Dry Hopping With Pellets - How do YOU do it?

[dinokath]

Howdy all. Been brewing for over 10 years now and just NOW starting to like IPA's. Been a German beer fan for years and never cared too much for the IPA but a recent visit to a craft beer fest coupled with some great examples like HopSlam and I have caught the hop head bug.

Did an IPA last year where I used whole hops in the secondary. Easy enough to keep those out of the beer. Did the same recipe, double batch, but used pellets since they were out of whole hops in the variety I wanted. When racking to the keg from the primary, I managed to get quite a bit of hop material into the keg, enough so much so that it clogs the post with hops. I was using an inline filter that kept clogging over and over again, so much so that I stopped using it because I kept getting huge glugs of air in the transfer line due to constantly opening and closing the the filter to clear it out.

I used irish moss in the boil, I dry hopped for three days based on a number of articles I read that longer isn't needed and gives more grassy flavor, etc.

So, back to my original question - how do YOU keep the pellet hops out of the keg? Thanks for the advice!

 

[dordelli]

With one of these,

 

[enkamania]

I dry hop in the keg. Two days at room temp and then cold crash. I have the clear draught system and it works great keeping the hops out of the beer

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Does anyone use gelatin to fine a NEIPA?

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I brew some really hoppy beers with 6 oz or more of dry hops alone along with some hop material from the huge whirlpool additions that find their way into the fermenter.

All hops are pellets just dumped into the kettle or fermenter. I cold crash for a couple days prior to transferring to the keg. I used to use a racking cane that I kept well above the layer of trub and hop material on the bottom, moving it down with the level of the liquid until the very end.

I now have a fermenter with a spigot. With the amount of trub and hops, there's no way to draw from above that layer with the spigot (even when I ferment with the vessel tipped a bit away from the spigot). Now I just open the spigot and drain into a bucket until it stops pulling gunk...usually about 16 oz or less. Then I connect to the keg and drain away. I still get some h op material that settles in the keg and the first few glasses are pretty green, but after that it's good to go as long as I don't slosh the keg around.

I also pre-purge the keg with CO2 and run a line from the gas port to the fermenter so that it back fills with CO2 instead of pulling in air.

 

[bleme]

I just drop the pellets in the fermentor. After a few days I'll cold crash. When I siphon, I rubberband a paint strainer bag around the auto-siphon. I've tried siphoning threw a finer polyester voile mesh before and it was just too low flow to keep the siphon going.

 

[Hopsimus]

I use nylon hop bags myself. I lose a bit of efficiency that way, but it makes it easier to separate the beer from the trub, so I think it's worth it.

A few brews ago I switched to a fermenter with a spigot. That kind of makes the bags no longer necessary because, like Hwk-I-St8 does, I now just drain until the beer runs clean. But, old habits die hard, so I still use the bags.

 

[Morrey]

Howdy all. Been brewing for over 10 years now and just NOW starting to like IPA's. Been a German beer fan for years and never cared too much for the IPA but a recent visit to a craft beer fest coupled with some great examples like HopSlam and I have caught the hop head bug.

Did an IPA last year where I used whole hops in the secondary. Easy enough to keep those out of the beer. Did the same recipe, double batch, but used pellets since they were out of whole hops in the variety I wanted. When racking to the keg from the primary, I managed to get quite a bit of hop material into the keg, enough so much so that it clogs the post with hops. I was using an inline filter that kept clogging over and over again, so much so that I stopped using it because I kept getting huge glugs of air in the transfer line due to constantly opening and closing the the filter to clear it out.

I used irish moss in the boil, I dry hopped for three days based on a number of articles I read that longer isn't needed and gives more grassy flavor, etc.

So, back to my original question - how do YOU keep the pellet hops out of the keg? Thanks for the advice!

Like you, and for many years, I pretty much avoided hoppy IPA style beers. When I discovered the process to brew an IPA using mostly late addition hops in the boil and whirlpool, and then additions in the fermenter, my tastes changed. I realized I like hoppy beers...I just don't like bitter hoppy beers. If you look up @Braufessor, his threads and process for NEIPA styles changed my thinking. I can brew and enjoy an IPA within a couple of weeks of kegging while a good German lager may exceed 2 even 3 months before enjoyable...at least to my tastes.

