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A hop riddle
So I have read that when dryhopping you should wait until active fermentation is done, lest the aroma bubble off with the CO2. But is that is so, why doesn't that happen to aroma from hops added at the end of the boil, both in those few minutes of boil and in the fermenter? Thanks-
it does, just not all of it.
well that still doesn't answer why you need to wait until after the active fermentation to dry hop. Seems to me either this "bubble off" theory is correct (even if only somewhat) and you shouldn't bother adding any aroma hops at the end of the boil, or it's not acccurate (which is what I'm suspecting), in which case you should feel free to put aroma hops in at both the end of the boil and in the primary right away. I mean, even if "just not all of it" is dissipated, seems like a waste to do it at all until after active fermentation- no?
Both types of hop additions produce hop aroma, but they aren't the same. It's all about what you're looking for with the hop aroma. Dry hopping adds more of a fresh, straight out of the package, in your face hop smell. Late boil or flame out additions give you a different effect. Usually it's a more subtle aroma, just enough to enhance your other hop additions.
Most of the compounds that produce hop aroma are volatile & are removed by boiling or by the CO2 produced by fermentation, but not all.
Think about a bittering addition vs flavor additions. The longer hops boil the flavor components boil away and you get just bitterness. It's similar with aroma additions. You lose certain compounds via heating &/or CO2 scrubbing, but some will remain.
Which method/s you would use depends on beer style and somewhat on personal preference. All I can suggest is that you experiment a bit and see for yourself what adding hops at various times from the end of the boil on does for you.
Adding the dryhops after fermentation slows gives you more bang for your buck.
Something interesting I read recently from the 2009 AHA conf:
“Limonene by itself has no perceivable aroma in beer.
Hydrogen Sulfide, produced by all yeast varieties during
fermentation, bonds with limonene, a classic citrus-like
component of hops, to form 1-p-menthen-8-thiol, which
gives a distinct grapefruit aroma. Therefore the
limonene content of hops may be a good indicator of
grapefruit aroma intensity in the finished beer”
Ok thanks all. So how do you get the hops well mixed into the beer after active fermentation is done without causing a problem by introducing oxygen? I guess you could put them in the primary very near the end of active fermentation and hope the last remaining fermentation drives out the O2 without driving out too much aroma, but how do folks deal with this? I have tried in the 2ndary but it messes with the finish, but maybe that's just the wages of dryhopping.
I don't dry hop because it is a pain. but you do get a really great hop aroma! when I do dry hop I always put the hops in a muslin bag so they don't gum everything up. sometimes I will put a sanitized marble or ball bearing in there to sink the hop bag.
Hope it helps
ID
There are some brewers who dry hop in primary before the active part of fermentation is done. That way the yeast will scavenge the O2 introduced with the hops. TO overcome what unknown percentage is blown-off during ferment, you just add more hops. Its a learning curve. If you added 1 oz this time and its not enough then you add an 1.5oz next time. I treat these blow off issues as a recipe issue not a process issue.
If at anytime you think you beer needs more of something, I change the recipe not my process. Your process should always be the same for the sake of consistency.
SO if you are trying to get really nice dry hop character in your pale ale, brew it the same way overtime from a process standpoint. But chance the recipe if you need more malt character or hop character.
Great advice, and unexpected from a lab guy, Ha ha. Things that work in theroy, do not always translate well to real life. Keep the process the same, and dryhop as needed. Keep in mind that some yeasts will react differently to dry hopping, Some yeasts just don't work well.
For example i'm trying to get more hop bang with the African Amber, because you do lose the hop aroma after time. I added 4oz total of cascade to my 10 gallon batch (2oz total in each 5 gallon bucket), and the beer still does not hold the hop aroma. This is the wlp005, and you might have read the love hate relationship I have with this yeast. On the other hand the S-04 is fantastic for dryhopping, and the hop aroma never leaves. Again, I used the tried and tru process, but just keep tinkering with the hop adds at flame out, and dry hop.
Irondavy - Great tip on the ball bearing. I really like that and am certainly going to use it.
Just my two sense here. The brewmaster of Bells suggests dry hopping just at the tail end of fermentation. The turn over of working yeast cells will help churn the beer through the hops, and the added warmth from the busy yeast will aid in extracting oils. He also says to never add hops before the presense of alcohol because you are just asking for contamination by adding no santitized ingredients into wort. Bacteria would have a field day.
I dryhop when primary fermentation is slowing down, usually at 3rd day. alway worked great for me.
DC
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