]

I gave up dry hopping my homebrew, always tasted a bit iffy to me.

Nowadays I tend to late hop in the boil, usually @ 5 mins and all the gunk from the boiler goes into the FV, including the hops.

To me my beers tastes much better and a cleaner hop taste.

 

[Duxuk]

I've tried what you do ACBEV, inspired by Cwtch kits, which do this. I found a taste which I didn't like with this method but would have to look at my notes to see what it was!
I'm trying not dry hopping on my last couple of brews and find that late (5 mins) and flameout is giving good results.

 

[Leon103]

What hops are you using. How long for? What temperature are they are. How old are the hops and how are they stored?

 

[Ashman]

What hops are you using. How long for? What temperature are they are. How old are the hops and how are they stored?

I used Bramling Cross pellets from Young’s and loosely followed the single hop brewdog recipe (apart from going for 100% pale malt and dry hopping). The beer came out crystal clear and bitter (expected) but no real fruity / black currant just grassy.

https://brewdogrecipes.com/recipes/bramling-x

 

[Leon103]

I used Bramling Cross pellets from Young’s and loosely followed the single hop brewdog recipe (apart from going for 100% pale malt and dry hopping). The beer came out crystal clear and bitter (expected) but no real fruity / black currant just grassy.

https://brewdogrecipes.com/recipes/bramling-x

Mostly like a combo of poor hops and dry hoping for too long.

 

[Hoppyland]

Second is the suggestion that some people notice a grassy taste more than others.

I find this very interesting, as I mainly brew very hoppy beers. Some with American/New Zealand hops, but others with "traditional" hops such as Fuggle or Goldings. For most hoppy beers, I usually dry hop at a rate of at least 100g for a 25l brew. Some are over 150g (usually the New World hopped ones). I leave the dry hops in for, typically, 5 days. Sometimes longer.
I can honestly say that I have no idea what a "grassy" aroma or flavour might be. I've heard the term before, but it means nothing to me. All of my recipes taste great to me (or I wouldn't keep brewing them!), and my dry hop additions simply make my beers taste extra-hoppy, and therefore more delicious in my perception.

 

[simon12]

I have read that using high AA hops helps prevent this but haven't done much dry hopping myself to have experienced it. Also is the flavour like what you get in all Oakham ales beer as I find they all have some sort of grassy or leafy taste, at 1st I thought it was from the citra hop but you get the same from there beers that don't use citra?

 

[An Ankoù]

I know exactly what you mean, Ashman. I have had this intensely grassy flavour too, the first time with Cascade, but I've noticed it with other, gentler-flavoured hops. The Cascade was so horrible that I put the beer to one side and came back to it three months later. The grass had gone, but there wasn't much hop flavour either.
Now, I use the freshest hops I can find for dry hopping. Old hops can go in the late boil and steep, provided they're from a recently opened pack. I never dry hop for more than 2 to 3 days, and I always use leaf.
I suspect, and it's only a suspicion, that leaving the hops in the beer to soak for a long time contributes to the grassiness from mild hops, which is masked by the intense flavours of hops like Citra, Amarillo or Simcoe.

 

[The Baron]

I find this very interesting, as I mainly brew very hoppy beers. Some with American/New Zealand hops, but others with "traditional" hops such as Fuggle or Goldings. For most hoppy beers, I usually dry hop at a rate of at least 100g for a 25l brew. Some are over 150g (usually the New World hopped ones). I leave the dry hops in for, typically, 5 days. Sometimes longer.
I can honestly say that I have no idea what a "grassy" aroma or flavour might be. I've heard the term before, but it means nothing to me. All of my recipes taste great to me (or I wouldn't keep brewing them!), and my dry hop additions simply make my beers taste extra-hoppy, and therefore more delicious in my perception.

Hi as per the Hoppyland's reply I have many years experience of brewing and this "Grassy" taste keeps coming up. I have never tasted it so too in theory do not know how to recognise it. Is it one of those things that is over used and some people are just attributing some flavours to it as it is the thing to label this other taste to. Could somebody give me a definitive description of what it is so that I can try and recognise it as I do think some people are just describing maybe a greeness if there is such a word to the beer or the hops that have just been removed from the brew and will have a keen taste until they mellow. I am not trying to say it does not exist but I have never had it that I can think of and therefore do not know how to recognise it, maybe I have not susceptible to it but I would think not as I can taste many other off tastes etc

 

[jceg316]

I used to leave hops in the FV for up to 2 weeks, sometimes longer and never noticed a grassy taste. However, I'm not keen on dry hopping anymore as I put my hops in a metal cage and if it isn't fully submerged it will be a breeding ground for germs and wild bacteria and I'll be left with a sour beer. I also don't have the taste for IPAs like I used to.

