Dry hopping -- When, and in which vessel?

[C38368]

Recipe #2 calls for dry hopping on day seven, and I'm trying to decide whether I want to just dump my hops into primary, or first rack to a secondary vessel and then dry hop.

Opinion on the matter seems to be all over the place, and I was wondering what thoughts you all might have on the subject.

As far as I can tell, the pros of doing it in primary are ease (no need for that extra racking step) and decreased chance of pulling your beer off the yeast before fermentation is complete (which can be avoided by waiting until stable gravity readings). Cons include tying up a primary vessel (if that matters), more trub to deal with when you do rack, and concern about oils being carried off by carbon dioxide offgassing. I assume that last one is only an issue if the hops go in before the primary fermentation phase is complete?

I guess what I'm really asking is thus: the recipe calls for dry hopping on day seven. Does it matter if I wait until, say, day fourteen to dry hop, assuming that I leave them in for the recommended period?

 

[duboman]

Regardless of how you choose to go about dry hopping you need to verify fermentation has finished by taking gravity readings a couple days in a row. Do not rack over or add the hops if this has not been verified first.

I would suggest you go 2 weeks primary and then decide what you want to do.

 

[brtisbuck]

I would suggest you go 2 weeks primary and then decide what you want to do.

+1

In my experience dry hopping in the primary creates no additional racking issues when it is time to bottle. I typically go with 3 weeks in primary for a majority of my brews and skip the secondary all together. I dry hop in primary and don't bother with hop bags or the like. For normal gravity brews that I plan to dry hop I go 2 weeks minimum in primary prior to dry hopping. I make my dry hop addition however many days the recipe calls for dry hopping prior to the 3 week mark, but never before the first 2 weeks even if it means longer than 3 week primary.

 

[frazier]

It sounds like you understand the ups and downs of the issue, so go with whichever method works for you.

I would just like to add that the advice to wait until 100% absolute sure your fermentation has been done for three days, is only an issue for bottling. For dry hopping, you can just wait two weeks, then toss them in. And RDWHAHB.

Honestly, the way some people talk about gravity readings around here, I'm surprised they have any beer left come bottling day.

Cheers!

 

[C38368]

Yeah, I'm not all that hot on doing loads of gravity readings... I did them weekly with my first batch, and that was just too much work. I haven't bothered to do one with this batch yet, and probably won't until 10-14 days. Effort!

I think I'll just dry hop into this carboy and buy a second one to start batch #3 in the interim.

Thanks!

 

[ludomonster]

You can get a keg lid modified to hook a hop bag and dry hop in the keg.

 

[Yooper]

However you do it, primary, secondary, keg, whatever- I suggest dryhopping about 5-10 days before packaging. I noticed that I get the best hops flavor and aroma when I dryhop immediately before bottling or kegging the beer. So I wait until about 5-7 days before I plan to package the beer, and dryhop it then. I've dryhopped from 3-10 days, but I like 5-7 days the best.

 

[bobeer]

I've only racked to a secondary to dry hop once and it was the very first time. I will never do that again. I just don't see the benefit of doing it that way. Next time I will toss the hops right into the primary after fermentation is complete.
As Yooper said, 5-7 days is the best!

 

[wilsojos]

It sounds like you understand the ups and downs of the issue, so go with whichever method works for you.

I would just like to add that the advice to wait until 100% absolute sure your fermentation has been done for three days, is only an issue for bottling. For dry hopping, you can just wait two weeks, then toss them in. And RDWHAHB.

Honestly, the way some people talk about gravity readings around here, I'm surprised they have any beer left come bottling day.

Cheers!

Real men drink the beer they take for gravity readings. Haha.

Seriously, you've done the research, great job!! Do what makes the most sense to you. My preference is throw the hops in your secondary and rack the beer on top 5-7 days before packaging like Yooper said. Yooper is the man so following any advice he gives is always a good idea.

 

[Yooper]

Yooper is the man so following any advice he gives is always a good idea.

Seriously? I had a sex change when I wasn't looking? Damn- I hate when that happens.



I'm actually a 135- pound size 4 middle aged grandmother, by the way!

 

[Dolomieu]

You can also get a small paint stainer bag, throw your hops in, and tie or zip tie it low on your dip tube in the keg. Saves you the extra cost of a special lid and its easy to get out. I can even manage it with my fat hands.

 

[wilsojos]

Yooper: My bad..haha, sorry. But, you're still the man figuratively speaking.

 

[C38368]

Thanks all, for the advice and confirmations. Kegging is still too capital-intensive for me to start just yet, but I'll definitely keep that in mind when I get to it. In the interim, I think I'm just going toss a hop sock into my primary in a week or so. Boiled, of course!

Kippis!

 

[brtisbuck]

Thanks all, for the advice and confirmations. Kegging is still too capital-intensive for me to start just yet, but I'll definitely keep that in mind when I get to it. In the interim, I think I'm just going toss a hop sock into my primary in a week or so. Boiled, of course!

Kippis!

My only other piece of advice is that if you are using a hop sack is to make sure it is loosely packed. If the hops are crammed in there it will be less effective.

 

[opiate82]

If dry hopping in the keg, do you just leave the hops in there indefinitely or do you pull them out after a certain amount of time?

 

[Buna_Bere]

I've heard a couple of pro brewers talk about throwing the dry hops in just before the primary ferment is complete. The benefits they say are the yeast will scrub out any oxygen your adding with the dry hop, and that the yeast may actually metabolize some of the hop compounds into new interesting esters we don't even know about yet. I'm pretty sure it was Vinny from Russian River and possibly Matt from Firestone Walker that said this.

 

[Dolomieu]

If dry hopping in the keg, do you just leave the hops in there indefinitely or do you pull them out after a certain amount of time?

I do and the guy who showed me that trick does as well. It works out pretty well. I have had plenty of his beer done that way and never noticed any ill effects.

 

[bjl110]

Do you harvest your yeast? If so a secondary is the way to go. That is about the only reason I use them anymore. If I'm not harvesting, straight into the primary they go. When I rack to the bottling bucket I put a paint strainer over the intake of my auto-siphon so I don't get hop particles in the finished product. I usually go 7-10 days.

 

[DrBrewDC]

Seriously? I had a sex change when I wasn't looking? Damn- I hate when that happens.



I'm actually a 135- pound size 4 middle aged grandmother, by the way!

haha...