10 Tips to Optimize Dry Hop Aroma

[Kealia]

I was emailed the link to this blog/post last week and forgot to post it for anybody interested.

It contains good interesting information based on insight from guys like Mitch Steele (Stone), Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Co.), Matt Brynildson (Firestone Walker Brewing Co.), and Jamil Zainasheff (Heretic Brewing Company), among others.

It also talks about the dry hopping rates some use and provides some interesting fodder for discussion.

The one I really need to try for myself in a known recipe is the multi-stage additions.
I'm going to give this a shot with my Levitation clone Round X. Stage 1 = Simcoe. Stage 2 = Amarillo. Stage 3 (keg hop) = Mosaic.

[Beer-lord]

Good stuff! I use many of these suggestions already.
I can say, I do notice a difference when dryhopping at 5 days then again at 3 days and like it.

[Kealia]

Agreed on it being some good tips. I do a lot of this as well but I think where I lack sometimes is just overall quantity so I need to address that.

[Gymrat]

I found number 8 interesting. I always thought I got more aroma from hop stands than I did from dry hopping the same amount of hops. Now if I were to dry hop after hop standing I would really get a nice aroma but I don't like hops in my fermenter.

[BlackDuck]

Really cool...thanks. Number 6, Starting In The Primary, interests me. I usually don't secondary my pale ales and IPA's, but I always wait until primary fermentation is fully complete. Going to have to try this.

[mashani]

I found number 8 interesting. I always thought I got more aroma from hop stands than I did from dry hopping the same amount of hops. Now if I were to dry hop after hop standing I would really get a nice aroma but I don't like hops in my fermenter.

A lot of beers like APAs that I would have dry hopped some in the past I no longer bother, I just switch my hop schedule so a lot of the finishing hops go into the hop stand - and I keep the lid on during the hop stand. I don't feel the need at all to dry hop those beers now, I like the results *better* doing it this way.

I still dry hop some of the more hoppy IPAs, but really nothing else. I've gotten really comfortable with the hop stand. I'm also digging using all high AA hops and doing short boils for many beers, and if I want a lot of hop flavor/aroma, using the stand as my late addition. The short boil also bring the flavor forward, and gives me plenty of smooth bitterness to balance the beer, without it being harsh. I can even do this for beers that I never would have before due to newer hops like Aramis which works nicely in any Belgian/French ale, or Pacific Gem, which works nicely in English beers.

If you don't want hops in the fermenter, one thing you could do is use a French press to make some "hop tea" and pour that into the fermenter as your "dry hop".

[Kealia]

Really cool...thanks. Number 6, Starting In The Primary, interests me. I usually don't secondary my pale ales and IPA's, but I always wait until primary fermentation is fully complete. Going to have to try this.

Yeah, kinda sounds like adding the dry hops around the time you'd do a d-rest for a lager.

So many ways to do things!

[mashani]

I dry hop in the primary when I dry hop anyways, since I don't secondary. I guess I could just throw them in a bit sooner then I usually do.