Priming, dry-hopping and using gelatin in kegs

[Scooby_Brew]

I just wanted to share with you guys my system for priming, dry-hopping and using gelatin in kegs.

Priming in a keg: I use flat 1/3 of a cup = 2.5 oz. = 70g of table sugar (not priming sugar) per keg.

Dry hopping in a keg: use whole hops only (pellets don't work in a keg), in a large 5 gal HD nylon paint strainer bag, straight in the keg, let it float on top of the beer. Use about half the amount of hops you would use in dry-hopping in a secondary.

Using gelatin in a keg: 1/2 a packet of gelatin in warm water into the keg.

I do all of these three things at the kegging time, let it carb for 2-3 weeks
This system has been working great for me, my beers are clear and hoppy, ready for me to use at any time.
:rockin:

 

[rpe290]

Looks good! Have you noticed the flavors changing over time due to overexposure to dry hop or gelatin getting old, or does your beer run out too quick for that? Just curious, that is an easy set and forget method.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

No, I don't get any off-flavors after long dry hopping time. I've red about that "grassy" taste when dry hopping for long time and I have looked for it in my beers, but I haven't seen any. I've been using this method for about a year or two now. It may be that you would get that taste with European hops, but I dry hop my IPAs exclusively with American and New Zealand hops.

 

[butterpants]

Alter your liquid dip tube any (shorten or bend it) so not as to pick up the gross jello at the keg bottom with every draw?

 

[Scooby_Brew]

No, I didn't do anything to any of the dip tubes. Simply first 1-2 pints go in the sink, after that you get a clear beer. Notice that you use about 1/2 less sugar in a keg then when bottling. That will live you with less sediment on the bottom. You just want to try not to move the kegs in the kegerator too much.

 

[terrapinj]

pellet hops work just fine for dry hopping if bagged

 

[bd2xu]

pellet hops work just fine for dry hopping if bagged

I've used them for dry hopping without a bag, they settle to the bottom pretty well, but good to have a fine strainer on the other end before going into bottling bucket or keg.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

Try using tea balls for pellet dry hopping. My favorite part of them (besides getting to use pellets with no mess) is they don't get wrapped around the dip tube.

 

[terrapinj]

Try using tea balls for pellet dry hopping. My favorite part of them (besides getting to use pellets with no mess) is they don't get wrapped around the dip tube.

what size teaballs do you use? i read a few horror stories about them opening up in the keg or the inside still being dry

i just use a hop bag from my LHBS and have used as much as 3oz of pellets in a single bag with positive results

 

[Scooby_Brew]

pellet hops work just fine for dry hopping if bagged

Try using tea balls for pellet dry hopping. My favorite part of them (besides getting to use pellets with no mess) is they don't get wrapped around the dip tube.

I tried everything for pellets in a keg. I tried muslin bags, nylon bags, nylon stockings, socks, tea bags, tea balls. NOTHING worked for me. You get grassy taste and green, hazy beer. Using whole hops in a keg is EASY and it WORKS. Just throw them in a big, 5 gal HD nylon paint strainer bag, let them float on the top. You get clear beer, no grassy flavor, nice hoppy aroma and taste. The taste and aroma lasts till the end of the keg, because the closer to the end, the closer the hops are to the dip tube. It's simple, easy, and proven to work.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

what size teaballs do you use? i read a few horror stories about them opening up in the keg or the inside still being dry

i just use a hop bag from my LHBS and have used as much as 3oz of pellets in a single bag with positive results

There two types of tea balls. Ones that screw together, and ones that have a latch. I much prefer the latter. A common mistake is to overload them, or use whole hops. Keep the pellets at about 1/2 oz per ball, and you're golden. Here's the ones I'm talking about:

http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/shop/mesh-straining-ball-infuser-stainless-2-75-in.html

 

[paul_111]

No, I don't get any off-flavors after long dry hopping time. I've red about that "grassy" taste when dry hopping for long time and I have looked for it in my beers, but I haven't seen any. I've been using this method for about a year or two now. It may be that you would get that taste with European hops, but I dry hop my IPAs exclusively with American and New Zealand hops.

WRT "grassy flavors"...how long does it take for you to get through a keg? How much does hop flavor increase over that time? Do you find it to be mild initially and overpowering toward the end? Of course, that might depend on how long it takes to kick the keg...

Do you dry hop during fermentation or just in the keg?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[butterpants]

How long until you can draw off the geletin? Is a day or two with geletin added enough for it to settle out?

 

[Scooby_Brew]

WRT "grassy flavors"...how long does it take for you to get through a keg? How much does hop flavor increase over that time? Do you find it to be mild initially and overpowering toward the end? Of course, that might depend on how long it takes to kick the keg...

Do you dry hop during fermentation or just in the keg?

Thanks,
Paul

To get me through a keg takes me about 6-8 weeks. Sometimes they are sitting longer, up to 2-3 months. The hop flavor pretty much stays the same troughout the whole lifetime of the keg. Most of the time I only dry hop in a keg, sometimes though I dry hop both in a fermenter and in a keg.

How long until you can draw off the geletin? Is a day or two with geletin added enough for it to settle out?

Gelatin stays in the keg until the keg is finished, although some of it is pulled out of the keg when I first crack it open. It's hard to say how many days exactly the gelatin needs to clear the beer completely, but I would say maybe 3-4 days when the beer is cold.

 

[butterpants]

Ok thanks!

 

[HollywoodMX]

I have dry hopped more than 50% of the beers I make in the keg, with 90+% being pellet hops. I have zero issues with tea balls, muslin bags or paint straining bags. I Always put stainless weights on them so they sink to the bottom.

I tried leaf hops several times and on all accounts the beers have aged worse compared to pellet hops due to the vegital flavors that come from leaf sitting in a liquid solution for too long.