Dry Hopping In Conical and Pressure Transfer

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

schmahly

Active Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Messages
32
Reaction score
8
Hey all, I'm about to do a dry hop (pellets) in my spike conical and need some advice please. If I dry hop (no bag), then let's say slowly drop temperature over a three day period to cold crash temps and hold it there for a few days, is it safe to do a closed pressure transfer to a keg if I dump the trub with no in-line filter? I want to avoid clogged poppets and dip tubes. Also would it be safe doing a NEIPA if I cold crash long enough?
 
Last edited:
What do you mean by dropping the temp. FWIW the only time I didn't use a bag I cold crashed for 2 - 3 days and I still got clogged lines . Maybe I didn't go cold enough or long enough but ill tell you this, it was a pain in the rear. Went back to bags after that . However thats just me. YMMV
 
FYI the lower the temperature the slower hop material will drop to the cone. You'll also get lower aroma extraction BTW.

In my experience heavily dry-hopped beers can take up to two weeks to really clear of the finest hop material, and that's without making it slower by dropping to cold-crash temps. Expecting it to clear in a few days is a totally unrealistic expectation.
 
When reading posts over at the main NEIPA thread it all sounds so easy...cold crash for a few days, close-transfer to serving keg, done.
From what I gather most of these guys also dry hop loose. Am I missing something? How are they doing it?

I'm still in the basic plastic fermenter and bottling camp, but it sure would be a dream someday to upgrade to conicals and kegs. But not if it makes life more complicated...
 
In my experience, it is generally that easy, even with pellets. But even though you cold crashed, after keg transfer you may want to wait a few days for any hop matter that made it over to fully settle. I've done this many times and have never clogged poppets or lines. I do find a little coating of hop matter at the bottom of my empty kegs, but it's really no problem.
 
In my experience, it is generally that easy, even with pellets. But even though you cold crashed, after keg transfer you may want to wait a few days for any hop matter that made it over to fully settle. I've done this many times and have never clogged poppets or lines. I do find a little coating of hop matter at the bottom of my empty kegs, but it's really no problem.

Are you using floating dip tubes in your serving kegs, or does this work (without excessive trub pickup) also with normal dip tubes?
 
Well, I thought I would, but since my floating dip tubes have screens on them, I was worried that I'd plug them during the transfer. So I skipped them altogether for the first batch, and didn't have any issues at all with trub pickup. So I never ended up trying them, and have been really happy with the results, down to pretty much the last pint. The trub seems to be pretty happy to stick to a thin layer on the bottom of the keg. And just waiting a few days after transfer really seems to sort everything out.

But if I do ever try the floaters, I would strip the screens off first.
 
And heavy dry hopping, hop burn can be an issue in that first week after kegging, so there's another good reason to just wait it out a few days.
 
I always have issues transferring really hoppy beers out of my unitank and into kegs. Someone said it above - everyone in the Northeast IPA thread make it sound sooooo easy - crash for a few days and transfer. Not that easy from my experience.

I will not do another NEIPA without one of these... I've heard from numerous people who have gone to these from bouncer filters or from no filters that these really are a dream come true and make transfers super easy with really hoppy beers.
 
Hey thanks for all the input. Yea I always read that some have no issues whatsoever. At least that's what is being said. My experience on the contrary is consistent with you all. This first batch in my unitank I plan to attempt the cold crash method. But plan to get that filter though. Seems solid.
 
I like that filter and price looks good too. I'm using the bouncer style it seems to work for me.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0883.jpeg
    IMG_0883.jpeg
    68.9 KB · Views: 55
I like that filter and price looks good too. I'm using the bouncer style it seems to work for me.
See, I even tried buying the bouncer filter. However, I think I screwed up when I bought mine. I bought this one...

1617287307445.png


When in reality, PROBABLY should have gone with the one that has the bigger inlet/outlet...

1617287352443.png


The one I bought clogs up instantly on me.
 
