How to remove hops after dry hopping...from the fermzilla using pressure.

[Fidelity101]

I decided to dry hop after fermentation had slowed. 4 days later, my Tilt indicated that FG was reached and hadn't changed in 2 days so I decided to transfer to a keg. This is where the problem came in and hopefully some can advise. I did a pressure transfer to the keg, which transferred about 1/2 gallon until the fittings were so clogged with hop particles that it just wouldn't transfer anymore. I removed the transfer tubes, took it all apart, sanitized, reassembled and started transfer again. After 8 attempts at doing this I got most of the beer out. I definitely need some way to filter out the hops and I think that filter needs to be inside the fermzilla before transfer.

Also, after chilling the beer in the keg overnight, I tapped the keg and got about 1/4 pint before the hops in the keg clogged the beer lines. I'm sure most of the solids had dropped to the bottom of the keg after transferring but I'm deciding on how to fix this. If I move the keg, the particles will just go back into suspension. Should I keep removing the beer line and popping it back on until I get most of the sediment out?

In my past experiences using hop pellets, it formed a sort of green sludge at the top of the fermenter that never really stopped me from being able to transfer. Unfortunately, the Citra hop pellets that I used to dry hop on this latest batch seem to have expanded into small pieces of leaf material which is the root cause of all these transfer issues...has anyone else experienced pellets expand into small pieces of leaf material?

 

[Wayne1]

I also ferment in FermZillas. My methods are:

When my iSpindle shows the fermentation is over, I raise the temp of the beer to around 70 F for a diacetyl rest. I keep it there for about two days. I then lower the temp to 50F.

After about a day at that temp, I pull the yeast through the collection container. I then clean and sanitize the collection jar and add hops to it (6 oz for my last IPA). I put the container back on the Fermzilla and fill and purge the container 10 times. I open the butterfly valve to the FermZilla, with CO2 still connected to the collection container. I open the pressure relief on top to get good flow of CO2 into the fermenter to agitate the hop charge and spread it all about the fermenter.

I let the FermZilla sit at 50F for two days.I drop the temp to 40 F. After a day a that temp, I remove the collection container with most of the hop material in it. After cleaning and sanitizing the container, I add about 8 ml of BioFine Clear. I go through the CO2 fill and purge again. I leave the butterfly valve open and drop the temp to 36 degrees for another day or two.

This should remove most of the solid matter down to the collection container. When I transfer to a keg, I close the butterfly valve to keep any particles that have settled in the collection container in place. I can then transfer just liquid with no sludge interfering.

Good luck.

 

[Transamguy77]

I don’t have a fermzilla but couldn’t you just add the hops in a mesh bag? That sounds way simpler. Or add your dry hops in a bag in the keg? That’s how I do all my dry hoping.

 

[IslandLizard]

How about cold crashing under CO2?
All the hop matter will precipitate on the bottom with the yeast and other trub.

That's what I do and I have clear (or hazy) beer on top, ready to be transferred to a keg. After adding dry hops (loose, pellets) I do stir once or twice a day through a 1" port in the bucket lid. All under CO2 of course. The stirring helps with submerging the initial carpet of hop pulp into the beer and speeds up extraction.

 

[Fidelity101]

This was the second time I transferred from the fermzilla but the first time I had trouble getting the hops to come out of solution. It sounds like being able to chill the beer is critical (none of my fridges will hold the fermzilla) so I think I'll hit the pause button on brewing until my April 12th order arrives from morebeer.

I also ordered this instead of the fermzilla cooling coil...does anyone think it would be a good idea to get the jacket AND coil or will this be adequate?

https://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html

 

[Dgallo]

This was the second time I transferred from the fermzilla but the first time I had trouble getting the hops to come out of solution. It sounds like being able to chill the beer is critical (none of my fridges will hold the fermzilla) so I think I'll hit the pause button on brewing until my April 12th order arrives from morebeer.

Chill the beer on co2. I routinely dryhop loose with 8 oz in 5 gallon finished batches through close transfer and have never clogged a poppet or a hose. 36-48 hours at 37-40*f should do the trick

 

[Fidelity101]

Do you mean use CO2 to CHILL the beer?

 

[Dgallo]

Do you mean use CO2 to CHILL the beer?

No I mean connect the fv to a co2 tank so the beer doesn’t suck in air when it’s dropping temp and pressure

 

[IslandLizard]

No I mean connect the fv to a co2 tank so the beer doesn’t suck in air when it’s dropping temp and pressure

Or capture fermentation CO2 in a mylar balloon, which becomes your CO2 supply during cold crashing.

 

[brew703]

Just use a hop bag/paint strainer bag if you can't cold crash. The opening in the zilla is large enough to pull out the bag before transferring to a keg.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just use a hop bag/paint strainer bag if you can't cold crash. The opening in the zilla is large enough to pull out the bag before transferring to a keg.

Due to compacting, the beer can't flow in and out the bag easily.
Unless you agitate that fermenter and bag periodically, extraction will be very disappointing. And even then... Dry hopping is all about extraction.

 

[brew703]

Not the best way but I do it. I squeeze the bag when removing. It works good enough for what I have.
I have used an auto siphon whenever my brew bucket clogged. Once the All Rounder is released in the US i plan on getting one.