I use a hop spider with a Wilser nylon bag to contain the hops in the kettle, then when in the fermenter, I shift to an Arbor Fab mesh hop strainer. Yes, I probably do lose a bit of hop essence by containing the hops, so I up the amount by a few grams to compensate. Well worth the loss in my opinion. Again, like you noted, dry hopping for 2 days is plenty since much longer than that can begin to develop grassy or vegetal notes in your beer.

With one of these,
View attachment 567508

Concur. Mesh hop strainer, in my opinion, is the best device for dry hopping after the boil in fermenter. I tried an imported version and was not happy with the quality. I tried Arbor Fab and was sold immediately.

 

[Staticsouls]

I use stainless bucket fermenters with weldless bulkhead and valves. I had the same issues with hops getting into my poppets. I put stainless bazooka tubes on the inside of the bulkhead, boom problem solved. I got the smaller 6 inch ones. Tried it with a cream ale where I threw 3 lbs of coconut flakes into the fermenter. Normally it woukd be a very slow hour long plus transfer with tons of coconut making it into the lines, but with a bazooka tube inside I was done in like ten mins. No clogs.

 

[Jtk78]

I use a good size hop bag from @wilserbrewer for my dry hopping. I also cold crash and fine with gelatin (sometimes) prior to kegging.

Does anyone use gelatin to fine a NEIPA?

I will not use gelatin in styles that are acceptable to be hazy, including NEIPA, Hefe, Wits, etc. Brulosophy recently did a podcast saying they used gelatin on a NEIPA and it didn't really clear much.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw I always use free-swimming pellets for dry hopping in the fermentors and cold crash the mush to the bottom before kegging.
Always whole cones in muslin bags for keg hopping - never pellets in the keg, that's just inviting quality and/or dispensing issues...

Cheers!

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

I just pour them into the fermenter, they naturally settle to the bottom and by the time I’m ready to keg I don’t have to worry about them

 

[Morrey]

I use a good size hop bag from @wilserbrewer for my dry hopping. I also cold crash and fine with gelatin (sometimes) prior to kegging.



I will not use gelatin in styles that are acceptable to be hazy, including NEIPA, Hefe, Wits, etc. Brulosophy recently did a podcast saying they used gelatin on a NEIPA and it didn't really clear much.

With up to 10 kegs available in my pipeline, some of them are slower movers than others while sharing with family and friends. I noted a Hefe which was quite good actually, but spent more time in keg than it should have. By the time it kicked which was roughly 4 months, the final few pints were as crystal clear as a well made lager. Point being, given adequate time, most any beer will drop clear on its own accord.

 

[nobadays]

Like others, I use good sized hop bags... often 2 or 3 and throw them in the fermenter. I use a Fastferment conical so nearly all the loose debris settles to the trub ball which gets removed when transferring to the keg. Then cold crash and gelatin - or not if it is a hazy beer - the first pint or so might have a bit of hops but after that it runs clear.

 

[ircbrewing]

I just pour them into the fermenter, they naturally settle to the bottom and by the time I’m ready to keg I don’t have to worry about them

Agree with this fella. I chuck them right in the fermenter and let them settle to the bottom and rack the beer off the hop/yeast cake to the keg then let the cold crash take care of the rest while carbing up. First pint will be a little muddy but it clears up after that. I’d rather have that muddy first pint than sacrifice efficiency from just dropping those hops right in there.

 

[FunkyMunk]

To all those who add the dry hop addition straight to the fermenter, do you worry about oxygen getting in when you do this? Unless you're purposely adding at the tail end of fermentation, it seems like the CO2 generation once fermentation is over won't be enough to push out any O2 that gets in.

 

[hezagenius]

To all those who add the dry hop addition straight to the fermenter, do you worry about oxygen getting in when you do this? Unless you're purposely adding at the tail end of fermentation, it seems like the CO2 generation once fermentation is over won't be enough to push out any O2 that gets in.

Yes, O2 ingress is a big concern. When I add hops to primary, I try to time it for the tail end of fermentation to get some natural purging, but I also purge with gas a few times after adding the hops.

 

[PADave]

I too was having problems every time I started a new keg with hop particles clogging my posts. Sometimes I dry hop in the keg, using a canister screen, like in post #2. What has really worked well is one of these on the diptube. First pour comes out clear.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006FX4ZCK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Only disadvantage is depending on how you fill your kegs, you cant fill thru the diptube using this screen.

