Dryhopping in the bottle

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Brewblues, Mar 6, 2012.

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  1. Brewblues

    Brewblues Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    I came across a recipe the other day that called for a 2-week dry hop. I know that some homebrewers will dryhop right in their kegs, and I got to wondering, is there any disadvantage to dry-hopping part of that time in the bottle? For instance, rather than dry-hopping in the primary/secondary for two weeks and then bottling, could you just dry-hop for one week (pellets), bottle, and expect that the hop oils would continue to work their magic for the next week while the beer is carbonating? I like my IPAs bursting with aroma and flavor, and this seems like it could be a good way to reduce the time for hop fading.
    On the flip side, if the pellets break apart and fall into the trub in the carboy, I suppose it's possible that pulling the beer off the trub would remove those oils from the equation, thereby giving you just a 1-week dryhop. If this is the case, then I'd imagine it's better to wait the full two weeks in the carboy before bottling. Anyway, I ramble - appreciate any input you guys have!
     
  2. crusian

    crusian Pooh-Bah (1,989) May 14, 2010 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    gritty beer... pouring through a screen would agitate the carbonation and make for a beer with a huge head... so how would you filter the hops out when drinking?
     
  3. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    The beer will foam like crazy if you use pellets. I have *heard* that, if you briefly rinse whole hop cones under water to get the dust off then put one cone in each bottle, it will mitigate the foam effect. I've never tried it.
     
  4. cracker

    cracker Pundit (893) May 2, 2004 Pennsylvania

    Don't understand your question...yes you are rambling.

    If you are asking if you can dry hop in the bottle then I would say that's probably a bad idea. First it would be hard to dose accordingly (ie how much would you add to each bottle and it would be nearly impossible to dry hop with more than one type of hop). Forget about using whole hops too. Second I'd expect some bottle bombs. Third you would not really be able to remove the hops from the bottles without risking contamination and oxidation. Seems like a very bad idea to me.

    Just dry hop after primary slows down for 10-14 days and then bottle.
     
  5. Brewblues

    Brewblues Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    So are you saying that after 1 week, the pellets wouldn't have broken apart and fallen out of suspension? I usually just auto-siphon the beer off the trub when I bottle, and I've never run into issues with hop particles getting through. Though I've also never dry-hopped for only a few days before bottling...
     
  6. Brewblues

    Brewblues Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    Probably mis-named the thread. What I mean is that rather than a two-week dryhop in the fermenter, I'd do a one-week dry-hop (assuming the second week of dryhopping would just take place in the bottles). I wouldn't actually add any more hops to the beer when bottling; the pellets would have already been in the beer for a week.
     
  7. aficionado

    aficionado Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2011 New Jersey

    I agree with cracker. Don't do this.

    You also seem to think that more time spent dryhopping will significantly increase the aroma. This is not entirely true and is part of the reason why dryhopping in two to three, or four stages, for shorter amounts of time works so well. Essentially, you dryhop for a couple days...pull the hops out and add new ones... then repeat, taking caution not to oxygenate things.
     
  8. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    I am even more confused than at the beginning of the thread. If there aren't hops in the bottle, then how is it dryhopping? What your saying here is a one week dry hop in the fermenter, then bottling...right? Dry hopping occurs when the hops are on/in the beer.
     
  9. crusian

    crusian Pooh-Bah (1,989) May 14, 2010 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Ah, I think we all thought you were bottle hopping...
     
  10. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    I am so confused.
     
  11. Brewblues

    Brewblues Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    Fair enough - I'm realizing that the title of this thread should just be "2-week vs 1-week dry hop". I somehow thought that maybe there would be residual oils or whatnot that could continue 'hopping' even after the beer was removed from the trub.
     
  12. DmanGTR

    DmanGTR Initiate (0) Feb 19, 2008 New York
    Trader

    I don't think a week will really affect the aroma that much. If anything, you can brew your beer and dry hop normally, bottle as per usual, and when you open one to drink, drop a hop cone or pellet into your glass.

    But as far as foaming too much when you open a bottle with hop material inside, I haven't any experience with it. Why not try it with a couple bottles and see how it turns out? If you like it, you can always brew another batch using that method.

    * oops, I just read your reply above. Yeah, once the oils are in, they're in. You won't get more going into the beer from the hops after a week or two. But I'll keep my original reply just in case you decide to try bottle-hopping :slight_smile:
     
  13. JimmyTango

    JimmyTango Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2011 California

    Why no whole hops? Seems like a kinda' fun idea to put a cone per bottle for effect. Like the French jars of Jiff peanut butter with the solitary whole peanut on top.
     
  14. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Does anybody read replies?
     
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  15. cracker

    cracker Pundit (893) May 2, 2004 Pennsylvania

    Very rarely are whole hops when packaged intact as 'cones' but rather individual flower petals. Try putting those into a bottle would be a royal PIA.
     
  16. JimmyTango

    JimmyTango Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2011 California

    I see. I've never bought whole before, thanks for the clarification.
     
  17. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    my advice:

    1) dry hop like everyone else,

    2) get/make one of these if you need post-dry hop gimmickry/obsession.

    re: the more specific, "how about letting a bunch of hop grime into the bottle?" wonderings, this sounds like abstraction rather than anything related to actual brewing... if what you're trying to express actually makes sense, i would suggest doing it and reporting back. flights of fancy go beyond their usefulness early on.
     
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