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Im a fairly straight forward kit brewer who is learning more and more every day from all you good folk here.
The one thing im yet to understand is dry hopping, im fairly aware ( not completely ) of the process but not totally aware of why it is done and the advantages you get from this.
I use hops in my brews but i usually boil them on the stove while making my initial brew, so as i am obviously not as advanced as alot of you guys could you please give me a detailed run down of this process and all the advantages!!

Cheers Leigh

Now if I want to impart some taste, but more often, smell, I will dry hop when I rack the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary (when initial fermentation is almost finished). I have only dry hopped by throwing in the tea bag style hops. I find with the Mexican Cervesa, it really needs a 'lift', so I dry hop some cascade hops, which impart that lemony/citrusy smell/flavour to the beer. Dry hopping is not overpowering, and is used to 'tinker' with your beer.

Dry hopping adds AROMA

Steeping (soaking for 5mins or so in hot water, not boiling) adds FLAVOUR

Boiling for up to 20mins adds BITTERNESS.


Thats the general rule for hops.

Aside from using teabags, you can also put some hop pellets or whole hops into a hop bag or a stocking, and just drop them in to 2ndary. Let them float around.

The only thing to watch, is that some hops will impart a grassy flavour to your beer if you leave them in for too long.

Aside from that, dry hopping is great for adding a final layer of complexity to the flavour profile of your beer. Scent is a significant proportion of taste.

I tried dry hopping on my last brew by throwing a hop bag in the secondary. Had to throw out the last litre as the bag got caught as it got close to the bottom and effectively sealed the tap.
I was using a 'jerry can' style container as the secondary and couldn't get anything long enough down the opening to move it away

Dry Hopping is a really easy way to add another dimension to the k+k and give the beer much more character for your buck. Just throw a handful (accuracy is up to the brewer) of hop pellets into the fermenter after racking or if only using a primary just after the peak of the ferment, and come drinking time you will be pleasantly surprised (assuming you have chosen a suitable hop).

Hop pellets are the way to go for a k+k brewer, cheap, easy to store and you can add as little or as much as you want to do whatever you want (bitter, flavour, aroma)

Infection isnt a problem, because the low pH and alcohol content will kill off any nasties.

Sometimes bottling can be an issue with bits of hop pellet making their way into your bottle which is usually not ideal (some ppl might like it?) and the best way to prevent this is by using a hop stocking or an old stocking (not your own fish nets - they dont hold much in) and, making sure its sanitised, chuck the hops in there, then in the fermenter. The con of this is that the hops are not as well utilised compared to if they were floating around free like they were meant to.

My method involves using a filter when i bottle instead. I use a lawn irrigation filter ($4.96 from bunnings) and i have it connected between the fermenter tap and my bottler. Catches 95-98% of hops leaving only some little bits left, which go live with the yeast in the bottle, giving me a beautiful floatie free beer with much hopiness. Yum!

Forgot to say, long time reader, first time poster!

scblack wrote:Dry hopping adds AROMA

Steeping (soaking for 5mins or so in hot water, not boiling) adds FLAVOUR

Boiling for up to 20mins adds BITTERNESS.


Thats the general rule for hops.

I agree that's the general rule, but in my experience I find that dry hopping (depending how long you rack) can also influence flavour, (although if you wanted a flavour influence this isn't a very effective
way). At the end of the day, there is no taste without smell. Try holding your nose and drinking a sip of beer. What do you taste?