ColmR Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hi all, first time poster. But I've been stalking you all since October when I got my first brewing equipment. I gotta say that I've gotten some great advice from you all so thank you. So my first brew was the Coopers Aus Lager kit and was average to be honest. Used table sugar (won't be making that mistake again) and absolutely nothing else. But it's nearly all drank now[biggrin] . Anyway on Saturday I put down a Cooper's Pale Ale. I was reading through a lot of the posts and took advice from all of you clever people. Anyway I used 700g of DME and 350g of dextrose and steeped 15g of Cascade. I filled the FV a bit over the 23L mark, but that's a different story. So fermentation seems to have finished and a bit quicker than I thought. All the action seemed to happen around day 2 and 3. SG is down to 1008 and I had a little taste. Not bad. A hell of a lot better than the cidery taste I got from the first taste of the lager. But... I'm not adverse to a bit of hops and was wondering if you guys would throw in a bag of hops at this stage? I know it's a matter of taste, but I'd love to know what your experiences would suggest. I plan on leaving the beer in the FV til the following weekend. I've got plenty of Cascade left anyway. I have a piece of muslin that I could wrap up the hops in and throw into the beer. Thanks, Colm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Welcome Colm I don't know how big bag of hops you have but if you have the hops as spare and you want to use them then it won't hurt to throw in 20g Cascade. It should improve it more if anything imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 question should really read How much am I going to dry hop... and what with Yes or No never comes into it for me [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 question should really read How much am I going to dry hop... and what with Yes or No never comes into it for me [lol] These days I have been usings @flame-out instead of dry hopping[alien] . I think it's less of a hasle than dry hopping. There is no need for hops bags or any of that since it gets strained out @ ferment.[bandit] I'm not sure, but it must have close to the same effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 "To dry hop or not". That is the question![roll] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 The first time I tried dry hopping was a revelation. Of course I knew that aroma affects the taste experience a great deal, but the difference to just adding a hop tea to the wort still took me by surprise. Now I can't picture myself brewing without dry hopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 These days I have been usings @flame-out instead of dry hopping[alien] . I think it's less of a hasle than dry hopping. There is no need for hops bags or any of that since it gets strained out @ ferment.[bandit] I'm not sure' date=' but it must have close to the same effect. [/quote'] They say (and by "they" I mean John Palmer) that the carbon dioxide from the fermentation may carry away some of the aroma, which is why dry hopping after the fermentation has slowed down is your safest bet when added hop aroma is desired. I haven't tried adding hops at flame out, though, so I can't speak from personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistnbroke Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 If you are going to dry hop, just make sure u dont over do it. I was a bit drunk when I decided.it was.a good idea to dry hop the canadian blonde I recently put down. I was a bit heavy handed when tipping them in and the beer now has a grassy flavour to it. The 20gram figure that bill gave u is pretty much on the money (1-2g per litre) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 A good guide is about 1g per liter then adjust to suit your tastes next time. That grassy taste will go in time. But I know, the problem is waiting [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewF111 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I have been dry hopping around day 7 out of 14, can you do it on day 1 when mixing the wort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColmR Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for the advice everyone. I was hoping that the answer would be yes. I'm loving my new hobby, but it's so bloody hard to be confident enough to just leave the beer for a couple of weeks without touching it. Dry hopping gives me a nice excuse to play with the beer. I will put 20g of Cascade in there tonight. One question though. I presume that putting the hops into a hop bag or piece of cloth in my case is the easiest way and cleanest way of doing this. But, does this cloth need to be particularly large to give the hops a chance to swim around in the beer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewF111 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Ive mentioned this in a few posts (last time I promise) but i use a large mesh ball I bought from a tea shop. it lets some miniscule bits through but I like it. easy to clean and sanitise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistnbroke Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I have been dry hopping around day 7 out of 14, can you do it on day 1 when mixing the wort You can, but same as doing a boil, fermentation will break down some of th hop oils and therefore scrub out some of the flavour/aroma. Colmr, Yes the hops need to be relatively loose. You will have to boil the myslin in some water before use (same as using a hop sock) to kill any bacteria that may be on it. It probably would be a good idea to use something to weigh it down into the wort too. Many people use sanitised cutlery or marbles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for the advice everyone. I was hoping that the answer would be yes. I'm loving my new hobby, but it's so bloody hard to be confident enough to just leave the beer for a couple of weeks without touching it. Dry hopping gives me a nice excuse to play with the