Best Time To Add Dry Hops?

[mancer62]

I was wondering if I was missing out on taste or quality of my final brew by just Dry Hopping on the 5th day then kegging/bottling a week or so later. Cost is obviously a bit of an issue so I tend to use a max of 100g of Hops which I find very satisfactory. However I understand others add some hops after 2 days then again on day 5 or so. Would that be half and half on each day? I am an extract brewer and brew 40 pints each batch. I have no desire to dabble into the world of all grain but would just like some tips and advice to improve what I make. On day 5 i usually add my 100g of hops inside a muslin bag. Again is there any difference in taste if I just added the pellets to the FV? Or does this just create problems when kegging/bottling with the hops getting stuck in taps/syphon tubes etc? Look forward to any replies which will be very much appreciated tyvm.....

 

[Dutto]

This comes under the “How long is a piece of string?” type of question.

Dry Hopping is not an exact science so I advise you to experiment.

For a start, how long do you leave your brew in the fermenter?

Personally, I try to leave all my brews for a minimum of 14 days. With that length of time I consider adding the hops at 5 days a bit risky and personally prefer 10 days.

I also don’t always Dry Hop but instead make up a Hop Tea and introduce it to the brew after I’ve transferred it to the keg. (This is usually after I forgot to Dry Hop during fermentation!)

My advice therefore is “Experiment until you find out what works for you!”
:hat:

 

[Eskdale]

If I am dry hopping I add my hops going into cold crash, putting them in loose will drop them out during cold crash. Saves losing any aroma as fermentation has stopped.

 

[The Baron]

You have opened a can of worms there mate!!!
So much different advise just read all the answers then experiment what suits you as Dutto has said.
I am of the day 4 dry hopper for 3 days usually but it is not a exact science although some brewers will try and make it and over complicate it too that is where the conflict of interest begins

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I bought these off Amazon to dry hop after watching David Heath as you can see they’re tiny.

 

[hoppyscotty]

I think you have to find what works best for you. I've never been one for dry hopping during active fermentation (not a biotransformation believer....never worked for me) and don't dry hop on any target day after fermentation...I dry hop three days before cold crashing. I'll soft crash to 15C first then dry hop for 3 days off the trub (usually transfer into a keg to dry hop) then transfer into serving keg for cold crash and carbonation. Or variations around this schedule. But for me the key things are to dry hop off the trub if you can, limit contact time to 3 days and dry hop at a lower temp...and goes without saying keep air/oxygen away as much as you can. I picked up each of these tips from reading around various pro brewers and linked it all together into a process that works for me and I just rinse and repeat now for any recipe that requires dry hopping. But there are so many different theories and techniques so ultimately experiment and see what works best for your setup.

Having said that I've just got my larger brew system up and running and my volume is now too large to transfer into a keg for hopping so will have to dry hop in the fermenter, but I will be dumping the trub before hand.

 

[Braufather]

But for me the key things are to dry hop off the trub if you can,

Interesting, any particular reason for that? I always dry hop in primary three days before kegging so its always dry hopping on trub. I also don’t whirlpool or anything so it’s usually quite a bit of trub.

 

[hoppyscotty]

I just think the trub absorbs some of the hoppy goodness. It always smells lovely and hoppy when I throw it away after dry hopping on it. I don’t think it does any harm it’s just in my mind I want all the hoppy goodness in the beer and not the trub.