Dry hopping help please

[John_Henry]

Hi,

Im wanting to dry hop an American IPA I brewed yesterday, but having not done it before I could do with a little advice.

From most things I've read it says to dry hop for a week or two on the secondary fermentation. I have never secondary fermented before, I can't see how it works or the point if you ferment correctly in the first place. So, should I just bung the hops in with the primary fermentation? I read this doesn't work too well because of all the fermenting going on, but I can't see how it can harm it? Or, do I wait for the fermenting to finish as normal ad the hops, leave for a week or so and then prime?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

 

[phettebs]

When I did all bottling, I would rack from FV to a carboy and add the hops. I'd let it sit like that for two weeks and then bottle, leaving the hops behind in the carboy. Now that I keg mostly, I put the hops right in my keg (well, in a mesh bag actually) and leave them in there for the duration that the beer lasts on tap.

Secondarying a beer can serve multiple purposes. If it's a big beer, it needs some amount of time to age. You do this in secondary. If you like bright crystal clear beer, you can secondary at cold temps and even add some gelatin to help the process. This is also a good time to add fruit or any other adjunct you'd want to impart into your beer. Don't get caught up on the "fermentation" part of the name.

For many beers, there's nothing wrong with going directly from FV to bottle, barrel, or keg. But there are times, as mentioned above, where it can be useful if not beneficial to the beer.

Baz

 

[John_Henry]

Cheers Baz. Thats very helpful. So, I'll let it ferment fully before racking, Im never too sure about adding sugar for priming, so like to rack ASAP. Do you find it goes 'grassy' leaving the hops in the keg? I heard that can happan after two weeks? Cheers

 

[luckyeddie]

There's an easy solution to that, John_Henry.

Drink faster.

:drunk:

 

[phettebs]

I've had them in the keg for a month and a half with no problems. Never noticed anything grassy but I've heard that as well. Just hasn't been my experience.

 

[John_Henry]

sounds like a good solution if it doesn't affect the taste in a negative way, I think I'll give it a go. Im thinking I'll try and suspend them in the barrel, so they'll be out the brew once it gets bellow a certain point. It wont last a month anyway! Cheers

 

[Muddy Funker]

Bump,

I've got a London Pride clone that the recipe calls for dry hopping with a few cones of goldings.

I've only got loose leaf goldings so was wondering if I can still use these and in what quantity?

Brewlength is around 25L

Many Thanks.

 

[phettebs]

I'd say maybe 14g? 28g might be a bit much for that beer

 

[Muddy Funker]

I'd say maybe 14g? 28g might be a bit much for that beer

Thanks for the reply, that's what I'll go with then.

Cheers :

 

[robsan77]

I, aswell as alot of others, dry hop in the primary by chucking the hops in after initial fermentation. I usually wait 5 days or so then bung them in for a week. Bottle or keg after that.

 

[jampot]

At the end of the dry hop does one squeeze the bag liquid into the brew?

 

[phettebs]

I don't because I use narrow necked carboys if I'm dry hopping in secondary. So I just rack out from under the bag and then fish it out after it's empty. If I'm dry hopping in the keg, then I just leave the bag in there until the keg is empty.

 

[jampot]

What I was meaning, would you introduce anything off flavors by the squeezing the bag...?

 

[phettebs]

I wouldn't think so. At that point they have been so saturated with beer that any off flavors they had would already be in the beer.

 

[Muddy Funker]

Right I've gone with the scientific method of throwing in 14g of loose leaf hops into the FV.

I'll give it a week then bottle.

Thanks guys :thumb: