Dry Hopping in the Keg....

Okay so right to the point, I am brewing an IPA that calls for dry hopping and I was thinking of dry hopping in the keg (with a hop ball or bag, of course) instead of adding the dry hops to the fermenter. Also, just to clarify this would all be done after fermentation is complete.

First off, is this idea possible and/or logical? Second, would this method advisedly effect the way the finished product would taste?

Obviously, I would also wait a week or so before I tapped the keg in order for the dry hops to do their thing and I would be carbing the beer during this time as well.

Let me know what ya'all think! Thanks in advance!

It works, but you gotta be careful not to put the hops directly in there. I once clogged a keg outlet with hop particles. Use a sanitized hop bag for sure.

In fact, I think its a preferred method, as dry hopping aroma lasts longer if applied while cold. The only problem I foresee is if you leave the hops in there too long (if it takes longer than a month to finish the keg - never a problem with me). Some say prolonged dry hopping leads to grassiness.

You can dry-hop in the keg.

One of the ideas behind dry hopping is that a lot of the aroma containing oils that hops contain stick to the yeast. When you rack off of the yeast you lose those flavors. You can dry hop in your primary right after fermentation while the beer is still on the yeast. It is not ideal, but will work. You can rack to a secondary and dry hop there. This is one of the only times I would recommend a secondary. You can also dry hop directly in the keg with a bag or a ball. I would recommend hanging or suspending the ball somehow so it won't get sucked into your dip tube.

Good luck,
Billy

I dry hop in the keg all the time. For keg dry hopping I prefer leaf hops vs pellets. Clean/boil a bag (I use 1 gallon paint strainer bags). Add hops and use unflavored dental floss to tie the bag up and suspend in keg. Tie floss to outside handle

Bokonon said:

I dry hop in the keg all the time. For keg dry hopping I prefer leaf hops vs pellets. Clean/boil a bag (I use 1 gallon paint strainer bags). Add hops and use unflavored dental floss to tie the bag up and suspend in keg. Tie floss to outside handle

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I am going to be dry hopping and kegging for the first time in about a week after 3 weeks in a primary. I would like to dry hop my IPA in the keg also, but do you recommend removing the bag before you begin serving, while you are still serving the brew, or do you leave it in until you drain the entire keg. Also, do you weigh the bag down with something?

Thanks!

DPlan00 said:

I am going to be dry hopping and kegging for the first time in about a week after 3 weeks in a primary. I would like to dry hop my IPA in the keg also, but do you recommend removing the bag before you begin serving, while you are still serving the brew, or do you leave it in until you drain the entire keg. Also, do you weigh the bag down with something?

Thanks!

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I'm getting ready to do this myself. If you read the first reply here you will see you can just leave it in the keg provided you finish the keg in less than a month or "grassiness" flavor can occur.

I have also read, that by suspending the bag or ball in the keg, you can also just leave it in the keg as once the level of beer drops below the hops, they are no longer in the beer itself, so time does not matter in terms of worrying about grassy flavors.

If you are using leaf hops you need to weigh it down or it will just float.

zip tie the hop bag to the dip tube,and use only hop cones. works soooo goooood.

As others have said, be careful when using pellets. I did this an IPA once using a very fine mesh hop bag that i didn't realize had a small tear in it. While it did settle out a bit over time, there was hop particles in every pour until it was gone. Next time i'm sticking with whole leaf for the keg.

Like alcibiades said, if you leave them in there too long you will get a grassy, vegetal taste. Try to kick that puppy in less than a month.

Not only do I dry hop in the keg (only for a week), but I'll re-hop a batch that has lost its edge after 3-4 months. Whole hops is definitely the way to go, as the heat of creating pellets does change the aroma profile, in addition to the potential clogging problem.

I also dry hop in the keg. I use (don't laugh) women's hose (white knee highs) and tie it with a string to a small hose clamp on the relief tube. I tie it so the hop bag/hose is ~2" form the bottom of the keg & leave it in there the entire time. I usually make 10 gallons so the 1st keg gets dry hopped for at least 2 weeks at room temp before going into the kegerator & carbonating. The 2nd keg is stored at room temp & doesn't get dry hopped until ~2 weeks prior to use. Never had a grassy flavor but then they don't last all that long either. YMMV....

david_42 said:

Not only do I dry hop in the keg (only for a week), but I'll re-hop a batch that has lost its edge after 3-4 months. Whole hops is definitely the way to go, as the heat of creating pellets does change the aroma profile, in addition to the potential clogging problem.

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You've had a batch last 3 or 4 months? Don't have that problem over here.