Question for Keg Hoppers

[DocHop]

I'm relatively new to kegging and have a few questions about dry hopping in the keg.

1. Are those of you who dry hop in the keg racking directly from your primary to the keg? If so, do you go to the keg as soon as your gravity readings have stabilized, or do you give it longer in the primary?

2. Are you carbing right after you add the hops, or waiting until you've finished dry hopping and removed the bag? I imagine you're using the set & forget method and not shaking the keg once you have a bag of hops inside the keg.

Thanks for the help.

 

[samc]

Anywhere from 2-4 weeks in primary, then I cold crash for 2-5 days. Dry hops in and start carbing immediately in the serving keg. I've never done the keg shaking method, seems so impatient to me.

 

[Thekeez]

I'm new to this as well, but I racked to my keg then I force carbed the keg. After that I let all the pressure off and (probably people won't agree with this) I put my hops in a sanitized tea ball wrapped inside a grain sock and opened the keg and dropped it in and sealed it back up real quick. Then set to serving psi and it's amazing!

 

[DocHop]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go 2 weeks in primary, 2 days cold crash, and then dry hop with set/forget carbing. Tempting to force carb though, since the pipeline is dry and paying $10/6 pack is getting expensive.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go 2 weeks in primary, 2 days cold crash, and then dry hop with set/forget carbing. Tempting to force carb though, since the pipeline is dry and paying $10/6 pack is getting expensive.

Force carbing is using co2 to carb your beer. So I assume that unless you're using priming sugar that you're force carbing.

Two weeks in the primary is sort of short but if that works for you that's fine.

I usually leave my beer in primary about two-three weeks, then dryhop about a week before kegging. If more hops are needed, I dryhop in the keg.

 

[beninan]

I wait until fermentation is done in primary, then dry hop in the primary for an additional week, then rack to a keg.

 

[AleJoe]

I dry hop in keg. Force carbonate by cranking up pressure a couple days, do not shake. I put the hops in a sanitized mesh bag with some sanitized marbles. This brings it down to the pick up tube and gives my beers a unique taste that a lot of people really enjoy (most of all me)

 

[TheBrewinator]

Generally I will leave the beer for 4 weeks in primary then rack directly to the keg. I use a sure screen on the dip tube and just toss in the whole hops, seal it up, and let it sit on gas until its carbonated.

 

[RobbyBeers]

Seems like people are getting good results dry hopping at several different points in the initial stages...but I'm wondering if there's any problem doing it later down the line?

I have a session ale on tap right now, and I feel like it might be slightly underhopped. Is there any harm in just popping the top, tossing in a handful of whole hops, then repressurizing? If there's any chance it might tire out the beer, it's probably not worth it...the beer is ok as-is.

 

[OldManHouston]

I have been dry-hopping the keg for a few brews now mostly due to a lack of fermenters (have 2 primaries and 1 secondary). I generally stay in primary for 3 weeks, rack to keg and dry-hop in the keg for however long I feel like. I generally don't go straight into the keezer and on gas because I have a pipeline and don't need to so sometimes I take the hops out before carbonating, sometimes not. I have also added a bag of hops after a beer has carbonated and I wasn't that into it. Definitely still had a good effect.

I am also using pellet hops in most of these cases in a sanitized hop bag. Only one occasion out of probably 4 or 5 did I really get a lot of hop particles in the beer. That one was the keg that I had already carbonated and added the hops about 1/2 way through the keg. I may have moved this around more than the other causing more hop dust to escape out of the bag and the others sat mostly still the entire time the hop bag was in there.

 

[MadHopper]

I usually rack to the keg after primary (2-4 weeks depending on beer), purge and seal the keg, age at room temp (and dry hop if necessary). This goes on till I have space in the kegerator. Carbonation starts only when the beer in at the lower temp.

 

[BendBrewer]

If you are going to dry hop the keg, yes do Set and Forget. Why rush the carb process if you are waiting for the dry hops to do their thing.

You will want to weight the bag down somehow. Using zip ties to tie the bag to the beer out tube works well. Hang it so the bag is in the middle of the keg.

 

[Yooper]

Seems like people are getting good results dry hopping at several different points in the initial stages...but I'm wondering if there's any problem doing it later down the line?

I have a session ale on tap right now, and I feel like it might be slightly underhopped. Is there any harm in just popping the top, tossing in a handful of whole hops, then repressurizing? If there's any chance it might tire out the beer, it's probably not worth it...the beer is ok as-is.

Well, I just wanted to make sure that the handful of hops you'd be tossing in would be in a sanitized bag.

You don't have to weigh down the bag at all, as the hops can be "loose" in the bag and floating on top, just like in a fermenter. But they have to be bagged or otherwise contained of course.

 

[tmurph6]

Leaving dry hops in the keg doesn't impart any grassy flavors after awhile?

 

[BendBrewer]

Leaving dry hops in the keg doesn't impart any grassy flavors after awhile?

That is why I hang mine. By the time I am 2/3 through the keg, the hops are off of the beer.

 

[Yooper]

Leaving dry hops in the keg doesn't impart any grassy flavors after awhile?

No. I think because it's at kegerator temperatures, it doesn't seem to get grassy after a while. Of course, a keg never lasts longer than about a month or so at my house!