How many spoons to weigh down hops?

[Pelican521]

I'm planning on dryhopping 3oz of whole leaf hops in my keg. This is my first time kegging and I plan on using a spoon(s) to weigh down 3 oz of hops in a muslin bag with dental floss. How many "normal" sized spoons do you think it will take to get them submerged?

Thanks in advance!


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[sputnam]

i'd say 6 or more. butterknives are a bit denser plus not used as much as spoons. marbles and SS nuts are also a good choice.

 

[redshift76]

I use these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B2A84S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Kind of an expensive hop bag weight but I figure I'll have them forever.

 

[broadbill]

I'll "weigh" in and say I don't use any weight in my dry hop bags...no problems.

 

[grainbill]

I have heard of brewers using marbles. If you are using a carboy they might be easier to get through the neck of the carboy....might be cheaper than the stainless steel version from redshift76

 

[BeerGrylls]

I have extra stainless parts 'n' pieces left over from all of my weldless bulkheads, fittings, camlocks, etc. Work great in a BIAB or hop bag.

 

[KeninMN]

I use lead-free marbles from a known, lead-free source: Marble King of New York, New York. I specifically avoided marbles from Walmart, the dollar stores, crafts stores or marbles that are made in China. Glass is way more non-reactive than metal, even stainless steel...

 

[Jopilote]

I recommend using a scale to measure your quantities. Since a small different in hops weight could make a big difference in the final taste of your beer.

 

[Pelican521]

Thanks for the replies... Well, today was my first kegging, and I felt like I was brewing for the first time all over again not know exactly what I was doing

I ended up using two spoons, 3 oz of whole leaf hops is A LOT! I got one of the wife's vases and gave it a star sans dip and took my boiled hop sack and lined the inside of the vase with and and literally stuffed it with 3 oz of hops. I put one spoon in as the weight and used another to stuff them in and inadvertently lost the second spoon in the bag and didn't want to fish it out, so I left it in

Had a hard time getting that big "sock" into the keg too!

 

[FastTalker]

It turns out that there is actually a scientific method for determining this. You're going to have to throw out Newtonian physics though.

This is really a matter of quantum physics. First you need to determine the wave function of the spoon to get the probability of where in the fermenter you can expect to find it. The simple particle in a box model should work. Ultimately, you will find that the spoon will end up in your kitchen where is belongs and the hops in the fermenter. Q.E.D.

I wouldn't worry about weighing down the hops. They will soak up the beer. Use pellet hops if you can. They will work even better. Don't think that you have to have whole hops for get good results from dry hopping.

 

[Pelican521]

Lol. Also, note to self for next time, put hops in first then rack beer onto them... Stuffing a 9" sock into a full keg was not an easy task :fro:

 

[ballsy]

So you added 3oz of whole cone hops into the keg? And I'm guessing if so, it will stay there for the remainder while this keg is being carbonated and drank? If so, be aware you may get some grassy notes after some time. People who dry hop in the keg usually tie sack to the lid so after the 1st 1/4 of keg is drank the hops are then hanging above it and no longer in contact with the beer.

 

[HopSong]

I use glass marbles that I buy in bulk at a craft store.. Yes, Michaels, Beverly's, etc. Do they contain Lead? Not likely. Even if they did.. consider that we have been drinking from leaded glass for well over 100 years.. That glass is called Crystal. There might be a different story if the glass has a painted logo on it from China. That might contain lead paint.. licked? Possibly might cause a problem.. but not lead IN glass.