Dry Hop Timing

[Planner]

I have been searching the forum for answers on the best time to dry hop.
The answers I have found vary from adding at flameout all the way through to adding 1-2 days before bottling, with the most common opinion being 3-4 days into fermentation.

The reason given is that the aroma given off by hops added at flameout is lost to the brew by being burped out the airlock. If I accept that the aroma is given off and remains in the headspace, wont this be lost to the brew anyway as I dont bottle any of the gasses.

I would think that the later the dry hopping was done (assuming the pellets were dissolved and dispersed) the more aroma would make it to the bottle. From what I can gather some people dry hop to kegs, but I have no desire to go down this path yet.

I have been hopping at 3-4 days, am I wasting a good portion of my hops?

Thanks
Planner

[drsmurto]

The aroma of hops added at flameout aren't lost during fermentation.

Unless you are one of those filthy no chillers

I have a 2 beers on tap now that had between 1 and 1.5 g/L of hops added at flameout. The aroma is still very much evident.

That said, i like to dry hop my APAs and i do this after racking and leave it for 4-7 days before crash chilling and kegging.

If you don't rack i would add after fermentation is complete.

The aroma from dry hopping is VERY different from flameout additions as the hops arent exposed to 100C wort.

[chadjaja]

The CO2 in the ferment scrubs out the hop aroma if you dry hop too early right Doc?

I usually dry hop in the secondary after about a week in primary.

[drsmurto]

The CO2 in the ferment scrubs out the hop aroma if you dry hop too early right Doc?

I usually dry hop in the secondary after about a week in primary.

Bingo.

But the hop oils that are extracted when the hops are added to 100C wort at flameout are largely unaffected.

[Planner]

Unless you are one of those filthy no chillers

from the red-headed ex pollie "Please Explain". I have heard the term, but no idea what it refers to.

[drsmurto]

The still somewhat controversial technique of no chilling.

Link to an article on AHB

[Planner]

Thanks for the link DrS

Interesting reading (even if not yet relevant to my brewing). At present I am still at kits&bits stage, with maybe an extract brew on the horizon.
My chilling involves my 6-8lt boil being dropped into the kitchen sink, so it is neither time nor water hungry.

On the original question I might have to try side by side brews, with one being hooped at say 4 days and the other at say 12 days, If I can get both fermenters empty at the same time (something that doesn't happen all that often).

Cheers
Planner

[billybushcook]

Unless you are one of those filthy no chillers
.

I'm with you Doc, the quicker you can cool it, aerate it & pitch, The better!
No bugs!

My chiller generally takes 15 Mins to get down below 30 while I run the water into my pool to top it up, then switch to circulating ice water from a bucket & pond pump for 5-10 Min, to get it down to pitch temp. (not required in Winter)

Cheers, Mick.

[Clean Brewer]

Who's a filthy No-Ciller? Heh?

Love no-chillin, I dry hop after about 10 days and get great results... You could try doing a Hop Tea/French Press for your Dry Hopping, personally havnt done it yet but it exposes your hops to boiling liquid and apparently gives a completely different character....

CB

[goq11k_76]

sorry to sabotage this thread, BUT....

I usually do fresh worts now, (all grain only 6 months away), but with the pilsner from St Peters I find a little light on aroma/and hop flavour, so was going to dry hop with some saaz (say 6.6%), I usually leave for 3 weeks in the carboy at 18 degC, should I dry hop after week 1 or week 2, or dry hop in keg?

cheers all.

[drsmurto]

IMO you should never dry hop a pilsner.

You are after a subtle aroma.......

And why are you fermenting a pilsner at 18C? What yeast are you using?

[goq11k_76]

IMO you should never dry hop a pilsner.

You are after a subtle aroma.......

And why are you fermenting a pilsner at 18C? What yeast are you using?

safale yeast, long story short I cant use my fridge tempmate at the moment, so cant get to 11 degC, so 18-22 degC under the house through summer seems to work fine.

I prefer the fat yak american ale varieties, and the fresh wort pilsner seems to beok, just wanted to try something different I guess.

and filters, are they worth there money ebay has one for $95, absolute 1 micron, push through style, will it give me a better tasting lager?

cheers

[drsmurto]

Fat Yak is a pale ALE, not a pilsner. It uses US cascade and NZ Nelson Sauvin.

Not knowing anything about the fresh wort pilsner you have mentioned i can only guess to its hop contents - saaz of hallertau. I still wouldn't dry hop with saaz or hallertau but that's just my 2 c and what i prefer to drink. If you want to then go ahead. Its your beer.

I don't filter (yet). Gelatine to clear yeast haze, polyclar to clear chill haze if brewing a beer that will be served at a lower temp than my regular 8C.

[goq11k_76]

yeah cheers dr, i undertsand what you have said about the fatyak, i am not trying to replicate it with a pilsner, just want a little more hop

the fresh worts are good, just lacking that killer punch

will have to try gelatine, the cloudyness is hurting my beers