Hops temp stability?

[Djangotet]

Hello everyone!

I have decided to keep a dedicated dry hop/ carbonation keg because I don’t want my beer to sit on it too long on the hops.

The idea is simple:

- I will fill my dry hop keg with hops then I will purge it with co2 from my fermentation vessel.

-The dry hop keg will need to be stored in my upright freezer with my fermentation vessel so that the co2 can purge it.

- After 5 days of dry hopping, I will transfer my carbonated and dry hopped beer to a serving keg.

Now, I know that hops need to be kept as cold as possible to prevent oxygenation. My question is, if I keep the hops in a vessel that is purged with co2, can they stay fresh at fermentation temps for a few weeks? If the kegs are in the same fridge, the hops will be totally covered in co2 at the same temperature as my fermenting beer.

Is all of this too much work and should I just keg hop, leaving it in? Long term, I plan to use a keg for fermentation as well so that oxygen never touches it and so that every single bit of aroma is trapped in the beer. Is it just oxygen that affects hops or will temperature ruin it as well in a purged container?

Thanks!

 

[James Quall]

To answer your question, yes. You can keep hops at room temperature or slightly below in an oxygen-free environment, and they will not lose a lot of flavor and aroma. They will lose some, but I do not know how much or if it would be noticeable. It would be interesting if someone could test it in a side-by-side taste test.

From what I know, hop flavor and aroma are lost due to time, oxygen exposure, and temperature. That's why they are ideally kept in a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer. They will not immediately spoil or lose all of their flavor and aroma at room temperature, but the process will be accelerated. Even more so if exposed to oxygen at room temperature.

Your idea is solid. I have done a very similar thing to you. The only difference in my process was they were keg hops instead, and I dry-hopped in the fermenter. After I saw bubbling from the fermenter, I threw the hops in a sack, and into the keg they went.