• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Dry hopping & pitching all at the same time

bcrawford

New Forum Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I'm not sure if I should pretend that this was some sort of experiment, or just admit that I failed to think through the whole process on my very first AG batch.. either way, I am not really sure how to deal with it.

I just plopped my dry hopping hops on top of my freshly cooled wort in the primary, and pitched.  I got a nice active fermentation, but during the process, a good deal of my hops was held up and out of the wort by the krausen.  Some days later, I racked into a secondary carboy and there she sits for another week.

Do the more experienced brewers here think that my dry hops actually did their thing before getting stuck in the foam above the waterline?  and does having the hop pellets present during active/early fermentation change the nature of the hops or the fermentation in any way?

I sampled a little to see if I could tell if I should be re-hop, but I had a hard time deciding.. I have not yet learned to taste/smell the progress in a warm/uncarbonated beer.  My first impression was that it was thick, and a good deal sweeter than I had expected.  For the record, it is a maris otter/citra smash.

opinions?


[edit:correct typos]
 
No!
    In fact you should not even introduce the dry hops until fermentation is complete (if possible). Any fermentation that occurs after throwing in the hops "boils off" the aromatic oils and beta acids you are looking for.

  So give it some time and then after fermentation stops (gravity stabilizes) throw in some more.

You'll be fine.
 
That's what's so cool about this hobby. I'm not going to comment on your question. Instead, I would encourage you to write everything down in a journal ... exactly as you have described. There are tons of recipes out there which call for hop additions at flame out ... ie., zero time left in the boil. There are also recipes where you can add hops to a yeast starter. The reason I suggest you keep a journal is because, if your beer turns out great, then you're gonna want to replicate it. My training has always been that dry hopping is mostly for adding aroma. I usually do it after I've racked beer from the fermenter to a secondary (carboy). I suspect you might be wasting your hop additions during the fermentation process. Hey - if it tastes good, who cares?? You're still gonna end up with something better than you can buy in a store!
 
I agree to a large degree. In fact ALL of my brew have lots of late additions- including at flame out.

However, this question was regarding DRY HOPPING,  which for the benefits of the process to happen, fermentation is a deterrent.

So just saving valuable hops (since adding them to COOLED wort was mentioned) is worth the caution.

You certainly did not hurt the brew tho!

And MikeinRH is spot on - keep great notes. Meticulously so. That is the only way I have been successful in replicating some of my best brews ===== down to the simplest things ( like grain to water ratio).

 
You did two things.  The yeast happy time was altered by having to compete with hops and the dry hop addition was underutilized.  Pitching it all at once is OK but you would want to increase the pitching rate as well as the hops to achieve the recipe design goal.
 
I would think that the CO2 and the action of the yeast may have "boiled out" some of the hop aroma that you were trying to impart with the dry hops.  Either way I'd just let it be. The easiest way to ruin a good beer is to try to fix it.
 
Well, it's a bit of a waste of hops, but otherwise not really a big deal.  Add more dry hops after fermentation is complete.  Leave them in there 3-5 days before kegging/bottling.

I typically add dry hops after 9-ish days and leave them in there 5-ish days.
 
I am sure you lost some of the hop flavor and aroma you were looking for, the worst that can happen is you'll need to re-dry hop and you may get a little grassy - earthy flavor in the beer.  Of course there is one local brewery that does that on purpose. 
 
Back
Top