 

[dinokath]

Awesome advice y'all. Thank you! I think I am going to need to rack the beers out of the kegs they are in right now and into fresh kegs as they keep clogging up the works at the posts. I have one of those cylindrical mesh filters in post #2 but used to only use it during the boil but have since built a hop spider so now I think I will try it in the keg for dry hop additions and just up the hops 20% as a starting point to compensate for the lack of contact.

 

[bleme]

To all those who add the dry hop addition straight to the fermenter, do you worry about oxygen getting in when you do this? Unless you're purposely adding at the tail end of fermentation, it seems like the CO2 generation once fermentation is over won't be enough to push out any O2 that gets in.

If I mess up my timing and am late with the hops I just toss them in with a quarter cup of sugar.

 

[Indian_villager]

Straight into the fermenter and then I purge the head space with a good long blast of CO2, here is the way I keg it without mucking up my poppets.

So after some digging I found that the bouncer filters are simply ron-vik filters with their custom logo put onto it. you can buy them for half the price from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Line-Straine...97329&sr=8-3&keywords=3/8"+barb+inline+filter


I have a table that sits about 1' above the top of the keg and the flow is good enough. It will take about 10 mins to drain the fermenter. Could be slower depending on the amount of debris. There have been some occasions where I have had to clear the filter midway through to get it flowing.

Here is my process.

Equipment needed:
Filter with silicon tubing on both inlet and outlet. Liquid QD connected to outlet.
Liquid to liquid QD jumper
Gas QD to rubber bung (3/8" OD tube fits snugly into a standard rubber bung)
Keg A: Keg sitting full of star san.
Keg B: Empty Keg
CO2, Regulator
Fermenter with bottom spigot (spigot should have that little vent hole used to drain the line after the filter is closed, most have this)



I always have a keg sitting full of star san.
I connect the liquid QD to the filter (the QD goes on the discharge side of the filter. )
I open the lid of Keg B.
I connect the filter-QD assembly to the liquid post on Keg A.
I aim the other side of the filter (normally the supply side but here we are filling it backward to purge the unit)
I set my regulator to 10 PSIg
I connect the CO2 to the gas post on Keg A.
I start the flow of CO2
Once the filter is full of liquid i remove the QD from the liquid post on Keg A
I fold over the open end of the tube (supply side of the filter) and close it with a binder clip to keep it liquid full.
I then unse a Liquid to Liquid jumper to connect the liquid post on Keg A to the liquid post on Keg B.
I push all the liquid in Keg A out to Keg B via CO2
Once Keg B starts rumbling (Keg A is out of liquid and sending gas forward) I unhook the liquid QD from Keg A.
I remove the gas QD from Keg A after it has settled at 10 PSIg
Keg A is now empty and has about 10 PSIg of CO2 in it.
I then take the liquid filled QD assembly and remove the binder clip.
Then aim the open end of the tube at the opening of Keg B.
Quickly connect the QD on the filter assembly to Keg A to push the liquid out via CO2.
As soon as the filter is empty I unhook the liquid QD to keep from loosing too much CO2.
I close the open end of the tube with a binder clip again to keep it full of CO2.
I connect my Gas QD - bung assembly to the gas post on the keg breifly to purge the line with CO2 (2-3 seconds will do)
i remove the airlock on my fermenter and put in the bung with the gas line.
I collect my FG sample. This serves to flush out the spigot and draw a slight vacuum on the fermenter.
I connect the open end of the purged filter to the spigot on the fermenter.
I connect the liquid QD to the keg. This will cause the rest of the CO2 in the keg to whistle out of the vent hole in the spigot to flush out the spigot as well.
Once the spigot is good and flushed I pull the PRV on the keg to vent the last bit of the pressure. (dont want the pressure popping the top of the fermenter)
I open the spigot to begin flow of beer.
I connect the gas QD to the keg.
As the liquid fills into the keg the CO2 in the keg will now replace the liquid in the fermenter.

I know the process seems wordy but in practice setup takes no time.
It is absolutely critical to purge the filter well because otherwise it will sit full of O2 and then will cause great mixing with the beer as it is flowing causing unwanted oxidation.

I hope this helps

 

[dinokath]

Straight into the fermenter and then I purge the head space with a good long blast of CO2, here is the way I keg it without mucking up my poppets.

