Should I start dry hopping?

I'm not really familiar with Russian River's process, but just in general I'd say if attenuation is finished it's not too early to dry hop. BTW, bubbles don't tell you when it's done.

 

All I read was the title of your post and my answer is yes.

 

"...the bubbles in the airlock stopped on January 19th." Once signs of fermentation is complete is an appropriate time to add dry hops. Some folks wait until bubbling is done before adding dry hops since they do not want the CO2 outgassing to 'scrub out' the aromas of the dry hops.

Cheers!

 

I start dry hopping when airlock activity finishes after 4 days give or take after pitching yeast. I also check the gravity at that point to make sure its at or close to the project FG... This time, it was 1 point higher than where it finished post dry hop.

 

Well, your stats are a bit 'off' here.

I homebrewed a DIPA a couple of months ago based upon the Vinnie Cilurzo clone recipe. He listed an OG of 1.072 (I achieved 1.073) and a FG of 1.011 (I achieved 1.012).

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/russian-river-pliny-the-elder-clone/

Your OG of 1.061 is a bit off the mark which means that your beer will be of lower ABV than Pliny the Elder. Your specific gravity reading of 1.015 possibly could come down a few points over the next 2 weeks (as you dry hop).

If you provide more details maybe we could help figure out why your OG reading was low. Some possibilities are:

• You have a higher wort volume than targeted
• If you brewed using an extract partial boil there was not sufficient mixing
• etc.

There is no need to panic here. Your beer will likely turn out fine. Maybe it just won't be 100% accurate as a clone from an ABV perspective?

Cheers!

 

Are you concerned that the gravity is decreasing? It's supposed to. OG of 1.070 means Original Gravity, i.e. the starting gravity. Your OG was 1.061, which is a little lower than the recipe's 1.070. There could be many possible reasons for that.

At this point, you should be paying attention to the anticipated FG, i.e. Final Gravity.

 

If your volumes are correct, the OG of an extract batch should be very close to what the kit predicted. If you ended up with a higher volume, the gravity is less. You also may have taken a gravity reading from a sample that wasn't mixed well if you diluted the beer with water.

 

Possible reasons for lower than expected gravity with extract batches:
- Measurement Error (eyeballed the hydrometer wrong)
- Too Much Water
- LME was left behind in the jugs
- If partial boil, Wort and Top Off water not thoroughly mixed before measurement
- Failure to correct measurement for temperature
- Hydrometer not calibrated

 

Did you conduct a full boil (e.g., boiled about 7 gallons of wort) or did you conduct a partial boil (e.g., 3 gallons of wort)?

Cheers!

 

With topped-off batches, probably the most common reason for surprise OG readings is that the wort and top-off water weren't fully mixed before taking the sample. This is not a cause for concern. They are fully mixed now.

 

What is the problem you think might have been caused by not aerating long enough?