I tried to dry hop in the keg for the first time... turned into a real shit show. How do other people do this? (because I can guarantee you don't do it my way) I sanitized 4 large glass marbles, some 8# test monofiliment fishing line and a hop bag. I poured 1 oz Willamette leaf hop in bag, tied it off. I tried to hang bag so it would be 5" off bottom... Turns out 4 marbles are NOT enough weight so it kind of hung just below the surface of beer. I tied fishing line out side keg and closed lid. I could NOT get a C02 seal after trying about 10 times. Since it was floating, I pulled up the slack in the line and just cut it. 5 days later I was still pulling hop particle chunky beer with very low C02 (was at 15psi) and tasted very ditch weedy. I opened keg to find that 4 marbles ARE enough to sink bag, it just took time and was now suffocating dip tube at bottom of keg. I had to disassemble and sanitize a coat hanger to retrieve hop bag. Surprisingly, within 24 hours beer cleared, carbed well, and tastes great. Just have to drink it quick b/c although I tried to stay sanitary through the process I would be amazed if I didn't contaminate something.
I use stainless steel washers. It always takes more weight than you'd think. I use dental floss. Never had a problem sealing.
I've tied hop sacks to the outside post using that silky/ribbony dental floss before. Haven't had any sealing issues with it. Is fishing line too round maybe? Another good way to hang hop sacks is to tie or zip-tie it (my personal preference) to the dip tube about halfway down the keg. Choose a height that won't let it hang too low or float too high.
I tried the zip-tie to the dip tube thing, and I had some issues with it. I guess I didn't zip-tie tight enough, and the bag slid down the dip tube. It didn't clog, but I had some kind of "grainy" glasses. Guessing that the beer was being drawn right through the bag and forcing some particles out of the bag. I also had problems getting a seal with the dental floss when I first started kegging, so I switched to a worm clamp on the pressure relieve housing on the keg lid with the floss tied to that, hops hanging about halfway down the keg. In retrospect, I think my sealing problems might have been related to not having totally figured out the whole seating the lid with a blast of gas thing yet. Worm clamps are still on the keg lids, though, so I have stuck with that. Also, I double bag pellet hops. Leaf hops get a single bag.
JS, I've noticed on previous threads that you mention dry hopping in keg so I was hoping you'd reply. Other than the single/double bag, any real preference for leaf or pellet?
I also cannot get a seal with fishing line. Too round, too durable. It doesn't flatten. That stuff's designed for sturdiness. Need to find some non-minty dental floss.
I used pellet hops in a keg once... Never again! I ended up running it through a randal with leaf hops at a festival to filter out all the bits. Whole leaf is the way to go.
I'd agree that leaf hops are much easier, but unfortunately I don't always have access to leaf hops of varieties I like (esp NZ hops, which I'm liking a lot these days). The double bag works pretty well with pellet hops...no problems with pellets.
I ONLY dry hop in the keg. I don't even fuck with it in primary or a secondary as it's too messy and too time consuming. I use a hop bag, I try and use only leaf hop if I can. If I use pellet I try and use a bit of leaf in there to help keep it clumped together. I also have a strainer on my dip tube, and it's cut 1/4 inch from the bottom as well. I use a SS hose clamp and clamp the bag's string to the pressure relief valve on the bottom of the lid. Works perfect. I don't weight the hops down at all. Not worth the trouble, and never tasted a difference. When I'm done dry hopping, I remove them, and re purge the keg, or I just drink until they are suspended and drain all that hoppy goodness into the keg. Both work fine.
I put pellet hops in a sanitized medium grain bag - plenty of room for the hops to swim. Tie the top of the bag and drop it in. No need to weigh it down (it'll sink on its own), no need for dental floss, zip ties, or anything else (not really sure why anybody does that). After 10-14 days (taste it), I push the beer to another keg using CO2. It's just that easy!
No weights here either, but I use flat (Glide) dental floss to keep the bag from potentially clogging dip tube (1 time out of many, many dry hopping evolutions...and if sealing the lid is a problem occasionally...use more lube : ) Kegs were made for dryhopping
I dry hop in primary and keg many times. In the primary I always throw hops in loose. In the keg, I use leaf hops in a bag and pellets in the big (3" I think) tea ball. Works well. I do not use weight in either application. If I am not getting to aroma I think I should be getting, I shake the keg a bit to get more oils in solution.
I've never tried it before, but I was under the impression that hops would sink after getting waterlogged like in the fermenter. Does pressure change this?
I guess it could be messy if you have to get the hops through the narrow neck of a carboy, but it's easy peasy with a bucket. And I don't follow the time consuming part at all. With new evidence apparently suggesting that there is some biological component to dry hopping, I won't be surprised if dryhopping near the end of primary comes into vogue. I just jumped on that bandwagon for my APAIPA, splitting the dry hop charge into two halves, the first of which went into the bucket 5 minutes ago.
To each his own I guess. I find it easy to ferment it, and if it's going to be dry hopped, I just keg it, add the hops, and let it sit for 2-3 days, then I toss it in the kegerator, and allow it to chill and carb, and dry hop at the same time. The cold slows down the dry hopping and I don't find that I ever get any vegetal taste from leaving them in there. By that time, I'm already serving the keg, and on my way to liquid bliss.