I never really have an issue with clogs when I pressure transfer my heavily hopped NEIPAs from my Spike CF5 to a keg. Below is the process I use that works for me. I know everyone has different setups so the below steps may not be possible for everyone.
  • After fermentation is complete, I drop temp to ~50F for 2-3 days.
  • Dump yeast.
  • Raise temp to 55F for dh #1
  • I let the hops warm up to room temp before putting them in the FV. Not sure if it helps but I've heard letting them warm up helps to keep them from sinking like a rock to the bottom.
  • Hook gas up to manifold at 2-3psi to push air out of the 4"port to help reduce O2 exposure during dh.
  • While gas is hooked up, I drop in dh #1 usually 4-5ozs.
  • After 2 days I repeat the same process for dh #2 another 4-5ozs.
  • After i'm done dry hopping, I drop temp to 36F for 4-5 days.
    • each day i drop yeast,hops,trub,etc from dump port.
  • after 4-5 days, hook up the closed loop transfer triclamp port to the racking arm. Racking arm is parallel to floor.
  • Before I hook up my line that is connected to the keg, I open the racking arm port, there's always a ton of trub, hops and yeast in there no matter what position I put it in.
  • Once clear beer starts to flow I close the racking arm port.
  • I then hook up the keg line to the transfer port.
    • I loosen the triclamp so that it's barely on. I then hook up CO2 to the keg which passes through the line to my spike CF5 racking arm port (valve is closed). This purges the tiny amount of O2 that could be trapped between the port and the butterfly valve.
  • I then tighten down the triclamp and start my transfer to my sanitized keg.
Sorry for the long reply, wanted to include everything that's been helping me these past few batches. The long cold crash really helps to eliminate hop burn. My NEIPAs are ready a week after transfer and are really smooth. The racking arm purge has completely stopped any clogging that I would get. Once beer starts flowing I'm usually good to go. Knock on wood. I usually drop hop between 8-10ozs which is based on abv. I know there are some people that dh a lot more but I think I would be fine to go higher with my process above.
 
I never really have an issue with clogs when I pressure transfer my heavily hopped NEIPAs from my Spike CF5 to a keg. Below is the process I use that works for me. I know everyone has different setups so the below steps may not be possible for everyone.
  • After fermentation is complete, I drop temp to ~50F for 2-3 days.
  • Dump yeast.
  • Raise temp to 55F for dh #1
  • I let the hops warm up to room temp before putting them in the FV. Not sure if it helps but I've heard letting them warm up helps to keep them from sinking like a rock to the bottom.
  • Hook gas up to manifold at 2-3psi to push air out of the 4"port to help reduce O2 exposure during dh.
  • While gas is hooked up, I drop in dh #1 usually 4-5ozs.
  • After 2 days I repeat the same process for dh #2 another 4-5ozs.
  • After i'm done dry hopping, I drop temp to 36F for 4-5 days.
    • each day i drop yeast,hops,trub,etc from dump port.
  • after 4-5 days, hook up the closed loop transfer triclamp port to the racking arm. Racking arm is parallel to floor.
  • Before I hook up my line that is connected to the keg, I open the racking arm port, there's always a ton of trub, hops and yeast in there no matter what position I put it in.
  • Once clear beer starts to flow I close the racking arm port.
  • I then hook up the keg line to the transfer port.
    • I loosen the triclamp so that it's barely on. I then hook up CO2 to the keg which passes through the line to my spike CF5 racking arm port (valve is closed). This purges the tiny amount of O2 that could be trapped between the port and the butterfly valve.
  • I then tighten down the triclamp and start my transfer to my sanitized keg.
Sorry for the long reply, wanted to include everything that's been helping me these past few batches. The long cold crash really helps to eliminate hop burn. My NEIPAs are ready a week after transfer and are really smooth. The racking arm purge has completely stopped any clogging that I would get. Once beer starts flowing I'm usually good to go. Knock on wood. I usually drop hop between 8-10ozs which is based on abv. I know there are some people that dh a lot more but I think I would be fine to go higher with my process above.

Yeah and this is about the same process I hear from others. I can tell you that I pretty much followed your exact process and I have issues with clogging. I'm on a half barrel fermenter and I used roughly the same rate of hops you did, but at half barrel batch, it was 34oz of dry hops. Had a hell of a time with it and I vowed that I will not do another heavily hopped beer without the filter I linked above lol.
 
