Dry-hopping is a term often heard and seldom understood by the casual beer drinker. Boulevard Brewing made a quick video to explain the process, which adds aroma and flavor without making the beer bitter.
Hoppy typically means bitter, but that isn’t always the case. The results are dependent on when they go into the boiling wort. Hops added at the beginning of the boil create bitterness. Hops added towards the end impart flavor, and those added at the very end create aroma. Dry-hopping comes after the fact, which offers the last two without any of the bitterness. Then you have Dogfish Head’s continuous hopping of their 60, 90, and 120-minute IPAs, but that’s a story for a different day.