Dry hopping in keg

[TechyDork]

This may be a silly question, but here it goes.

Is there any advantage/difference in dry hopping in the keg before chilling vs dry hopping with the keg chilling?

I have an IPA that has been kegged with priming sugar sitting at 60 f for a few weeks. I was planning to dry hop it but wasn't sure if dry hopping warm or cold would make any difference.

 

[Transamguy77]

From my experience dry hopping in a cold keg takes longer than a warm one, for me I throw the dry hops in when I keg it and just leave them in there for the whole duration. It's definitely a great hop aroma and flavor.

 

[Psych]

Dry hopping at cold temperatures will take longer to achieve your end result taste/aroma. Otherwise it'd be about the same, probably triple the time needed at room temp if your doing it at serving temp.

 

[beerdragon]

I'm trying that experiment right now. I brewed a 10 gallon, one keg is dry hopped at room temp for 3 days and the 2nd keg will be dry hopped and chilled. I read in the "for the love of hops" book, it was suspected that there is better hop oil extraction at room temp.

 

[TechyDork]

I'm trying that experiment right now. I brewed a 10 gallon, one keg is dry hopped at room temp for 3 days and the 2nd keg will be dry hopped and chilled. I read in the "for the love of hops" book, it was suspected that there is better hop oil extraction at room temp.

I am interested to hear how your experiment turns out.

It sounds like for my purposes dry hopping at room temp may be the best option this time around.

thanks everyone for your input.

 

[Bamsdealer]

I always keg hop. Sometimes I'll hold it a week before chilling, but I've noticed no difference. At the set it and forget it method of carbonation, the beer has plenty of dry hop character and carbonation at day ten. By day 20its at its full potential and remains that way till the keg is kicked. Dry hopping at room temp just prolongs the time it takes to get the beer on the gas in my keezer.

 

[youreanimpulse]

I generally throw a couple ounces in the keg. It seems to take 10-14 days to get that aroma I'm after, and with the way hoppy beers get drunk in my house it lasts throughout the life of the keg. Great way to prolong that elusive aroma. For particularly hoppy beers, I do a dry hop in primary first (after it's done and cold crashed a bit), then another one in the keg. I'm trying that with piney hops in secondary (I had a lot of trub, chose to transfer) and then citrusy hops in the keg with my current project, a 100% Brett CDA. Loved the Citra keg hop in my last IPA.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

I dry hop when I rack to the corny keg. It is warm to start and chills over a couple of days. I use a bit of an unusual technique. I am paranoid about contamination and cloudiness so I put my hops in one of those temporary socks that you get in shoestores. It is a thin nylon mesh, a perfect hopsack for an ounce or so. Then I put a wine cork in with it to keep it floating and soak the whole thing in vodka or, in my case, clear moonshine. I have no worries about anything growing in there and the alcohol seems to release some of the hop flavor. Cleanup is easy and the tube never clogs.

 

[beerdragon]

Just kicked the kegs... the beer that was dry hopped at room temperature had a pronounced and smoother flavor/aroma. The one that was dry hopped as it chilled, the same flavor/aroma was there but muted behind the bitterness of the IPA. Several people preferred the room temp-dry hopped beer.

 

[youreanimpulse]

My general strategy for big dry hop character has been to do both: dry hop 3-5 days in primary (or secondary if you like) and then put some hops in the keg too. Best of both worlds. The keg hop takes a couple weeks to come through but helps it hang on for the duration.

 

[BobBailey]

I can't really comment on cold vs. warmer, but can add a recent experience. I bought a pound each of 3 different hops and made a single hop blonde ale using each of them. The first was Admiral hops and turned out well balanced, but very bland. I bagged up an ounce of Chinook and dropped it into the keg at 38 degrees F and fully carbonated. I pulled a beer about 2 hours later and the Chinook was very noticeable. It has been about a week now and the beer hasn't changed much since the initial 2 hours. Draw whatever conclusion you may from that.