One thing I will add is about the actual trub dump. This is an important step to do it correctly, you need to go slow when dumping. If you just open your dump valve and close it a couple times the liquid will just "punch through" the trub, making a hole in the center of it and leaving the rest of the trub behind. I try to go as slow as possible and do it a few times over 2 or 3 days before kegging. I have looked into getting the filter that @Rob2010SS mentioned above and will probably order one before my next batch so I can squeeze as much beer out of the fermenter as possible.
 
Yeah and this is about the same process I hear from others. I can tell you that I pretty much followed your exact process and I have issues with clogging. I'm on a half barrel fermenter and I used roughly the same rate of hops you did, but at half barrel batch, it was 34oz of dry hops. Had a hell of a time with it and I vowed that I will not do another heavily hopped beer without the filter I linked above lol.

That stinks, sorry to hear that. Are you dumping sediment each day of the cold crash? I also noticed that I need it to be really cold. The colder the better, if I'm cold crashing at 40 I may even let it sit 7 days.

Let us know how the filter works out.
 
One thing I will add is about the actual trub dump. This is an important step to do it correctly, you need to go slow when dumping. If you just open your dump valve and close it a couple times the liquid will just "punch through" the trub, making a hole in the center of it and leaving the rest of the trub behind. I try to go as slow as possible and do it a few times over 2 or 3 days before kegging. I have looked into getting the filter that @Rob2010SS mentioned above and will probably order one before my next batch so I can squeeze as much beer out of the fermenter as possible.

Yeah, definitely, needs to be a slow dump. I go as slow as possible. Inevitably the beer always starts flowing out no matter how slow I go. Once that happens, I give it another day and I dump again.
That stinks, sorry to hear that. Are you dumping sediment each day of the cold crash? I also noticed that I need it to be really cold. The colder the better, if I'm cold crashing at 40 I may even let it sit 7 days.

Let us know how the filter works out.
Yes, dumping every day of the cold crash. I only crash to 34*F as I'm always paranoid about freezing the beer haha. I dump every day of the crash but I admittedly only usually do 3-4 days.

I will definitely report back on the filter. I've heard a lot of good things.
 
So how much beer are you (@Jesse Runowski @Rob2010SS @bailey mountain brewer) getting out of the fermentor after all this dumping? Are you getting a full five gallons or just deciding 4 gallons of the beer you are trying to achieve is better than 5 gallons of pretty close?

I put 17 gallons into my fermenter with the intent of getting (3) 5 gallon kegs out of it. I don't do a LOT of crazy hopped NEIPAs and my wife and I will drink some straight from the tank once it's carbed up so I can't say for sure that I'm getting a full 3 kegs out of it as I've never tracked it.

With less hopped beers or lagers, we're getting 3 full kegs and there's still a bit left over.
 
I fill my cf15 to the rim when doing this, I fill with the lid on and get it right to the lid seal then pitch my yeast. Typically I am getting close to 3 full kegs, filled by weight to usually around 42.5 lbs .. on a couple occasions I have fallen a few pounds short on the last keg, lost probably a 6 pack. My first couple batches of neipa I was only getting about 2.5 to 2.75 kegs and that is when I increased my initial volume to max out the fermenter and worked harder on my cold crashes. It is definitely harder to get 3 full kegs with a neipa, I typically dump a gallon to 1.5 and leave about a gallon in the cone of the fermenter. So getting as close to 17.5 gallon to start is key for me.
 
So how much beer are you (@Jesse Runowski @Rob2010SS @bailey mountain brewer) getting out of the fermentor after all this dumping? Are you getting a full five gallons or just deciding 4 gallons of the beer you are trying to achieve is better than 5 gallons of pretty close?

For me, it's all about taste over quantity. So, if i lose some beer to make it tastier and ready quicker, I'm ok with it. Spike's CF5 has markings up to 6 gallons and i usually fill to that line. After all of the dumps during my cold crash and the beer that sits below the racking arm after transfer I would say i lose about 1 to 1.25 gallons. Never actually measured it. I know my keg isn't full though. I can see that the condensation line is just below the black rubber on the corny keg.

