How Do You Dry-Hop/Carb Your Kegged IPAs?

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How do you dry-hop/carb your kegged IPAs?

  • Dry-Hop in Fermentor + Force Carb

  • Dry-Hop in Fermentor + Prime

  • Dry-Hop in Keg + Force Carb

  • Dry-Hop in Keg + Prime

  • Dry-Hop in Fermentor & Keg + Force Carb

  • Dry-Hop in Fermentor & Keg + Prime

Results are only viewable after voting.
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BilboBrewin

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Note: This poll is only asking about IPAs that are dry-hopped and kegged, trying to explore the effects of differences in procedure.

How do you dry-hop/carb your kegged IPAs?

Please feel free to elaborate! Do you do anything different based on pellet vs leaf hops? Does temperature play a role? If so, when? Do you do anything different for a session IPA vs a double IPA? Etc etc... the more feedback the better! Cheers! :mug:
 
+1 to Yesfan. And occasionally I'll put additional pellet or leaf hops in a mesh bag in the keg, suspended by a piece of very light test fishing line for the first week or so in the kegerator. For best seating/pressurizing, be sure to put the fishing line between the o-ring and lid, not between the o-ring and brim of keg. Unwaxed dental floss works too, but sometimes the line breaks.
 
If I want over the top hoppy. I do three things.

1. Primary dry hop
2. Transfer to secondary for
Another round in a mesh bag
3. Squeeze with tongs and remove. Use stainless steel tea balls to keg hop.

My DIPA is two months old, about to kick, and hoppy as all hell
 
friarsmith said:
........For best seating/pressurizing, be sure to put the fishing line between the o-ring and lid, not between the o-ring and brim of keg. Unwaxed dental floss works too, but sometimes the line breaks.....
Click to expand...



Good info. I've never dry-hopped in a keg, but that will be the way I do it should I start. Thanks for the tip!
 
For those who dry hop in the keg, do you leave the hop bag in the keg till it kicks, or remove it after 3-7 days?


I've never dry-hopped in the keg, just did everything in the primary.
 
Great timing, I was thinking about this exact poll last night!
I've morphed from dry hop in secondary to dry hop in primary + 2nd dry hop in keg, removed after 4 days or so. Not sure its the "best" method, but it's the horse I'm currently riding.
 
Yesfan said:
For those who dry hop in the keg, do you leave the hop bag in the keg till it kicks, or remove it after 3-7 days?


I've never dry-hopped in the keg, just did everything in the primary.
Click to expand...

Leave it in. You dont get any grassy notes from too long when its cold for some reason.
 
^agreed^. At least with the types of hops I've used for keg-hopping - all citrusy to some degree: whole C-hops, Amarillo, Mosaic, etc, including my home-growns - if you stuff them in a cold keg there won't be any off-notes even if it takes a couple of months to kick that keg...

Cheers!
 
friarsmith said:
+1 to Yesfan. And occasionally I'll put additional pellet or leaf hops in a mesh bag in the keg, suspended by a piece of very light test fishing line for the first week or so in the kegerator. For best seating/pressurizing, be sure to put the fishing line between the o-ring and lid, not between the o-ring and brim of keg. Unwaxed dental floss works too, but sometimes the line breaks.
Click to expand...

What is the reason for the string? What happens if you just put the mesh bag of hops in without the string?
 
iijakii said:
I dry hop in primary plus in keg. Dry hop all the things.
Click to expand...

Yeah seriously. Why are you all doing your ipas wrong?

You have an advantage over commercial breweries in terms of keg hopping. Don't waste it.

Side note: if I ever get my gypsy brewing company up and running, I'm gonna ship out kegs with hops in them
 
m00ps said:
Yeah seriously. Why are you all doing your ipas wrong?.........
Click to expand...


For me, I was under the assumption that you'd get grassy notes if left in the beer for over 7 days, regardless of vessel. If the cold conditions of the keg keep the hops fresher, as iijakii already mentioned, I wonder if the co2 atmosphere is also at play.


I guess beer isn't the only thing that co2 can preserve. I don't know why I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I'll definitely try this on my next IPA.
 
agrazela said:
What is the reason for the string? What happens if you just put the mesh bag of hops in without the string?
Click to expand...

The string is to keep the bag suspended off the bottom. If you let it drop to the bottom it can interfere with the pickup tube.
 
This is what I am thinking of doing for my next keg, wondering if anyone has experience doing so:

1. No dry-hop in fermentor - rack to purged keg with a bag of whole hops (and some marbles) hanging from the keg lid
2. Prime keg for a week, with dry-hops in, at room temperature*
3. Move to kegerator, chill overnight, serve next day

* This is the step I am most curious about - I know dry-hopping while primary fermentation is going on is a futile effort, is the same the case in a priming keg? It just seems like I potentially could do two things at once that necessitate/like a warmer temperature - priming/dry-hopping - so long as there isn't a negative effect to doing both at once.
 
