Dry hopping

In dry hopping, hops go into the cold beer. They give lots of aroma but hardly any bitterness. It is typical of IPA, pale ale and hazy IPA.

What you need

Step 1Decide on the amount
The usual range is 2 to 5 g (0.18 oz) of hops per litre, up to 8 g (0.28 oz) per litre for a punchy IPA. For a pale ale 3 g (0.11 oz) per litre is often enough.
Step 2Choose the timing
Add the hops towards the end of main fermentation or shortly after. The still active yeast takes up oxygen that gets in when you open the fermenter. For hazy IPA an addition during peak fermentation is common too.
Step 3Add the hops
Sprinkle the pellets straight into the beer or put them in a sanitised hop bag. Open the fermenter only briefly.
Step 4Keep the contact time
Leave the hops in the beer for 3 to 5 days at 15 to 20 °C (68 °F). Longer adds hardly any aroma but can taste grassy.
Step 5Let the hops settle
Chill the beer as cold as possible for one to two days before bottling so the hops sink to the bottom. Brewers call this a cold crash.
Step 6Package with little oxygen
Bottle carefully without stirring up the sediment and without splashing. Hop aroma fades quickly, so dry-hopped beers are best drunk young.

Oxygen is the biggest enemy of hop aroma: open the fermenter as little as possible and avoid splashing.
With a lot of hops, add two smaller doses two or three days apart.
Dry hops can restart fermentation, known as hop creep. So only bottle once the gravity stays stable after dry hopping.

How much sugar goes into each bottle? The calculator tells you – to suit the style, the amount of beer and the temperature.

New to brewing? The “First beer” guide walks you through your first brew day. Your first beer