I have one of those filters and did this process (for the most part) as well but kept plugging up the filter (it is the blue screen, much finer it seems) so I stopped. I kept having to clean the screen, leading to more air getting put into the line. I'll review what you have there very closely and try to replicate, after getting a screen with less holes per inch! Thank you Indian Villager!!

 

[Clef051]

i put them in a muslin bag and throw them in the fermentor, or I use one of those metal mesh ones shown in the first post. Sometimes I dry hop in the keg also.

 

[cubalz]

I just drop the pellets into the fermenter and filter them out as I am transferring it into my keg after dry hopping is complete.

 

[GnenieGone]

I brew some really hoppy beers with 6 oz or more of dry hops alone along with some hop material from the huge whirlpool additions that find their way into the fermenter.

All hops are pellets just dumped into the kettle or fermenter. I cold crash for a couple days prior to transferring to the keg. I used to use a racking cane that I kept well above the layer of trub and hop material on the bottom, moving it down with the level of the liquid until the very end.

I now have a fermenter with a spigot. With the amount of trub and hops, there's no way to draw from above that layer with the spigot (even when I ferment with the vessel tipped a bit away from the spigot). Now I just open the spigot and drain into a bucket until it stops pulling gunk...usually about 16 oz or less. Then I connect to the keg and drain away. I still get some h op material that settles in the keg and the first few glasses are pretty green, but after that it's good to go as long as I don't slosh the keg around.

I also pre-purge the keg with CO2 and run a line from the gas port to the fermenter so that it back fills with CO2 instead of pulling in air.

You basically described my IPA setup. Once oxygen was removed from the transfer process boy did my IPAs improve.

 

[ircbrewing]

To all those who add the dry hop addition straight to the fermenter, do you worry about oxygen getting in when you do this? Unless you're purposely adding at the tail end of fermentation, it seems like the CO2 generation once fermentation is over won't be enough to push out any O2 that gets in.

Not really no. I just make it quick. I pop the lid to check the surface to ensure no infection and throw them in and close it up. No more than 20-30 seconds. Its not like I’m rousing the beer while doing it other than the splash of the pellets.

Again, don’t over think it. Beer is resilient. 30 seconds won’t kill it in the least.

 

[Indian_villager]

I have one of those filters and did this process (for the most part) as well but kept plugging up the filter (it is the blue screen, much finer it seems) so I stopped. I kept having to clean the screen, leading to more air getting put into the line. I'll review what you have there very closely and try to replicate, after getting a screen with less holes per inch! Thank you Indian Villager!!

Look up the ron-vik filters, they come in a larger size so there is more room before they plug up.

 

[ca_baracus]

For those who stated that they pre-purge the keg with CO2... how is this different than purging the keg once you've racked the beer into it? Kegging n00b here, so I don't really understand the benefit of pre-purging.

 

[day_trippr]

Simply put, the difference is the whole time the keg is filling the beer is exposed to O2...

Cheers!

 

[ca_baracus]

Simply put, the difference is the whole time the keg is filling the beer is exposed to O2...

Cheers!

Gotcha. So after reading some more about it, it seems like the process is: fill empty keg up with sanitizer and water, then hook CO2 up and push water out. What does this actually look like? Is the water coming out of the liquid out post?

I don't have the ability to do a closed, pressurized transfer from carboy to keg, but will hooking up the auto-siphon to the liquid post work?

 

[day_trippr]

[...]What does this actually look like? Is the water coming out of the liquid out post?

I snap a beer QD with some tubing on it to run back to my Star San reservoir.

I don't have the ability to do a closed, pressurized transfer from carboy to keg, but will hooking up the auto-siphon to the liquid post work?

Filling the closed keg through the liquid post is always a good idea, even if you're not doing a CO2 push. Given enough height from your carboy down to the keg, once you get the flow going it should work ok...

Cheers!

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I make a slurry and rack on top of it - with fermentation a couple of points above terminal. 3 days, finings and crash cool, or until reaching terminal (hopefully, in less than 3 days to terminal. This isn't my technique, it's Matt Brynildson's, who hates leaving hop matter in the tank). Another couple days and rack to brite serving vessel.

 

[Nagorg]

Hops in paint strainer bags along with ss weights. Dropped in through top of fermenter and tied off to keep them from resting on the bottom.

Illustration here...