Wolfairious said:
The string is to keep the bag suspended off the bottom. If you let it drop to the bottom it can interfere with the pickup tube.
Click to expand...

I have done the suspension method and found it a pain. My last APA I just put the bag in the keg and didn't have any issue with dip tube clogging. I find with keg hopping that I don't get much effect until three or four weeks in.
 
Iseneye said:
I have done the suspension method and found it a pain. My last APA I just put the bag in the keg and didn't have any issue with dip tube clogging. I find with keg hopping that I don't get much effect until three or four weeks in.
Click to expand...

Are you doing all your keg hopping at refrigerated temps?
 
Great topic - Subscribed! I'm late jumping on the IPA bandwagon and still a keg virgin. Just got a keggerator and 2 kegs and brewed a double header (1 of which was an IPA) on the weekend so I've got me a hot date in 3 weeks time to pop the cherry.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!
 
hobomoto said:
Are you doing all your keg hopping at refrigerated temps?
Click to expand...

Kegerator temp (5 degrees). I don't like leaving my beer at room temperature for longer than it needs to. My next beer will have primary dry hops and keg dry hops.
 
Iseneye said:
Kegerator temp (5 degrees). I don't like leaving my beer at room temperature for longer than it needs to. My next beer will have primary dry hops and keg dry hops.
Click to expand...

How long at that temp does it take to get the same flavor profile as dry hopping at room temp? And why not leave beer at room temp (65-70F)while dry hopping?
 
BilboBrewin said:
This is what I am thinking of doing for my next keg, wondering if anyone has experience doing so:

1. No dry-hop in fermentor - rack to purged keg with a bag of whole hops (and some marbles) hanging from the keg lid
2. Prime keg for a week, with dry-hops in, at room temperature*
3. Move to kegerator, chill overnight, serve next day

* This is the step I am most curious about - I know dry-hopping while primary fermentation is going on is a futile effort, is the same the case in a priming keg? It just seems like I potentially could do two things at once that necessitate/like a warmer temperature - priming/dry-hopping - so long as there isn't a negative effect to doing both at once.
Click to expand...

I dry hop in the keg with the suspended bag method. 3-5 days at room temp. Then I adjust the pressure and chill it down to my desired temp. Then I let it continue to carb up. Never had any grassy flavors that way. I did get a bit of grassy flavor when I carbed for 2 weeks at room temp once, so I always chill after a few days. Although some people do claim they've never experienced it, I don't risk it again.

As long as the keg is kept cold, I've had fresh hop taste for months.
 
k1ngl1ves said:
I dry hop in the keg with the suspended bag method. 3-5 days at room temp. Then I adjust the pressure and chill it down to my desired temp. Then I let it continue to carb up. Never had any grassy flavors that way. I did get a bit of grassy flavor when I carbed for 2 weeks at room temp once, so I always chill after a few days. Although some people do claim they've never experienced it, I don't risk it again.

As long as the keg is kept cold, I've had fresh hop taste for months.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! :mug: I am definitely looking forward to keg hopping and appreciate it.

Do you force carb or prime? I ask because I've been thinking of two options - 1. prime with dry hops suspended then put in kegerator and attach to CO2 at serving pressure or 2. rack to keg and leave at room temp with dry hops suspended for a few days, occasionally hitting it with C02 for a tight seal, then putting it in kegerator and force carbing. Any thoughts on which I should go with?
 
This is what I have now done twice when keg hopping. Once with an IPA and once with an APA. Both times the hops remained in the keg till it kicked without issue.

I use leaf hops and a fine voile hop bag from @Wilserbrewer .

Boil hop bag for 1+minute

Boil Hop bag.jpg

Strain off water leaving bag in the pot.

Sanitized hop bag.jpg

Add leaf hops to bag and tie a loose knot

Filling hop bag.jpg

Tied Bag.jpg

The hop-filled bag is balled up to reduce it's volume and placed in a sanitized CO2 filled keg.

The chilled beer at ~32F is then racked to the keg and force carbonated at ~34F

Racking to keg
attachment.php


I find keg-hopping has no impact on beer clarity and I favor the added aroma it brings. This can be done in addition to dry-hopping in the fermentor.

Keg Hopped APA
attachment.php
 
Ooooh im Gavin, I can keg hop a beer with one hand while taking a pic for demonstrative purposes.

Psh, every time I try it, im holding the weighed down bag, SWMBOs got the hops, and we still spill them everywhere
 
Gavin, any reason you don't just soak the bag in starsan? I've never boiled my bags and haven't had any issues.

For me, the type of hops dictates when I dry hop. If it's pellets, it's always in a carboy (whether it be primary, secondary, etc). If it's leaf, it's always in a keg. I find the pellet hops break down too much in the keg and I get little floaties throughout. And getting that much leaf hops into a carboy (and back out) would be a nightmare. So my process is mostly by necessity. Surely dry hopping in the carboy is easier, as you just pop the top and drop in the pellets. Having to get a hop sack sanitized and tied to the keg, yada yada yada, it's a bit tedious IMO, but worth it usually.
 
