Dry-hopping a pilsner

I dry hop my lagers (many batches) at lagering temperatures for the duration of the lagering phase (5-6 weeks) and I have never gotten "grassy/vegetal" in those beers.

Cheers!

 

It is all anecdotal. You get to choose what you want to believe.

Cheers!

 

Personally, I’d dry hop at the end of primary/d-rest. Then I would cold crash, transfer to keg, and hook up to co2. I don’t touch the keg for at least a week while it carbs up at serving temps anyway, longer before I really start drinking it, so it gets a bit of a built-in lagering phase that way. Unless you’re killing the keg in a single weekend, it’ll continue to lager as you drink the keg over the next weeks/months. That way, you’ll get the fresh hop character you want up front, then the crisp lager feel after it ages a while.

If you dry hop after lagering, I think you’re missing out on one of the huge benefits of lagering by letting suspended hop matter make it into the keg.

 

Not too long ago, even among big name pros, like those who are famous for knowing a thing or two about hops, like Steele and Brynildson, there wasn’t consensus on what temperature to dry hop. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re not finding consensus on how to dry hop a lager. I think you’ll need to try it a few times a few different ways to reach your own conclusions

 

What is an "Italian pils"?

 

I guess this line explains it best - "Inspired by the extra dry and crisp Italian Pilsners that were hopped in American-like boatloads of hops with a signature dry-hopping but with non-U.S. varieties, the three breweries set out to make their own take on the style."

 

Jim,

I take it you have not tasted TipoPils? I discussed this beer in a New Beer Sunday thread:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-707.587481/#post-6168846

An extract from the above link:

“In one word: excellent. This beer is artfully balanced between the malt flavors (bready) and hop flavors (floral/citrusy -> herbal). The way this beer transitions from floral/citrusy to more of an herbal flavor profile produces an enticing beer.”

Cheers!

@deadwolfbones

 

So just for a point of reference, I dry hopped a lager recently and followed some loose instructions I found regarding Pivo Pils from Firestone. This basically involved dry hopping at 50% attenuation. I ramped up after for a d rest and then kegged at FG. It worked really well in replicating the hoppyness of Pivo, but’s not hoppy to the point of IPL territory.

If you don’t care about brilliant clarity and actually just want a hop aroma blaster of a beer, I would lager this beer for a couple of weeks after primary, then pressure transfer it into a purged keg with 4-5 oz of dry hops, force carb it and drink it.

Edit: maybe not even lager it - it ain’t gonna be very bright after dry hopping anyway !

 

Didn't a lot of the dry hop aroma get scrubbed out via CO2 out-gassing?

Cheers!

 

Please provide references here. Every 'NEIPA' that I know of that adds hops during fermentation also dry hops after fermentation is complete.

Cheers!

 

Probably yes - and it wasn’t a large dry hop either, so the effect was somewhat subdued, which was appropriate for the Pivo Pils like target. It’s not a hop bomb by any means, but there is an elevated hop character in that beer I quite like.

 

I’ve always dry hopped my pilsners before lagering, and had good luck. Then again I haven’t attempted a hop bomb lager. I’ve always gone for a more balanced hop profile. You could always add hops before lagering, and then if you want more hop flavor, do a second dry hop before serving.

 

Brewing up a Pils this weekend, most likely, thinking about dry hopping it. Never have before with fantastic results, but figure it's worth trying. Was figuring I would add in the (small) dry hop into primary around 70%ish through fermentation. Then simply just rack the beer into my keg two days later or so for spunding as usual and let lager the 4-5 weeks off the hops. Probably be like .50oz each of Mittelfruh, Tettnang and Saaz.

 

I have not tasted TipoPils, but I have had many Pilsner-style beers brewed in Italy... it seems like I go every year now!

My question, "What is an Italian Pils?", was aimed at more than what's actually in the question itself, thinking that maybe there was something I was unaware of, but you answered that yourself in writing "Well, more precisely it is a German style Pilsner brewed in Italy".

So I'll keep my eye out for this TipoPils if you think it's worthwhile.