What is the most amount of hops...

[phirleh]

I am also interested in hearing others experience with putting the hops in bags, tea balls, etc. vs putting them in loose. I worry that when they are confined, only the outside hops are actually providing anything.

At one point I picked up some pantyhose that was suggested to use as a type of filter (but never ended up using it). Wondering if that would work as a hop bag of sorts for dry hopping, with some marbles added to the bottom to wait it down.

I used to use pellet hops in panty hose bags with marbles to dry hop, but because I use carboys, it becomes a pain to get them out. Now I usually just put the panty hose on the end of my auto syphon when transferring to my bottling bucket. Some people aren't a fan of having whole leaf loose in secondary since a bunch seem to just lay on top of floating flowers, but I find they eventualy get saturated enough to get immersed, providing it's just an ounce or two.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

Okay so judging by this thread using 12oz of Amarillo hops in a single batch isn't entirely crazy.

[matt7215]

Okay so judging by this thread using 12oz of Amarillo hops in a single batch isn't entirely crazy.

depends on how you use them, whats your hop shedual look like?

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

Okay so judging by this thread using 12oz of Amarillo hops in a single batch isn't entirely crazy.

depends on how you use them, whats your hop shedual look like?

Was going to do something like:

-2oz 60 min.
-2oz 15 min.
-2oz 5 min.
-2oz flameout
-4oz dryhop.

[matt7215]

Okay so judging by this thread using 12oz of Amarillo hops in a single batch isn't entirely crazy.

depends on how you use them, whats your hop shedual look like?

Was going to do something like:

-2oz 60 min.
-2oz 15 min.
-2oz 5 min.
-2oz flameout
-4oz dryhop.

looks good

[grub]

yeah, i definitely find the hop-bag-in-carboy to be a big PITA, so i never do it. I also had little success with just putting a bag/pantyhose over the siphon as they end up getting pulled into the siphon and slowing to a crawl. i actually made a little wire cage that i put over the end of my siphon and cover with a bit of pantyhose to both filter and avoid it sticking in the siphon... works pretty well for heavy dry hopping.

i've been using stainless primaries for a while now, and i'm moving more toward using them for secondary, so i'll have more option for things like hop bags in the fermenter, but also more concern with small amounts of hops clogging up the corny-type poppits.

[Derek]

I thought I was a hop head... guess not.

Using some wet hops, I once did about a 10 oz equivalent. IIRC, it was something like 18oz wet, plus 6 oz dry. To handle that much, I bittered at 90 min with dry. At 60 I put in some wet. At 45, I pulled them out and put in another charge, then did the same at 30. I figured all the lupulin would have dissolved, and I really didn't need that much vegetal matter. I think it worked.

It was supposed to be a big DIPA, but the 'wet' additions diluted it a bit and it turned out more like Torpedo. I remember Bobsy actually picked it over Torpedo in a blind tasting. I was chuffed.

My hop hypothesis: Dry-hopping is the most bang-for-the-buck. The Brits knew this over a hundred years ago, and were simply doing one bittering addition, then dry-hopping. The advantage is that after fermentation, the volatile compounds don't get scrubbed off.

That said, boiling does change the nature of the numerous hop compounds. Personally, I'm still a BIG fan of the 20-30 minute 'flavour' additions. They seem to give the flavour more depth than simply <10 minute 'aroma' additions (which are similar to and somewhat masked by the dry-hopping).

But everyone's taste is different. I think DFH 60 (which is continuously hopped) has a great depth of hop flavour. For an Ontario comparison, I suspect Mad Tom has some traditional 'flavour' additions, whereas the Smash Bomb is mostly after flame-out. Both are great... just different.

Of course if you're a homebrewer buying hops by the pound, you can forget the bang-for-buck and just go for a big bang!

[markaberrant]

1 POUND OF DRYHOPS!!!

how did you control that much hops? bag 'em? or just have the worlds most unpleasant siphon/transfer? similar question about during the boil, but a good kettle screen will certainly help there.

I only dryhop in the keg. I use hop socks with marbles (boiled first), fill them with hops, then toss them in and leave until the keg is empty.