MagicMatt said:
Gavin, any reason you don't just soak the bag in starsan? I've never boiled my bags and haven't had any issues.

For me, the type of hops dictates when I dry hop. If it's pellets, it's always in a carboy (whether it be primary, secondary, etc). If it's leaf, it's always in a keg. I find the pellet hops break down too much in the keg and I get little floaties throughout. And getting that much leaf hops into a carboy (and back out) would be a nightmare. So my process is mostly by necessity. Surely dry hopping in the carboy is easier, as you just pop the top and drop in the pellets. Having to get a hop sack sanitized and tied to the keg, yada yada yada, it's a bit tedious IMO, but worth it usually.
Click to expand...

I trust boiling more for sanitizing something like a voile bag. I have no good justification other than personal preference in that regard.

When I dry hop in the FV I typically use pellet hops as they are easier to pour in. I use carboys.

In the keg, the bag is not suspended or weighed down in any way.
  • Fill the bag with hops and tie it loosely
  • Ball it up
  • Lid off keg
  • Throw in hops
  • Lid on keg
  • Rack Beer

Keg hopping does not exclude or replace dry hopping in the FV. It can be used in addition to or instead of depending on your preference. I have not keg hopped with pellets for the reasons you mentioned. Debris in my beer is not something I favor.
 
Gavin C said:
Keg hopping does not exclude or replace dry hopping in the FV. It can be used in addition to or instead of depending on your preference. I have not keg hopped with pellets for the reasons you mentioned. Debris in my beer is not something I favor.
Click to expand...

I keg hop the same way as you except I use pellet hops. I don't know if it's my bag but I don't have any hop debris in the beer.
 
Iseneye said:
I keg hop the same way as you except I use pellet hops. I don't know if it's my bag but I don't have any hop debris in the beer.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's good to know. I have only done it with leaf hops. The @Wilserbrewer bag is excellent. The fine quality of the material is not in doubt. I am not very experienced in this.
 
Gavin C said:
I trust boiling more for sanitizing something like a voile bag. I have no good justification other than personal preference in that regard.

When I dry hop in the FV I typically use pellet hops as they are easier to pour in. I use carboys.

In the keg, the bag is not suspended or weighed down in any way.
  • Fill the bag with hops and tie it loosely
  • Ball it up
  • Lid off keg
  • Throw in hops
  • Lid on keg
  • Rack Beer

Keg hopping does not exclude or replace dry hopping in the FV. It can be used in addition to or instead of depending on your preference. I have not keg hopped with pellets for the reasons you mentioned. Debris in my beer is not something I favor.
Click to expand...

How do you rack it with the lid on? Are you pressurizing it and filling through the liquid out QD?
Also - doesn't the free floating bag interfere with the pick up tube at some point if not fastened to the lid?
 
Does anyone have experience dry hopping a small keg (in my case 3 gallons) with leaf hops? I was thinking of using two ounces of leaf hops and got a bag recommended for "1-2 ounces of whole hops" (9 in. x 12 in. from MoreBeer) but when I hold the bag up to the keg it seems like it would reach the bottom, especially if weighted. Would I be at risk for clogging the dip tube or is whole hops + mesh bag enough?
 
BilboBrewin said:
Does anyone have experience dry hopping a small keg (in my case 3 gallons) with leaf hops? I was thinking of using two ounces of leaf hops and got a bag recommended for "1-2 ounces of whole hops" (9 in. x 12 in. from MoreBeer) but when I hold the bag up to the keg it seems like it would reach the bottom, especially if weighted. Would I be at risk for clogging the dip tube or is whole hops + mesh bag enough?
Click to expand...

Not having done this yet, I think it would as some have said they tie it up to the lid using fishing line. If it looks like its gonna be hanging low, can you tie it in a knot to shorten it up?
 
OkanaganMike said:
Not having done this yet and why I started this thread, I think it would as some have said they tie it up to the lid using fishing line. If it looks like its gonna be hanging low, can you tie it in a knot to shorten it up?
Click to expand...

With it tied at the top and even if suspended to the very top of the lid, it may still reach the bottom. Ideas I've had are to 1. string the bottom of the bag to the top to form a U shape or 2. use two smaller bags.
 
BilboBrewin said:
With it tied at the top and even if suspended to the very top of the lid, it may still reach the bottom. Ideas I've had are to 1. string the bottom of the bag to the top to form a U shape or 2. use two smaller bags.
Click to expand...

I've used multiple keg hop bags a bunch of times to fit all of them
 
How about Chinese tea balls? I've got a couple I use for the boil but they're not that big so'd need to use a couple. Just talked to a buddy last night and he never ties the bag up. Just knots it up with the hops and tosses it in, never had a problem with the pick up tube he said.

*Edit* Sheyaa - until I try it on my keg. LOL
 

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