How much is too much

4Bentley

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So, I started my new batch to try and get a good hoppy grassy/dank IPA. I thought I beefed up the dry hop with 5 oz of hops. Last night I brought home a brewing magazine and was looking at the recipes. I was shocked to see that some recipes are doing 10-12 oz just in dry hop.
I am just wondering how much you are putting in your dry hop IPAs for 5 gal. Do I need to revisit my dry hop formula?
 
I try to maximize capacity, so I am closer to 7 gal, but I brew more to the pale ale end of IPA and have been going with 3.5 - 7 oz (7 was a couple experimental brews with only bittering an dry hops). My currently fermenting brew has 3.5 aroma and 3.5 dry.
 
I read a brulosophy experiment that came to the conclusion that anything over one ounce per gallon was kind of a waste due to diminishing returns. For me I was only adding 2-3 ounces per 5 gallons, so that brulosophy prompted me to up my game...
 
I'm definitely in the "less is more" camp when it comes to dry hopping. And from what I've read, those absurd amounts of hops are as much marketing as anything else.
 
I'm definitely in the "less is more" camp when it comes to dry hopping. And from what I've read, those absurd amounts of hops are as much marketing as anything else.

I get all I want in my IPAs with 3 oz. in a 5.25 gallon batch. Tried more in the past and didn't perceive any difference.
 
I get all I want in my IPAs with 3 oz. in a 5.25 gallon batch. Tried more in the past and didn't perceive any difference.
I'm using 1.5-2 oz in 2.5 gal. That's enough for my liking.
Pretty much right in line with your experience.
 
An ounce a gallon is a good rule of thumb as a max. Dry hopping in high amounts has led to oxygen ingress problems in NEIPA’s. Any gains in these situations are short lived because oxygen robs the beer of aroma and flavor.

I like to dry hop on the heavy side, most homebrewers are too stingy with hops, IMHO. If executed correctly, it is very delicious.
 
Thanks everyone. I guess my current thinking is ok. Some crazy recipes out there. There was also an article about reusing hops from dry hop as about half the acids and oils are still available. Is anyone doing this? I can see maybe if you are constantly brewing. I don't drink it fast enough and I don't see how to preserve it without risking contamination.
 
Not sure how you would determine utilization for used hops.

For adding dry hops, I believe that you can minimize the chance of oxygen ingress by hopping during active fermentation.
 
A lot of those diminishing returns experiments are looking at just one addition. So if you wanted to add in the large amounts you could look at multiple dry hops to try and get more value out of the hops you're wasting.

I'm doing 6 g/L (0.8 oz/gal) on my hoppy beers and I'm happy enough with that.

Also trying shorter dry hop lengths to see if that keeps things fresher. Not sure yet, but the first two are possibly better.
 
An ounce a gallon is a good rule of thumb as a max. Dry hopping in high amounts has led to oxygen ingress problems in NEIPA’s. Any gains in these situations are short lived because oxygen robs the beer of aroma and flavor.

I like to dry hop on the heavy side, most homebrewers are too stingy with hops, IMHO. If executed correctly, it is very delicious.

Listening to a few brewers talking about experiments they're doing on stability of packaged hazies. Heard one playing down the oxygen contribution. It is a problem, but temperature is the overwhelming issue for them to control in their processes. More info here if you're interested - https://www.masterbrewerspodcast.com/154
 
Not sure how you would determine utilization for used hops.

For adding dry hops, I believe that you can minimize the chance of oxygen ingress by hopping during active fermentation.
I found that adding hops during active fermentation reduces the aroma compared when the yeast has dropped. I even notice a difference in yeast flocculation, the more yeast out of suspension the better the aroma. Which brings back the oxygen ingress problem, no yeast to capture the oxygen from dry hopping. Sometimes I feel like a dog chasing it’s tail.
That’s why I lean toward whirlpooling at lower temperatures (170F). I can still get a lot of aroma and flavor without worrying too much about o2 ingress. The other thing about whirlpooling hops is you can take advantage of biotransformation of the hop compounds by the yeast during fermentation. It seems to work better than dry hopping during active fermentation.
 
what is industry standard right now? isn't it like 6 lbs/bbl? which = 3.2 oz / gallon = 1 pound (16 oz) in a 5 gallon batch.

i've asked some brewers also what DDH even means. Does it mean they do double the dry hop that they normally do? Or does it mean that they use the same amount as usual but dry hop it twice? Or does it mean they're using double the hops thorughout the recipe and DDH is now just a term that means they use a lot of hops? Regardless, I think a lot of it is buzz words, but also don't discredit anecdotes, they're worth at least something. Make what you like, like what you make.
 
DDH I understand is dry hop at time of active fermentation then Dry hop at end of active fermentation.
 

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