Hops in my diptube

[NBABUCKS1]

Hey there...I have a DIPA that I dry hopped and the diptube keeps getting clogged with hops leading to a very slow poor.

What's the best way of dealing with this?

Couple more questions...

1. I've been adding my hops in the secondary by just putting them in and I think that's why I'm getting hops in my kegs. Will putting the hops in a muslin bag help this out? If I do put them in a muslin bag do I need to sanatize first?

2. Complete noob question ...in the wrong forum: (Prefice: I Brew extract): I poor my wort into my carboy without straining it at all, IE I poor everything from my brew kettle in. Should I be straining this to avoid getting trub/hobs into my primary? I feel like I'm getting way to much sediment in my secondary.

 

[PintOfBitter]

you can strain, or start using a bag for your hop additions. Too much hop matter in the fermenter can become a flavor issue, but it's not a major concern. I use a hops bag to boil just to keep my fermenter cleaner and to avoid the wasted volume of junkum at the bottom.

As for the keg, you might try a boiled wad of stainless steel wool at the bottom of the keg - just jam the dip tube into it.

 

[WillPall]

Hey there...I have a DIPA that I dry hopped and the diptube keeps getting clogged with hops leading to a very slow poor.

What's the best way of dealing with this?

Couple more questions...

1. I've been adding my hops in the secondary by just putting them in and I think that's why I'm getting hops in my kegs. Will putting the hops in a muslin bag help this out? If I do put them in a muslin bag do I need to sanatize first?

Sanitize, maybe, but don't worry about the hops. If you're really worried, dip the bag in sanitizer. As far as hop material, put those in a bag. Pellets are convenient, but whole hops are a lot "cleaner" when it comes to things like unfiltered beer. However, some hop material will always seep through, even if you're using a bag.

2. Complete noob question ...in the wrong forum: (Prefice: I Brew extract): I poor my wort into my carboy without straining it at all, IE I poor everything from my brew kettle in. Should I be straining this to avoid getting trub/hobs into my primary? I feel like I'm getting way to much sediment in my secondary.

I don't strain from boil to primary, but I think some will suggest it. It all depends on your methods. Some use the 1-2-3 method (1 primary, 2 secondary, 3 bottled or just keg that stuff). If you're using a secondary, straining is sometimes seen as overkill, but again, that's a personal preference. Do what works for you. I don't strain, and I primary for 4 weeks without a secondary (Only with non-wheat beers. Bottle it quicker if I've got a hefe brewing).

Also, some of that sediment may just be more yeast falling out of suspension. Personally, I love seeing sediment because that means a clearer beer in the end.

 

[SweetSounds]

Hey there...I have a DIPA that I dry hopped and the diptube keeps getting clogged with hops leading to a very slow poor.

What's the best way of dealing with this?

Couple more questions...

1. I've been adding my hops in the secondary by just putting them in and I think that's why I'm getting hops in my kegs. Will putting the hops in a muslin bag help this out? If I do put them in a muslin bag do I need to sanatize first?

2. Complete noob question ...in the wrong forum: (Prefice: I Brew extract): I poor my wort into my carboy without straining it at all, IE I poor everything from my brew kettle in. Should I be straining this to avoid getting trub/hobs into my primary? I feel like I'm getting way to much sediment in my secondary.

I never filter into primary - I tried it once, on my first batch, and fought with that stupid useless piece of crap strainer built in the funnel. I finally took a (sanitized) knife to it "Here's Johnny" style.
I siphon from my BK to the fermenter after chilling, so I can avoid most of the trub anyway. I don't worry about what does make it in, because it always winds up at the bottom of the pile after the yeast drops out.
After the primary is done I siphon into a corny for secondary, for how long depends on the beer, of course. I should say I use a corny for aging. I hate the word "Secondary" because everyone is so emotional about it. I "age" beers for 2 to 8 weeks
After that, I use CO2 to push the beer from the aging keg to the serving keg. This leaves almost all of the rest of the sediment out of the serving keg. Clear beer every time.

I'd bag the hops when dry hopping. Unless you plan to siphon from secondary to serving kegs, the dip tube is the only place its got to go!

 

[abracadabra]

In your Cornie you could bend the dip tube more so that it's not so close to the bottom. I use a couple of phillips head screwdrivers inserted into each end of the dip tube and slowly bend it over my knee. Some people simply cut an inch or so off the bottom end of the dip tube.

For my hops I use stainless steel wire mesh collanders I get from wal-mart and wire 2 of them together with copper wire to make a hop ball. I also use 2 stainless steel wire mesh sink strainers wired together.

You can also purchase herb balls but I like my home-made hops balls better.

It's much easier IMHO to have the hops contained than to trying to strain the hops out at a later time.

 

[Homercidal]

I have not tried it yet, but I have heard that you can use a piece of stainless scrubbing pad to cover the end of the dip tube. Part of it will remain open enough for the beer to flow through.

 

[Praiodan]

I had this happen with a very hoppy pellet IPA; it clogged up right away, lucky for me I was pulling a sample for taste as soon as I kegged it or wouldn't have noticed it for at least 2 weeks.

I tried gas down the out post to loosen the hops up, it worked for a few pulls but just got clogged up again. I figured if I was going to bend the diptube and expose the beer to O2 then I may as well just rack to another bucket then re-rack to the keg.

Worked out great, clearer, sediment free beer went back into the keg and the IPA gods were appeased.

 

[SweetSounds]

I had this happen with a very hoppy pellet IPA; it clogged up right away, lucky for me I was pulling a sample for taste as soon as I kegged it or wouldn't have noticed it for at least 2 weeks.

I tried gas down the out post to loosen the hops up, it worked for a few pulls but just got clogged up again. I figured if I was going to bend the diptube and expose the beer to O2 then I may as well just rack to another bucket then re-rack to the keg.

Worked out great, clearer, sediment free beer went back into the keg and the IPA gods were appeased.

True - But rather than racking to a bucket, then to a keg, just remove the liquid out dip tube -
Let the pressure off the keg, remove the out post, and withdraw the dip tube.

Don't want to oxidize the brewz :rockin:

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I took a piece of stainless steel wire mesh and rolled it into a tube, then bent one end back over and tied it all up with zipties. I boil this thing, then when assembling the keg (still wet/full of sanitizer) I slip it over the end of the long dip tube. With the strainer in place I can just dump whole hops right in the keg and the strainer keeps hops out of the dip tube. Been reusing this strainer for a while now (boiling before use each time), works pretty well.