The Brü Club xBmt Series | Impact Double Dry Hopping Has On Dry Hop Saturation

This xBmt was completed by a member of The Brü Club in collaboration with Brülosophy as a part of The Brü Club xBmt Series. While members who choose to participate in this series generally take inspiration from Brülosophy, the bulk of design, writing, and editing is handled by members unless otherwise specified. Articles featured on Brulosophy.com are selected by The Brü Club leadership prior to being submitted for publication. Visit The Brü Club Facebook Group for more information on this series.

Author: Matt Skillstad

Dry hopping is viewed by most as a key component to brewing IPA that has plenty of hop aroma and flavor. Craft beer drinkers’ thirst for even more of this delicious character has led brewers to increase the overall amount of dry hops used in hopes of producing a beer with an even more impactful hop character. While more cheese makes for an increasingly more delicious plate of nachos, such may not be the case for dry hops and beer. Research out of Dr. Tom Shellhammer’s lab at Oregon State University suggests dry hop rates of 8 grams per liter (g/L) or higher have diminishing returns, which the results from a previous xBmt support.

I’ve used varying amounts of dry hops in previous batches of IPA and have felt larger amounts do produce more pungent results. I’ve also added multiple dry hop additions in a method known as double dry hopping, which has produced what I’ve perceived as stronger hop character. While results from another past xBmt suggests double dry hopping has little perceptible impact compared to making a single dry hop addition with the same amount of hops, I began to wonder if multiple dry hop additions might affect the dry hop saturation point.

With an ample supply of hops on hand and thirsting for a hazy New England IPA, I began formulating an approach to testing out my hypothesis that making two dry hop additions would produce a noticeably stronger hop character than a single smaller dry hop addition when both are above the dry hop saturation threshold. To keep things simple, I planned to dry hop one batch a single time with 8 g/L of hops while the other beer would receive two 8 g/L doses for double the dry hop amount.

| PURPOSE |

To evaluate the differences between a NEIPA receiving a single 8 g/L (1.1 oz/gal; 2.6 lbs/bbl) dry hop and the same beer double dry hopped with 8 g/L for a total of 16 g/L (2.2 oz/gal; 5.2 lbs/bbl).

| METHODS |

For this xBmt, I designed a NEIPA recipe where one would receive a single dry hop addition and the other would be double dry hopped with twice the amount of hops.

Double Down IPA

After preparing the grains for this 10 gallon/38 liter batch, I collected the water, adjusted it to my desired profile, and used my electric element to heat it up.

When the water was properly heated, I dropped in the bag of grains, stirred to incorporate, then checked to make sure it was at my target mash temperature of 157°F/69°C. I let the mash rest for 50 minutes before hoisting the grains out and letting them drip while I enjoyed a refreshment.

The wort was boiled for 40 minutes with hops added at the times listed in the recipe. Once the boil was complete, I quickly chilled the wort to my desired fermentation temperature of 66°F/19°C.

A refractometer reading revealed the wort was right at my target OG.

Next, I racked identical volumes of wort to separate fermentation vessels.

I placed the filled fermenters in my chamber then pitched equal amounts of fresh Wyeast 1272 American Ale II yeast slurry into each batch.

After 4 days of fermentation, I dry hopped each beer at a rate of 8 g/L using the same hop varieties.

I let the beers sit another 2 days before adding an additional 8 g/L dry hop charge, identical to those added previously, to just one of the batches. Hydrometer measurements taken 3 days later showed the double dry hopped beer finished 0.001 SG point lower than the single dry hop beer.

At this point, I cold crashed the beers overnight then pressure transferred them to C02 purged kegs.

The filled kegs were placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before I reduced to gas to serving pressure. After a week of conditioning, they were ready for evaluation.

| RESULTS |

Due to social distancing practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, data for this xBmt was unable to be collected in our typical manner. As such, temporary adaptations were made involving the author completing multiple semi-blind triangle tests in as unbiased a way as possible.

Utilizing 4 opaque cups of the same color where 2 were inconspicuously marked, one set was filled with the beer that received a single 8 g/L (1.1 oz/gal; 2.6 lbs/bbl) dry hop addition while the other set was filled with the beer that received two 8 g/L dry hop additions 2 days apart. For each triangle test, 3 of the 4 cups were indiscriminately selected, thus randomizing which beer was the unique sample for each trial. Following each attempt, I noted whether I was correct in identifying the unique sample. Out of the 10 semi-blind triangle tests I completed, I needed to identify the unique sample 7 times (p<0.05) in order to reach statistical significance. In the end, I only did so 6 times (p=0.077), indicating my inability to reliably distinguish a NEIPA that received a single 8 g/L dry hop addition from that received two 8 g/L dry hop additions over 2 days.

Fully accepting my bias as the brewer of these beers with preexisting expectations, I initially thought the double dry hopped had slightly more potent hop character than the version dry hopped just once, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as I presumed it’d be. Of course, once blind to the beers I was evaluating, any differences faded enough that struggled to tell them apart.

| DISCUSSION |

The idea that adding more dry hops to beer may not contribute more hop character is hard to believe, despite the results of qualified lab research and a prior Brülosophy xBmt. While Dr. Shellhammer has pointed out that dry hop rates above 8 g/L may have some noticeable effect, the results of his study indicate increasing dry hop amounts beyond this threshold leads to diminishing returns, meaning the perceptible impact is minimal enough as to be considered inefficient. I wondered if dry hopping multiple times might increase perceptible hop character to the point of being worth it, though I was unable to consistently tell apart a NEIPA dry hopped just once at a rate of 8 g/L from one that received two 8 g/L dry hop additions.

Objectively, these beers were different, not just that one received double the amount of dry hops, but it also finished 0.001 SG point lower than the single dry hop batch. Still, they tasted far more similar than I ever expected, to the point if I hadn’t brewed them, I’m not sure I would believe one was dry hopped with half the amount of the other. Interestingly, I’ve done a similar experiment in the past where I compared single dry hopped version of the late Mike “Tasty” McDole’s Janet’s Brown Ale to one double dry hopped with more hops, and my ability to tell them apart was equally as poor—I was correct just 2 out of 5 attempts.

Despite the fact my wife gave me tacit permission to waste as much money as I want on hops (not her exact words), I’ll be restraining myself to more reasonable dry hopping rates that are made in a single addition for future batches. Considering my personal experience has aligned with more objective research data, I like the idea of spending less to produce a batch of beer that has all, or at least nearly all, of the hop character as a version made with double the amount of dry hops.

Matt Skillstad is a happy husband to a wonderful wife (who likes his beer!) and proud father of 5 young children from Pierce, Nebraska. He has been brewing since 2011 and, in addition to The Brü Club, is a member of the Elkhorn Valley Society of Brewers. He enjoys experimenting with his brewing in an effort to make better beer in less time with less effort. When not brewing or hanging with his family, Matt enjoys bike riding and golfing (poorly). 

If you have any thoughts about this xBmt, please do not hesitate to share in the comments section below!

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