Enough time must pass for the oils to extract from the hop media (e,g. whole leaf or pellet) and diffuse into the fermented liquid.
It will take about 48 to 72 hours for this to happen and most guides don’t recommend going longer than 14 days,
Dry hopping is the process of adding hops late in the brewing process. By adding in hops at the end of the boil, after flameout, or during fermentation (either primary or secondary), the beer will benefit from added hop aroma and flavor.
Even with as little as 24 hours, some aromatics will have been released into the beer, changing its flavor profile. After 72 hours, all the essential oils will have been released from the hops.
With whole hop products, as the plant itself breaks down it can start to impart a grassy flavor into the beer or cause unexpected reactions.
Our sample recipe also says that dry hopping should be conducted 5-7 days before bottling. So you will need to choose this date and then schedule to add the hops at that time.
Generally, the best dry-hopping temperature is the same as the ideal fermentation temperature, between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit, but the exact temperature will depend on the yeast strain involved.
Technically dry hopping is supposed to take place after the fermentation process but a lot of homebrewers will add the hops towards the end of active fermentation.
The standard hop amount per 5-gallon batch is usually 1 – 2 ounces but the popularity of highly hopped beers has thrown this standard out the window.
Pellets take up less space and are easier to measure out. They readily dissolve when added to the wort.
Removing hops can allow you to reclaim yeast and maybe even reuse hops. This can be made easier when using containers (e.g. mesh bag) but there might still be particles to deal with.