beer. I will put 20g of Cascade in there tonight. One question though. I presume that putting the hops into a hop bag or piece of cloth in my case is the easiest way and cleanest way of doing this. But, does this cloth need to be particularly large to give the hops a chance to swim around in the beer? Ideally the hops need a lot of room to feel free. As Pistnbroke said you will need to sterilise the cloth. Alternatively just use a fresh Chux cloth and chuck 'em in. I also know a few people that use the ball Andrew is talking about. They appear very easy to use. The only downfall I would say is that you are limited to how much hops you can put in. To get the most from your hops, I suggest probably no more than 20g as the do need a bit of room to expand and not be too crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewF111 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I can fit 40g comfortably in 1 ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasond4 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I like to dry hop going all loose, no bag,no tea thingy, no pantyhose. After reading something written by Willie Simpson (Scottish born Aussie beer writer)on dry hopping, well it was more to do with keeping the lumpy bits out of your Bottler, he suggested stuffing a sterilized ball of stainless steel pot scrubber in the tap to act as a filter before adding the brew to the FV. Now it dose work to some degree, the flow slows down and it does get annoying but it does work. Another way I found a bit easier(for us keggers) is to put it a bit into the filling tube. Again it dose slow things down, but in the end I get to dry hop loosely and for my tasted that works better imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 They say (and by "they" I mean John Palmer) that the carbon dioxide from the fermentation may carry away some of the aroma Yes, if fermenting in hectalitre plus volumes but not noticeable if making a brew around the 23 litre mark [wink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I see alot of posts here referring to active fermentation 'scrubbing' alot of the aroma from adding hops. IF you are adding hops.. as in dry hopping... do so when active fermentation has slowerd and you WILL get added aroma from them.. as a matter of fact you will get it anyway regardless and some (me) will argue that the difference is minimal. It is true that at high krausen you will be driving off volatiles.. BUT a 0 min addition backed up by dry hopping will add plenty of goodness... just a dry hop will add plenty of goodness.. in fact.. adding hops when cold conditioning will add goodness.. I dont know a time when adding hops doesnt add goodness to a beer [rightful] dry hopping will add aroma... just because some of it is being driven off doesnt mean you are getting nothing from it... I say bollox... experiment with it and add hops at all stages (possibly not in the same batch though) and learn by application exactly just what the various additions do to a recipe. well... thats just me and my experience I FREAKIN LOVE DRY HOPPING.. revised.. I LOVE HOPS WHENEVER [w00t] [whistling [wink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Not just for beer - If you are having trouble getting to sleep, try placing hops in your pillowcase [sleeping] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColmR Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Cheers lads. I reckon that my piece of muslin should be large enough but if anyone has a link to a readily available household product that would potentially work better please let me know. Bill mentioned a chux cloth? Another question and I suppose it's directed at Yob. I read in one of your other posts about adding hops at what looked at times during a boil. Am I right in thinking that? Are you actually boiling the tin of wort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I can fit 40g comfortably in 1 ball Unless it is big ball you wont be getting the most out of your hops by putting 40g in - they really need some "breathing space" for all the hoppy goodness to infuse into your beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFez Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Cheers lads. Are you actually boiling the tin of wort? Please, DO NOT BOIL the tin of Wort. Boiling the hops refers to boiling them separately to the tin of wort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColmR Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks David. Was thinking that. So would you boil the hops in just water? Or with the extra fermentables? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Not just in water mate no, though it can be done in various ways.. 100g DME to 1lt water bings it to approx a 1040 wort.. this is a good number to do hop additions.. good for hop utilisation aparently, much science behind it which I havnt the time to type but it is a good number to work to... not essential but a good practice... I was usually steeping grains as well but... Crystals grains, carapils etc.. 6-7lt water 500g DME (more without the grains) bring to boil and add hop additions, 20min, 10 min, 5 min 0 min (Flame out). Give it a big old stir and let settle for 10 min. Siphon off to other pot leaving behind all the gunk (trub) then in this mixture I would disolve the kit and the rest of the DME / dex (minimal) and then add to FV, top up to 23lt. add yeast when at pitching temp. This will add a great deal of flavour and aroma, note though not all additions required, just as example. I would then wait for the most active part of activity to slow and add a metric shut load of hops (for me 1.5-2g p/l[love] ) and then let follow its course. mmmmm hops... mmmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColmR Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks Yob. That sounds delicious. Just wondering why the second pot? Would you not just syphon straight into the fermenter and disolve in the kit then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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