Fermenting ipa.. Question on racking and dry hop timing.

[Beardown]

I am currently fermenting an ipa. Had in primary at 68 degrees for 11 days. Racked to secondary and added the (pellet ) dry hops immediately. How long should I keep in the secondary before kegging? Will keeping in secondary for too long or too short with the dry hops negatively effect the beer? Thanks

 

[Pkrd]

I usually dry hop for 5 days (starting when active ferment has stopped, around about day 8) and then cold crash for a day or two before kegging. All done in primary.

 

[Beardown]

Yea,, secondary is just what I've always done,, how does this schedule sound,, also (og was 1.069, and after 11 days in the prim it was 1.013) ... So, Primary for 11 at 68 degrees... secondary w the dry hop pellets for 5 days at 68 degrees... Cold crash for 2 days... Then keg?

 

[enkamania]

With my last batch, I tried something new. I kegged the beer and dry hopped at room temp for three days and then carbonated, leaving the hops in.

 

[TravelingLight]

My last beer (IPA), I racked to secondary and dry hopped there. I won't necessarily rack to secondary every time, but I did for this one to get it off the cake and give myself more time to finish my kegerator. I dry hopped for 7 days, no off flavors.

I've got one in primary now (IIPA) and I'm doing my dry hop in two additions. I'll do the first one in primary after fermentation for 5-6 days. Then I'm racking to secondary and doing the second dry hop in secondary for 5-6 days. Just trying out something different.

 

[kombat]

Secondary is unnecessary, unless you're planning on re-using the yeast. There's no rush to get the beer "off the yeast cake" unless you're talking about leaving it for literally several months.

 

[VonAle]

Secondary is unnecessary, unless you're planning on re-using the yeast. There's no rush to get the beer "off the yeast cake" unless you're talking about leaving it for literally several months.

This is confusing to me. I have been doing only primary till it goes in the keg.

However, many brewers recommend removing the yeast before dry hopping. Unless you use a conical, it needs to go into secondary (for dry hopping)

Can anyone comment whether it makes a difference to dry hop in primary vs separated from the yeast, in a secondary?

 

[jddevinn]

This is confusing to me. I have been doing only primary till it goes in the keg.

However, many brewers recommend removing the yeast before dry hopping. Unless you use a conical, it needs to go into secondary (for dry hopping)

Can anyone comment whether it makes a difference to dry hop in primary vs separated from the yeast, in a secondary?

On a commercial scale yes, remove the yeast, dry hop then brite tank. On a homebrew scale, keep everything in primary no need to move to dry hop. Most home brews are going to be oxidized anyway, no need to expose to more oxygen than necessary.

Note that I DO drop the yeast out my conicals (just so they don't clog later) when I start to cold crash and I DO use kegs as brite tanks ("secondary") for additional clearing and force carbing with CO2 stones before transferring to serving kegs. However, I would not recommend this unless you are pushing every transfer with an inert gas into (actual) inert gas purged containers.

 

[pshankstar]

Not to highjack this thread, but for those who dry hop in the keg. Do you place the hopsack in the keg weighted down or without a weight? Also, do you tie it off to anything so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the keg?

My next IPA I am going to dry hop in the keg and leave the hops in there until the keg kicks or I bottle from the keg.

Thanks guys!

 

[m00ps]

Not to highjack this thread, but for those who dry hop in the keg. Do you place the hopsack in the keg weighted down or without a weight? Also, do you tie it off to anything so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the keg?

My next IPA I am going to dry hop in the keg and leave the hops in there until the keg kicks or I bottle from the keg.

Thanks guys!

I put them in a hopsack ( i boil it to sanitize and then soak in starsan) weighted down with marbles. I tie some unflavored dental floss to the keg handle and around the tied bag. This keeps it from floating up which not only prevents the hops from contacting the beer, but also can clog your pressure relief valve. Having them suspended prevents your dip tube from clogging.

The dental floss is small enough that it does not prevent the keg lid from sealing

I have always left them in the keg, sometimes for months at a time without issues

good luck!

 

[Revvy]

I dryhop in primary for the last week of however long I'm leaving it in the primary. In may case usually the last week of a month long primary.

 

[kombat]

Can anyone comment whether it makes a difference to dry hop in primary vs separated from the yeast, in a secondary?

Some people recommend racking a beer to secondary before dry hopping for a few reasons:

• They plan to re-use the yeast and want to collect it before it becomes "contaminated" with the dry hops
• They worry that some of the hop oils will be absorbed by the yeast cake rather than dissolving into the beer, thus diminishing the effect of the dry hop

I didn't get the impression that the first issue was a factor here, and I think the second issue is generally overstated and not worth the risk of oxidizing or infecting your beer (just throw in an extra half-ounce of dry hops if you're really worried about it).

 

[Beardown]

So to update ... 11 days primary, 5 days secondary (dry hopped at start of secondary),,, fg 1.012..... Put in kegerator to cold crash at 35 degrees..... Is there an ideal time to leave it cold before kegging? Thanks

 

[Natdavis777]

I start dry hopping in the primary as soon as the krausen drops (depending on the yeast, usually around day 4-6). I then dry hop for 7-10 days, crash/gelatin, then rack to keg. So most beers never stay in the primary for more than 2.5 weeks. I do this for the previously stated oxidation issues. Plus I dont have to hassle with racking/sanitizing two more vessels.

I have a Zombie Dust Clone that was pitched with 002 on Sat night and will be starting the dry hop tomorrow, since the krausen is almost completely dropped as of this morning. With a 7 day dry hop, and a 2 day cold crash with gelatin, that gives the beer a total PV time of 13 days.

 

[govner1]

Yea,, secondary is just what I've always done,, how does this schedule sound,, also (og was 1.069, and after 11 days in the prim it was 1.013) ... So, Primary for 11 at 68 degrees... secondary w the dry hop pellets for 5 days at 68 degrees... Cold crash for 2 days... Then keg?

^^^This is generally my schedule. Sometimes 1° can go up to 14 days. Dry hop in 2° usually 5-7. Kind of depends on how long the beer takes to de-gas.
Then I cold crash & carbonate @ about 10-12 psi for 5 days.
Sometimes I keg condition and that takes about ten days @ 72°F then cold crash for at least 48 hours.

 

[beskone]

Once primary fermentation is complete I up the temp to 72º and dry hop for 3 days, then cold crash to around 37º (or as cold as it'll get) fine with gelatin and hold for a few days to clear then force transfer to my kegs.

I've been getting a lot more of a hop punch in the face this way vs longer dry hop times.