Can I dry hop after beer is kegged and carbonated?

[MrJames]

I tried a dry hopped beer at a local micro brew and loved it!! I have a Rye IPA kegged and carbonated, I have been drinking on it for a couple days. How would I dry hop it now? Pop the lid and drop the hops in? Or is it too late?

 

[Yooper]

It's never too late! But once it's carbonated, you can get some foaming due to "nucleation" points when you add the hops. Just be aware, so you can close it back up fast!

I'd just sanitize a big hops bag (fine mesh), add the hops, then tie it off. Purge the co2, remove the lid, and gently drop the hops bag in the beer and close it up quickly to minimize the foam that may come out. Then give it some c02 and seal it up.

 

[dinnerstick]

i would only do this when it's cold, to minimize any foaming when you open it. speaking from experience, it's not very calming when you open a keg, look inside to see a rising foam barrier, panic to try to get the lid set before the arrival of the foam tsunami, fail, have 1/2 a keg of foam go up your arm and then flood your kitchen

 

[Jaybird]

I have, but I pulled my Co2 and bleed off the PSI for a couple of days first..Or you can take your chances on a keggorator full of foam..LOL I have a keg lid with a hook welded on it so I just clean and sanitize a nylon bag get it on the hook filled with my hops and do a quick swap. Then when done, swap em back..

Cheers
Jay

 

[MrJames]

Could I add a secondary vessel inline that would containthe hops? Like a canister filter? Is there a commercial product like an inline canister filter? A hop rocket?...not too sure what that is exactly.

 

[TheRussMeister]

Sounds like you're talking about something like a Randall. It's not really a dry hopping, but it is. It's real time hopping. Basically it is what you say, a canister that you fill with hops, I think it has to be whole cones though, and you tap from the keg, through the Randall filled with hops, and into your drinking device. So I guess it's technically dry hopping, but not in the traditional sense. Is that something you want to do? Or is it to have it sit on the hops?

 

[MrJames]

After reading some of the responses I'm not too sure if I want to open a keg at this point in time. Maybe if I had only have a little left I might try it, but for now I might try a "Randall" as suggested. I think I have seen a picture it in action. Next time I'll dry hop before I carbonate it.

 

[NewkyBrown]

To add a question to this post ... Do most people who keg add the hops to the keg when dry hopping or do you still use a secondary first? Does a hop bag keep all the trub inside?
Thanks.

 

[TheRussMeister]

It's depends what you like, I do both. Some bathes I toss pellets right in the fermenter towards the end. I do it twice for my house pale. I don't use a hop bag for dry hopping in the the fermenter, it's falls out with the trub, and I will rouse the fermenter everyday to get the hops back into suspension. I also will dry hop in the keg sometimes, but I string them up with dental floss and tie them off in hop bags, keeps the pellets/flowers from clogging the tap lines.

 

[strambo]

A fairly easy compromise would be to put some leaf hops in a french press, pour, press, then pour into your pint glass.

I dry-hop every PA and IPA I make. Usually just toss them in loose into the primary bucket after primary is over. I have put them in a bag, into the keg then kegged, let sit for 5 days at room temp, then carb normally (leaving the hops in until the keg kicks).

 

[D_Nyholm]

I've dry hopped in the keg numerous times and never had crazy foam. Just popped the top after bleeding the pressure, tied off a bag to the dip tube and closed it up. Simple as that. I would say I have done it 15 times and never had any foam, never even thought of it! Now I bet it is going to happen to me next time, Murphy is strong in my house.

 

[MrJames]

I am going to try the french press tomorrow...after church of course!!

 

[limulus]

I dry hopped a batch of American Pale Ale after it was carbed. I used whole Cascade Hops in a sterile hop bag. It was excellent.

 

[MrJames]

A fairly easy compromise would be to put some leaf hops in a french press, pour, press, then pour into your pint glass.

I dry-hop every PA and IPA I make. Usually just toss them in loose into the primary bucket after primary is over. I have put them in a bag, into the keg then kegged, let sit for 5 days at room temp, then carb normally (leaving the hops in until the keg kicks).

I tried Amarillo whole hops in my French Press and ithink it worked well....I am not too sure. I want lots of aroma and taste. I may need to add more whole hops. Not too sure. I'll keep up the rigorous testing.

 

[strambo]

Well, it looks good! Could try setting it in the fridge for 15 mins. Should be able to tell if there is a difference side by side with an un-hopped glass.

 

[grathan]

I always thought hop teas were made with additional hot water.