 

[Fidelity101]

I fermented under 12PSI. When attempting the transfer from fermzilla to the keg, I pushed CO2 into the top of the fermzilla at 16PSI and even that wasn't enough to overpower the blockage...which is why I wondered if a filter would have helped. I did finally get it to finish but it was a pain in the neck as the connectors kept filling up with hop particles and completely clogging. Now that it's in the keg, it's still clogging and slowly coming out of the tap but at least it's transferring and the beer tastes really good.

The previous (first) batch in the fermzilla didn't have any of these issues but it also didn't get dry hopped. I think others are cold crashing and that's helping the residue to settle but I don't currently have the needed equipment to chill so I have to believe that's the difference.

 

[IslandLizard]

When attempting the transfer from fermzilla to the keg [...]

• Don't transfer the trub!
• Use a (flow) inverter tippy on the bottom of your siphon/cane, so it sucks from the top, not the bottom.
• Avoid sticking the siphon/racking cane all the way down into the trub layer. Too many YouTube vids show it the wrong way. Start siphoning/racking from the middle of the beer, halfway between the trub and beer level.
• Lower the siphon/cane as the beer level drops.
• Toward the end of the transfer, tilt the fermenter toward the cane (if you can) to keep the well you're siphoning from as deep as possible.
• Stop transfer as soon as trub starts to get sucked up.

If you have a rotating racking arm, do the same, rack with the arm pointing up, horizontal, or in between. Lower it as the beer level drops and stop when trub gets into the sight glass or tubing.

 

[IslandLizard]

which is why I wondered if a filter would have helped.

What kind of filter do you have? Getting all the air out of a filter system prior to transferring the beer is a challenge. Many filters will clog fast too. Hoppy beers require dry hops, any air exposure opens them up to oxidation, resulting in oxidized, darkened, lifeless beer.

There are a few ways to transfer, avoiding oxidation and transfer of dry hop particles and other trub, all without using a filter. Train with a fermenter of water and some saved out hop trub to get the hang of it.

Being able to pressurize your fermenter surely helps in fulfilling the quest.

 

[ChaosB]

Siphon filter.

https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/brewingfilters.php#autosiphon

 

[Fidelity101]

• Don't transfer the trub!
  • My response: (I usually pull the trub once after the fermentation has slowed and again (by turning the valve closed) before transferring.)
• Use a (flow) inverter tippy on the bottom of your siphon/cane, so it sucks from the top, not the bottom.
  • My response: (I have no idea what that is, but I'm using pressure to transfer to avoid oxygen)

Thanks for the guidelines and I've used them in the past. For this particular transfer, I had a large amount of what looked like chunks of hop leaves which clogged the pressure transfer. The beer tastes good, it's clear but it has very small particles of hop leaves that I would have preferred to filter out.

ChaosB: Thanks for the link but again it doesn't work with pressure transfers. What I'm looking for is something that will go inside the fermzilla's pressure transfer kit that could block the larger particles before they even make it up the tube and into the connectors.

 

[IslandLizard]

• Don't transfer the trub! (I usually pull the trub once after the fermentation has slowed and again (by turning the valve closed) before transferring.)
• Use a (flow) inverter tippy on the bottom of your siphon/cane, so it sucks from the top, not the bottom. (I have no idea what that is, but I'm using pressure to transfer to avoid oxygen)
• The other comments were deleted as they don't apply to pressure transfers from the fermzilla.

I had to reread this 2 times before it dawned to me: You quoted this ^ as if it all comes from me. But you've added your own "inline comments," inside my quoted text. Maybe you can edit that section by highlighting your replies/comments (e.g., give them a different color) or clarify in some other way that those are your (inline) replies to me. Thx!

I'm not all that familiar with the Fermzilla. If it has a rotating racking arm, can you position/adjust it in such a way that no trub (or very little) is being sucked up during transfer, while still getting most of the clear beer out?

Again, some agitation during the dry hopping period prevents the green hop carpet lying on top of the beer, improving flavor & aroma extraction, which it is all about. Cold crashing for a day (or 2) at the end, before transferring the beer helps dropping the suspended dry hop bits and pulp. I brew NEIPAs regularly with 6-8 oz of dry hops, pellets added loose. The periodic stirring (under a CO2 flush) helps with extraction and getting/keeping them suspended.

 

[gonefishin2]

I had a similar problem to you with my first couple batches. Here’s my solution:

I use a Kegmenter (another fantastic Kegland product) and I use a Clear Beer Draught System floating dip tube with the mesh filter. I can cold crash (or not) on CO2, carbonate in the Kegmenter and close transfer for packaging. I dry hop most of my beers, so this has been a game changer.

You could use this same technique with the Zilla if you have the pressure kit.

 

[Fidelity101]

Thanks! https://www.shop.clearbeerdraughtsy...AUGHT-SYSTEM-SCRATCH-AND-DENT-SALE-CBDSSD.htm

This might just be exactly what I need...a filter on the end of the pressure system to block hops during the transfer.

 

[kondi]

Thanks! https://www.shop.clearbeerdraughtsy...AUGHT-SYSTEM-SCRATCH-AND-DENT-SALE-CBDSSD.htm

This might just be exactly what I need...a filter on the end of the pressure system to block hops during the transfer.

This is what you need: Floating Dip Tube Filter（80 Mesh 304 Stainless) - For FermZilla or Kegmenter