Has anyone here experimented with adding dry hops to an active fermentation?
Most folks will say that off gassing CO2 will “scrub” out all the aroma at this stage
and it is not productive.
However, apparently, there may be some thought that dry hopping with active yeast present
may produce effects/esters that are not possible post-fermentation.
Anyone here ever heard of such a thing?
I’ve never heard of this and am in the school that it would off gas any aroma.
Have you tried it or do you know someone (or brewery) that has?
[quote=“Loopie Beer”]
Have you tried it or do you know someone (or brewery) that has?[/quote]
Well, I tried it yesterday in an IPA that was churning hard.
Seems some breweries typically add dryhops very near the end of fermentation to drive off any oxygen introduced from the hops.
However, I thought I read that the brewer from Firestone (Matt Brynildson) stated that there were benefits to adding dryhops during active ferment that were impossible to get without the yeast interaction.
Maybe some Jamil show?
Also, I heard that in the new Hops book, there is mention of this? I have not read it.
I wondered if anyone here knew about this, and what the expected benefits or downside (other than wasting hops) may be.
I read something on this on another site and gave it a try myself on an APA, its clearing now and I’ll be kegging in a day or two. I threw in some pellets towards the end of fermentation, still has some bubbling though and the hop material floated in the krausen for a few days. I’d swirl it a little and it would mix in.
Maybe the little bit of movement at the end of fermentation keeps the hops moving around a little more for better extraction. The down side to me (other than gassing out aroma) is that the yeast might cover up the hops as everything settles out.
I didn’t smell much of any aroma coming from the airlock, by the way. I was using Cascade hops and I think I’d have smelled something if it were coming out significantly.
[quote=“pinnah”]
However, I thought I read that the brewer from Firestone (Matt Brynildson) stated that there were benefits to adding dryhops during active ferment that were impossible to get without the yeast interaction.
Maybe some Jamil show? [/quote] Right, it was the Can You Brew It? series over at the Brewing Network. There are a series of four interviews with Matt. The one about Union Jack is the where he talks about dry hopping in primary. If memory serves, I think he said they add the first charge of dry hops when fermentation at 1/2ºP from terminal gravity. Incidentally, I made the Union Jack from the recipe given in the show and followed Matt’s instructions to the letter and the beer came out dead on.
Tasty McD (Sam Adams longshot winner, amongst others) and Jamil recommend adding dry hops at the tail end of fermentation (ie when airlock activity has slowed down considerably), the thought being that it WILL drive off some of the oxygen on/in the hops. This is especially useful since hop-forward beers seem to oxidize very easily.
Also, on the point of losing flavor, Tasty sees that purely as a recipe issue…ie add more hops if you are doing this.
I just added 4oz of hops to a 1.065ish IPA at the tail end of fermentation with AWESOME results. Now, I can’t point to this piece of the process that was absolutely the reason this IPA came out great, but it sure seemed to help.
I do find that when dry hopping in a brite/conditioning vessel, the hops CAN impart a grassy/earthy even vegetal flavor that some people don’t dig. While for me, I do like it in APAs, I don’t like it in IPAs. Adding during fermentation seems to scrub this out as well.
And to the OP, yes, Tasty talks about this at length on the Jamil show on IPAs.
Try dryhopping in the keg - it’ll take your IPAs to the HNL (hole nutha lebbel).