I think more late hopping is a really good idea as mentioned above, also I've had good success with hop teas.

 

[peebee]

Brewdog have "special equipment" for dry hopping 'cos they are brewing 100s of litres at a time. They don't expect some poor bloke to jump in the empty vessel after every batch of beer to clean dry hops out of pipes and valves before the next batch.

Us home-brewers have "special equipment" for this task too. In some cases it might be someone's clean sock (cleaning optional! ).

 

[Hoppyland]

Also is the flavour like what you get in all Oakham ales beer as I find they all have some sort of grassy or leafy taste, at 1st I thought it was from the citra hop but you get the same from there beers that don't use citra?

Well, this increases my puzzlement. Living in Scotland, the only Oakham beer I've tasted is their "Citra", available here from Tesco. I keep dipping into commercial beers that I haven't come across before out of interest, although I normally prefer my own. For my taste, the Oakham Citra is one of the best-tasting hop-forward commercial beers available. Apart from being over-carbonated (but pretty well all bottled beers are), I find the general balance but also the hop flavour and aroma absolutely first-rate. I'd have been happy to have brewed this myself.
I'd echo The Baron's thoughts as to what exactly is "grassy". To me, it suggests new mown lawns, or possibly the cropping of a hayfield. Both similar smells, but not the same, and both smells that I love. In fact, I suspect that I'd like a beer that had that aroma. But it is not something that I've encountered in any beer, not even close.
Anyway, I have to remain confused......

 

[Nicks90]

I suppose 'grassy' is just as subjective as when people describe a taste as ''green'.

I find hops to not have a grassy or green note, but again that could just be my own particular taste buds

 

[An Ankoù]

Well, this increases my puzzlement. Living in Scotland, the only Oakham beer I've tasted is their "Citra", available here from Tesco. I keep dipping into commercial beers that I haven't come across before out of interest, although I normally prefer my own. For my taste, the Oakham Citra is one of the best-tasting hop-forward commercial beers available. Apart from being over-carbonated (but pretty well all bottled beers are), I find the general balance but also the hop flavour and aroma absolutely first-rate. I'd have been happy to have brewed this myself.
I'd echo The Baron's thoughts as to what exactly is "grassy". To me, it suggests new mown lawns, or possibly the cropping of a hayfield. Both similar smells, but not the same, and both smells that I love. In fact, I suspect that I'd like a beer that had that aroma. But it is not something that I've encountered in any beer, not even close.
Anyway, I have to remain confused......

Living in Brittany, I've never tasted their Citra, which, I presume is relatively new. On the other hand, their Bishop's Farewell is one of the finest pints ever brewed IMNSHO, especially at the brewery tap in Peterborough. That's about the only happy memory I have of Peterborough, sad to say.

 

[An Ankoù]

I had a bottle of Samuel Smith's India Ale last night and, while it's not excessive, the hop flavour was grassy. That's what I mean when I describe beer as grassy. It was OK, but I won't order that particular offering from Sam again.

 

[malhal]

To me grassy tastes like woody bitter astringency. I get it when I dry hop for a short time after fermentation has ended, e.g. on day 3 for 3 days. If I add the dry hops on day 1 for 6 days then there is no grassy. I split the batch in my last brew to figure this out. My theory is either the hops are being scrubbed of oxygen during the active fermentation or the open bag of hops is oxidising in the freezer for 3 days after brew day. Either way I think this grassy taste is oxidised hops.

Actually I also cold crashed both for a half day and I did notice the long dry hop had already settled on the bottom so maybe it is also less hop matter in solution. The beer is mesh filtered before bottling though, and all air removed.

 

[malhal]

I have had this intensely grassy flavour too, the first time with Cascade

Cascade has very high levels of Cohumulone

http://www.lugwrenchbrewing.com/2011/11/cohumulone-rages-by-hop-variety-hop.html
And it's possible that the lower temps during cold-crashing the dry-hops brings out maximum Cohumulone woody taste.