To be honest, I'm ok with it though. I like to try different beers so I rarely get a chance to kill an entire 5gal keg myself before the hops start to fade. Lagers and pilsners on the other hand, I like to fill those to the brim.
 
For me, it's all about taste over quantity. So, if i lose some beer to make it tastier and ready quicker, I'm ok with it. Spike's CF5 has markings up to 6 gallons and i usually fill to that line. After all of the dumps during my cold crash and the beer that sits below the racking arm after transfer I would say i lose about 1 to 1.25 gallons. Never actually measured it. I know my keg isn't full though. I can see that the condensation line is just below the black rubber on the corny keg.

To be honest, I'm ok with it though. I like to try different beers so I rarely get a chance to kill an entire 5gal keg myself before the hops start to fade. Lagers and pilsners on the other hand, I like to fill those to the brim.
100% agree.

Except for the rarely killing a keg. My wife and drink it plus the 40+ people we share with at work. Beer never lasts long in our house.
 
Haha thanks for all the responses. I've got that CF15 too. I struggle getting more than about 17.5 gallons into it due to evaporation and kettle losses. Between dumping trub, yeast and hops multiple times it is hard to end up with 15 gallons packaged. Maybe I need a bigger kettle...
 
Yeah I did the buy once cry once deal from spike and have 30 gallon kettles. My preboil volume is around 23 for a neipa due to wp hops and the crazy amount of losses throughout the process. I did cry... more then once haha. But I love it.
 
Yeah I did the buy once cry once deal from spike and have 30 gallon kettles. My preboil volume is around 23 for a neipa due to wp hops and the crazy amount of losses throughout the process. I did cry... more then once haha. But I love it.
I'm thinking I will turn my 20 gal spike kettle into a mash tun and get that 30 gallon BK. I fill that 20 gallon up really really full but even with fermcap about 21 gallons is best I can do pre boil and yep 23 gallons would be just about perfect. If I do that I could also manage larger mash...about 1.060 is best I can do without extract or sugar in the kettle out of my 15 gallon MT.
 
Yeah and this is about the same process I hear from others. I can tell you that I pretty much followed your exact process and I have issues with clogging. I'm on a half barrel fermenter and I used roughly the same rate of hops you did, but at half barrel batch, it was 34oz of dry hops. Had a hell of a time with it and I vowed that I will not do another heavily hopped beer without the filter I linked above lol.

Which 1/2bbl FV do you have? I’ve got some 7g Chronicals, a CF5, and a couple 14g SS Unitanks. It does seem like the racking port is a very similar distance to the bottom of the tank on both the 7g and 14g tanks yet when you’re adding 2x the hops the racking arm can get completely submerged by hop material. I definitely need to dump many more times on my larger tanks to ensure no clogs. I will also point the racking arm straight up before transfers on heavily hopped beers. I don’t really care about quantity as much as quality. I’m fine with losing a gallon of beer per 5 gallons or so, especially if it means no clogged transfers and zero hop burn even on highly hopped beer.
 
Which 1/2bbl FV do you have? I’ve got some 7g Chronicals, a CF5, and a couple 14g SS Unitanks. It does seem like the racking port is a very similar distance to the bottom of the tank on both the 7g and 14g tanks yet when you’re adding 2x the hops the racking arm can get completely submerged by hop material. I definitely need to dump many more times on my larger tanks to ensure no clogs. I will also point the racking arm straight up before transfers on heavily hopped beers. I don’t really care about quantity as much as quality. I’m fine with losing a gallon of beer per 5 gallons or so, especially if it means no clogged transfers and zero hop burn even on highly hopped beer.

I'm running the SSBT half barrel uni as well as a 7g SSBT uni as well. I do the same, I point the racking arm up once I'm ready to transfer to kegs to help pull clear beer. I'm the same way, I want the best beer possible and I'm OK sacrificing beer for that. I just never seem to get to that point with heavily hopped beers.
 
So, thought I would give an update. I had zero issues pressure transferring. I had to do a few trub dumps but given time and lower temperatures I had no hop material clogged in any dip tubes or poppets. I used 8oz of hops for about 10 gallons.
 
Back
Top