For those of you dry hopping in a keg...

I keep them in the duration of the keg and have never noticed off flavors. I have gone 6+ weeks with no issues.

If it calms your mind, you can always remove them from the key or do a keg to keg transfer to get the beer off the hops after your desired timeframe.

 

Would you be using pellets in a muslin bag? If so, why not just pull the hops rather than leave them in?

 

I should also state that for much of the time these kegs were kept at serving temp. Probably 2 weeks or so at room temp and the rest in the kegerator.

 

One time my sack got stuck around my dip tube (no jokes plz) so I just left it and it was in there for a month and I didn't notice grassy flavors. But I wouldn't intentionally do this since usually removing the sack is easy and I dry hop at around the fermentation temp anyway. It also gives me peace of mind with them out of the keg.

 

I hang them from the lid in a strainer bag so that they essentially get removed once the keg is ~ 1/2 empty.

 

I put an adjustable hose clamp on the PRV post on the underside of the lid. Dry hop in a weighted muslin bag tied to the hose clamp with fishing line. I pull the hops when it's time to go in the keezer.

I keep the headspace filled with co2 and oxidation is a non-issue. Your finished beer won't get infected either. This method should limit your concerns of grassy or off flavors from extended hop contact. For what it's worth, I have also left hops in the keg for upwards of 6 weeks with no noticeable grassy or off flavors at all. I just like to get them out and adequately cold crash to get the clearest beer possible.

Edit: I should note that I often cold crash and transfer to another keg by connecting beer out to beer out with a short hose. That really helps as far as clarity is concerned.

 

I dryhop in the keg with an unweighted bag of hop pellets. The hops stay until the keg is empty, which is typically 6-8 weeks and sometimes even longer. I've never noticed grassy or off-flavors due to extended dry-hopping.

 

I've left them as long as 6 months without an issue.

 

When the pellets sit for extended periods of time non weighted do they ever saturate enough to sink or pretty much hang out on top?? I'm wanting to start doing some keg dry hopping.

 

Mine always floated until I put some weight in there. I use some pieces of stainless steel plate that I got from work.

 

My one concern with weighing them down is the bag going down and getting stuck against the dip tube and extracting something harsh from the hops ??

 

Or clogging the dip tube.

 

That's why I put an adjustable hose clamp on the post that's on the underside of the pressure relief valve on the lid. Then tie a short piece of fishing line from that to the muslin bag. I set the length so that the hops are usually hanging out in the middle or lower 1/3 of the keg.

Some people just let them sink and then fish them back out with an old racking cane or something similar. I like to tie them to the lid.

You can also use flat dental floss and tie that on to the keg handle. Most say they can still get the keg to seal even with the flat floss running through the top. I have never tried that.

 

The problem is that I'm really lazy. That's why I'm hoping throwing a muslin bag with no weights in will work out just fine.

 

I hang mine with a SS hose clamp from the PRV. I do 3-5 days room temp, and then I toss it in and get it chilled and carbed. It's 1.5-2 weeks before I start drinking it. I've noticed no real off flavors or grassy notes from it. It slows the extraction at colder temps I think, and I use whole leaf in the keg only in a mesh hop bag too. No issues with any thing coming out or any hop debris in beer as well.

As you drink, eventually the hops are hung above the beer, so a couple pints and you've gotten it down enough where the hops drain their good stuff back into the beer and and you can pull the bag when the keg kicks.

 

It will.

Sometimes if I have alot of hops in there, like 4-5 ounces of whole leaf, I'll pressurize the keg to around 20 psi, and turn it upside down after adding the hops. I'll let it sit at room temp in the garage for a day, upside down. The leaf hops will float "up" when it towards the bottom of the keg. Leave it alone for a day, maybe hit it with gas each day, but after 1-2 days I turn it right side up and the hops seems to be settling because they are wet out pretty well.

I don't use hop pellets so I can't comment on if it works just as well.

 

Pellet hops in "tea balls" in these for months without issue. I only recommend the 3" and I fill about 1/3 of the way full because they will expand when wet. I get them at a local health food stores for around $3. I probably have 10 or more.

http://www.amazon.com/Mesh-Tea-Ball-3-Large/dp/B0007DHN32