One thing I have learned about dryhopping is that it must be done at room temperature (say 18C). If you dry hop at serving temps, you only get a very grassy unpleasant character. I add my dryhops, leave at room temp for 5-7 days, then move to the kegerator.

Many also have concerns about leaving hops in the keg for an extended period. I have discovered that this works incredibly well at maintaining a fresh hop character, but it is critical that you keep the keg cold after the initial 5-7 days at room temp. If you don't, you will get a harsh astringent hop character.

I only use citrusy "american" leaf hops that have been kept in excellent condition for dry hopping. Pellet hops have not yielded as good as a result, and I really don't care for any other type of hop as a dry hop in my own beers.

I have played around with this extensively over the last couple years, and these observations have been 100% consistent.

When I follow my best practices, I have found it almost impossible to add too many dry hops - they impart zero bitterness/harshness, just massive amounts of juicy, citrus, dank character that does not fade away at anywhere close to same rate as similar commercial products (even when using relatively small amounts such as 1-2oz).

[grub]

thanks for the info. yeah, i always dry hop at room temp, and always 10-14 days total - less if it's keg hopped. might have to give the massive leaf dry hop a try in the spring...

[markaberrant]

Oh yeah, dry hopping in a glass carboy sucks. Major pain in the ass. If I didn't have kegs, I would use hop socks in a primary bucket after fermentation has completed.

And when you use large amounts of hops in the boil, there isn't a screen on the planet that makes transferring fun.

[grub]

And when you use large amounts of hops in the boil, there isn't a screen on the planet that makes transferring fun.

i've had good luck with mine. big wide cones of 1/8" perforated stainless steel plate (iirc) that keep most of it up from the bottom, and standard sized copper pipe for the pickup tube (more pics/details here). at worst it'll stick a little as it starts, but it's good after that. And now that i've got about 20' of hose going through the garage wall down to the basement, once it starts it doesn't stop! doesn't take much more than a minute to transfer 10gal.

i've considered trying to rework things so I can get a whirlpool going and draw from the side or something, but this configuration works pretty well, especially if you've got a little leaf in the mix to help with forming a good filter.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

massive amounts of juicy, citrus, dank character that does not fade away at anywhere close to same rate as similar commercial products (even when using relatively small amounts such as 1-2oz).

This is certainly what I'd like to achieve.

[Peter Collins]

On the dry hopping strain of things in this thread...

Is there a maximum threshold beyond which there's no point in adding more hops for dry hopping?

I recognize there is a tremendous amount of "fun" involved in saying that I dry hopped with 5oz for seven days (or whatever) but is there a point at which even if you doubled it there is no discernible difference?

My normal strength pale ale or IPA I'll hop with 1.5-2 oz for around seven days and it works just fine. I'm generally really cheap so is it going to be worth my while to double or triple that addition?

[markaberrant]

Peter, use as much hops as you want. Depends on the style and what you like. Good quality hops pack a lot of punch, even with just 1-2oz, poor quality hops don't. The quality really makes a huge difference, storage and handling is critical.

I pay less than $2/oz for my leaf hops, so cost is really not an issue. It is more about what I am trying to achieve. Yes, I used 1lb of dry hops one time. Would it have been just as good with 8oz? Maybe, who knows, the whole point was to see how far I could push that beer, what it would taste like, and if it would end up being drinkable (those who tried it still talk about it to this day, so I think I accomplished that).

My next DIPA is only going to use 3oz of dry hops, considerably less than what I typically use. I am doing this to see exactly how my beer tastes with a "relatively" small amount of dry hops.

[xocoatl]

One thing I have learned about dryhopping is that it must be done at room temperature (say 18C). If you dry hop at serving temps, you only get a very grassy unpleasant character. I add my dryhops, leave at room temp for 5-7 days, then move to the kegerator.

Many also have concerns about leaving hops in the keg for an extended period. I have discovered that this works incredibly well at maintaining a fresh hop character, but it is critical that you keep the keg cold after the initial 5-7 days at room temp. If you don't, you will get a harsh astringent hop character.

So are you saying that by first letting it spend 5-7 days at room temp, and then leaving them in the keg when moving to serving temp does not give you that grassy unpleasant character?