Beer Forum

Just brewed the ESB from BCS, and forgot the 0 min hop addition

Will dry hopping (what would have been) that addition come close to fixing this mistake? I've never dry hopped a beer that didn't have a knockout hop, so I'm unsure of the character this would produce.

Thanks

The zero minute addition will not be as noticeable as a dry hopping. I have brewed that recipe a few times and really enjoyed it. I have recently (within the past two years) been continually working on a house ESB with good success. Ironically, I have dropped my zero minute additions and switched to dry hopping instead for a better hop aroma which judges seem to be looking for in this style more and more.

So, if it were me, I would definitely add that oz hop addition as a dry hop (and maybe a little more too!). At about 3-4 wks in the keg, my dry hopping rounds out nicely and the biscuity/caramelly toasty malt starts to shine over the hops. That is when I like it the best!

Thanks, man. That's what I wanted to hear! I brewed this recipe once before, and really liked it. It would be amazing if this change actually improved it!

Cheers

I'm not a competition brewer at all, so I don't really know what the judges are looking for. Or if you're even brewing this for a comp. If you're not, do whatever you want to do. Experiment & learn is my mantra.

I'll 2nd the notion that dry hopping is going to give you more aroma than the KO addition. However ESB is one of my favorite english styles to brew & drink; I really prefer it not to have that much hop aroma. The guidelines state "Hop aroma moderately-high to moderately-low" so it's really up to your personal preference. I just happen to like the 'moderately low' for that particular style.