Dry hopping-Removing bag vs risk of oxygen exposure

[troyp42]

Hi guys, So Im brewing a beer and its dry hop procedure is as follows.

After fermentation is complete, add first two dry hops in a weighted hop bag. Steep for three days, then remove and add second two dry hops. Steep four days, then package.
Once upon a time I wouldn't have had an issue doing this but then I started reading a lot about low oxygen brewing and keeping out oxygen as much as possible once fermentation has started.
So Im not really sure I want to open the fermenter and put a weighted hop bag in and then take it out 3 days later and replace with another bag. I do have a stainless chronical and I can dry hop oxygen free. should I do the dry hop procedures but dump them out via the dump valve after 3 days and then do the second dry hop and dump that out too? Or am I getting over paranoid about this.

This beer is a black rye IPA so not a NEIPA prone to oxidation.

 

[Franktalk]

Hi guys, So Im brewing a beer and its dry hop procedure is as follows.

After fermentation is complete, add first two dry hops in a weighted hop bag. Steep for three days, then remove and add second two dry hops. Steep four days, then package.
Once upon a time I wouldn't have had an issue doing this but then I started reading a lot about low oxygen brewing and keeping out oxygen as much as possible once fermentation has started.
So Im not really sure I want to open the fermenter and put a weighted hop bag in and then take it out 3 days later and replace with another bag. I do have a stainless chronical and I can dry hop oxygen free. should I do the dry hop procedures but dump them out via the dump valve after 3 days and then do the second dry hop and dump that out too? Or am I getting over paranoid about this.

This beer is a black rye IPA so not a NEIPA prone to oxidation.

Re-read your post, and I think you will find that you answered your own question. If you have a Chronical and can dry-hop without adding oxygen to your brew, why wouldn't you?

 

[troyp42]

Re-read your post, and I think you will find that you answered your own question. If you have a Chronical and can dry-hop without adding oxygen to your brew, why wouldn't you?

Because you cant follow the procedure listed in the recipe of removing the hops after 3 days and then removing the second bag after 4 days. I know you can dump them out the bottom but you lose beer as well and are you getting rid of most of the hops after 3 days? Do they sink that quickly? If its not a NEIPA prone to oxidation is removing bags etc still ok to do?

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I frequently (always with neipas) do two rounds of dry hopping and never, ever remove the first round before cold-crashing and kegging. I'll qualify that statement with noting the cold crashing always starts seven days (max) after the first round was pitched...

Cheers!

 

[troyp42]

fwiw, I frequently (always with neipas) do two rounds of dry hopping and never, ever remove the first round before cold-crashing and kegging. I'll qualify that statement with noting the cold crashing always starts seven days (max) after the first round was pitched...

Cheers!

So your 1st dry hop addition is sitting in the beer at least 7 days and more and you had no issues?

 

[dbayub]

I've done it both ways, but I do not like bagging the dry hops anymore. I use a floating pick-up in the fermenter, a stainless filter in the keg, and if I dry hop in a keg and it's going to be more than 7 days and not chilled, transfer to another purged keg. If it's a serving keg in the kegerator, the second round of dry hops stays until it kicks. I've never had off flavors when doing this.

 

[day_trippr]

So your 1st dry hop addition is sitting in the beer at least 7 days and more and you had no issues?

7 days max, and no issues...

Cheers!

 

[troyp42]

7 days max, and no issues...

Cheers!

I’ll stick to my current method then and leave the hops in. Thanks.

 

[Dgallo]

No need to use a bag when dryhoping but to each their own. As @day_trippr said, don’t remove the first bag and just add the second.

Also, don’t think because it’s a black ipa it isn’t prone to oxidation. If there are dryhops going in, it can and will oxidize if proper practices aren’t being used. Also, when dark grains oxidize you can get a brassy off flavor. So minimize o2 as always

 

[Tim H]

Hops tend to leech all of their oils into the beer within 48 hours un-bagged. You don’t get much added benefit beyond that point. Worrying about taking the first bag out isn’t worth the trouble in my opinion. I almost exclusively brew juice bomb IPAs and just add hops in loose to the conical.

also, read up on bio transformation. From my understanding, dry hopping is split into 2 additions because the first should be going in at high krausen.

 

[day_trippr]

...or at least during active fermentation. I typically add the first round (the "bio" hops) either 2 days or 3 days into fermentation, but definitely while the fermentors are still churning. The second round is usually 3 days later when things have quieted and there's much less scrubbing going to happen.

Just this morning I added the first round to an neipa I started Friday. There was a few inches of thick krausen they had to drop through (I did encourage that with a vigorous swirl )

Cheers!