 

[D_Nyholm]

I tried Amarillo whole hops in my French Press and ithink it worked well....I am not too sure. I want lots of aroma and taste. I may need to add more whole hops. Not too sure. I'll keep up the rigorous testing.

That is a great idea, similar to a Randall. Seems like you would use A LOT of hops that way.

I would definitely throw an ounce or two in a hop bag in the keg and it will be good, if not better, in a few days.

 

[MrJames]

That is a great idea, similar to a Randall. Seems like you would use A LOT of hops that way.

I would definitely throw an ounce or two in a hop bag in the keg and it will be good, if not better, in a few days.

I am concerned with opening a full keg. If it were half, then I could attempt it and worry about ruining it. At half keg, I will try it and post the process/results...

 

[grathan]

If your looking to dry-hop as an afterthought you might even try dry hopping a single bottle to see how that turns out.

 

[MrJames]

If your looking to dry-hop as an afterthought you might even try dry hopping a single bottle to see how that turns out.

Interesting. How do I do this do you suppose?

 

[dinnerstick]

i think it was an episode of the session on the brewing network, with the guys from anchor? where they said they test new hops for aroma by taking a case of coors light bottles, opening them and adding one hop pellet of different varieties to each, quickly recapping and leaving a week. never tried it but probably should

 

[nextgenxx]

Just put 3oz of cascade in tonight! Easy as pie, I also do the mesh bag with 2-3 SS washers/ misc valve fittings for weight. Starsan the stuff before and you should be good to go!

 

[MrJames]

Just put 3oz of cascade in tonight! Easy as pie, I also do the mesh bag with 2-3 SS washers/ misc valve fittings for weight. Starsan the stuff before and you should be good to go!

How long do you leave it in the keg? How do you get it out if it sinks to the bottom?

 

[grathan]

Interesting. How do I do this do you suppose?

You could cut a hop sack down to just the corner and tie that off to fit in a bottle.

I had a stainless filter made by arborfab.com that fits in a bottle.


Here is a neat article on dry-hopping bud light.
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/03/dry-hopped-bud-light.html

 

[nextgenxx]

How long do you leave it in the keg? How do you get it out if it sinks to the bottom?

I'll leave them in the keg at about 68 degree temp (my garage temp) for 5-7 days. You can go a little longer, but I have heard they will start to make more grassy flavors. Then open up and pull them out then carb by co2 for another week then drink away.

I haven't had anything sink to bottom yet, maybe if I added more ss weights it would sink farther down. Usually it justs floats below the top surface. I guess I would use a racking cane or something to fish it out if it goes to bottom like I said hasn't happened yet.

I do have to say my beer tastes much better since I have dry hopped!

 

[MrJames]

You could cut a hop sack down to just the corner and tie that off to fit in a bottle.

I had a stainless filter made by arborfab.com that fits in a bottle.

Here is a neat article on dry-hopping bud light.
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/03/dry-hopped-bud-light.html

Killer article!! I loved it and am gonna try it... But if the Bud Light bottles have the screw on caps, I can't recap them. So what beer doesn't have screw on caps, but shares the same tasteless qualities of Bud Light??

 

[MrJames]

Could I add a secondary vessel inline that would containthe hops?

Were you asking a question? If so, then yes, they suggested a "Randall"...I think I have a picture of one in use at my LHBS....

 

[MrJames]

Here it is...sort of small pic, I didn't think I'd be posting it, so the quality isn't the best. I think the beer was a "Left Hand" beer....

 

[sleepymonkey]

I just tried this for the 1st time tonight. Beer was kegged and carbed but when I tasted it, no bitter from the hops were there much at all. I used some local homegrown hops (3 oz. at that!), but I didn't dry them out first. Anyway, the beer had no bitterness or hop flavor or aroma. I took a sauce pan with a few cups of water and boiled a muslin bag with several glass beads for weights (one could use marbles or stainless steel bolts) and an ounce of hops for a couple of minutes, then opened the keg and dropped the bag in with some sanitized tongs and dumped the "hop tea" that the boil had made in after it. I'm pretty confident that the beer will be saved. On a side note, you could use one of these drip-trays for that fridge! http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Stainless-Steel-Mount-Drain/dp/B003X3AG7S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376184338&sr=8-4&keywords=drip+tray

I got a couple and screwed them into my fridge and they've worked nicely. Just remember to leave room for a large mug below your tap. I put mine too close at first thinking I'd only be putting a tilted glass under it and had to move it later- leaving a couple of extra small holes in the fridge when I had to move it. Cheers!

 

[MrJames]

I'm not sold on a drip tray with my current set up...I kinda like my trash can/drip tray. Thanks for the link though.