Loose hops in corny keg

[czucker]

It's been years since I've kegged any homebrew, but my wife just got me a kegerator and I dusted off my old corny kegs and immediately made a knucklehead mistake. I dropped 1.5oz of pellet hops in the keg and racked.

I am concerned about hop particles and know that I need to transfer to a new keg.

I was wondering if one of those 10" cartridge filters would work (I have one). My only concern is the poppet getting clogged. Does anyone know if it is possible to remove the poppet from the keg post and push from one keg to another?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

You only have one option here...go to your LHBS and get a hops monster to eradicate the other hops in the keg...its really the only thing you can do.

 

[markstache]

You will need to remove the poppet in your QD as well as it won't have anything to push against if you take the poppet out of the liquid post. Otherwise, sounds like it would work.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

In all seriousness I think people actually dry hop in the keg all the time without issues....I personally haven't tried that but since its pellets and not flowers its probably even better and even less of a worry...maybe someone with a bit more xp will chime in but I would let it ride....

 

[IslandLizard]

You can remove the poppets from the posts and the poppet and spring from the QD and run it through a wound filter when transferring. It would be single use for that filter.

Or tie a piece of fine mesh hop sack around the bottom of your liquid dip tube, and it will filter most or all out while serving. Don't move the keg or the settled hops will redisperse.

 

[IslandLizard]

On another note, avoid exposing the beer to air as much as possible or it will oxidize, and your IPA will become lackluster in no time.

 

[IslandLizard]

In all seriousness I think people actually dry hop in the keg all the time without issues....

In bags, though.

 

[czucker]

Thanks for the tips folks. I think I will try removing the poppets from the post and QD and run it through a 5 micron filter.

As for oxidation, I will be sure to purge the keg I am transferring to. Shouldn't be an issue.

 

[czucker]

In bags, though.

Yup, in bags. It was remarkably absent minded on my part.

 

[hezagenius]

Before you unscrew the liquid post, make sure to vent the keg to let out the excess pressure.

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for the tips folks. I think I will try removing the poppets from the post and QD and run it through a 5 micron filter.

As for oxidation, I will be sure to purge the keg I am transferring to. Shouldn't be an issue.

Prepurge the receiving keg by filling it to the very, very top with Starsan. Put the lid on. Push the Starsan back out through the liquid out. Now you've got a (very near) 100% purged keg, filled with CO2, ready to receive your beer.

Use 2 jumper hoses from liquid OUT to filter and from filter to liquid IN.

Blow CO2 through those jumpers, filter, and housing to eliminate most air, before pushing your beer through.

Now since you've already dry hopped, I would let it go as is for 3-7 days. During that time give it an intermittent shake to extract the hops better and faster. Then transfer and filter to the new one.

 

[czucker]

Prepurge the receiving keg by filling it to the very, very top with Starsan. Put the lid on. Push the Starsan back out through the liquid out. Now you've got a (very near) 100% purged keg, filled with CO2, ready to receive your beer.

Use 2 jumper hoses from liquid OUT to filter and from filter to liquid IN.

Blow CO2 through those jumpers, filter, and housing to eliminate most air, before pushing your beer through.

This is exactly what I did, only using a filter a removing the poppets from the out post and the QD.

It worked beautifully and I was able to clean the filter cartridge very easily.

Thanks everyone.

 

[kh54s10]

And don't do that again!


Add that to this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=527228

 

[IslandLizard]

This is exactly what I did, only using a filter a removing the poppets from the out post and the QD.

It worked beautifully and I was able to clean the filter cartridge very easily.

Thanks everyone.

What kind of cartridge and how did you clean it? It's soaked with beer...

 

[czucker]

What kind of cartridge and how did you clean it? It's soaked with beer...

It's a 5 micron cartridge filter. I back flushed it with water, then sanitizer and am keeping it stored in the filter housing in sanitizer in my kegerator.

 

[IslandLizard]

It's a 5 micron cartridge filter. I back flushed it with water, then sanitizer and am keeping it stored in the filter housing in sanitizer in my kegerator.

Thanks!
I asked because I don't think you can really clean them to any sanitary standard, unless you can purge them well enough, then boil or better yet autoclave them. That may not be worth the trouble for $5.

 

[czucker]

Thanks!
I asked because I don't think you can really clean them to any sanitary standard, unless you can purge them well enough, then boil or better yet autoclave them. That may not be worth the trouble for $5.

Yeah, I thought about that too. I was planning on chucking it, but when I opened a hose on it and all visible material fell away I figured I would give it a shot.

Might toss it in my pressure cooker for a few minutes if I end up using it again. I'm not fully comitted.

 

[IslandLizard]

How much hop pulp actually carried over into the filter?

I used to use fine mesh hop sacks for dry hopping (usually pellets), then agitate by rolling the keg to extract the dry hops faster (cold beer, extraction takes longer!) while force carbonating at the same time. I repeat the rolling for 3-5 days, once or twice a day, then let it be. I discovered a lot of hop dust still made it through that super fine mesh, which seem to settle ever so slowly and incompletely. The slightest bump resuspended them. Every pour from those kegs had some hop matter in it and an unbelievably sharp hop bite. It took about half a keg to get to clear beer finally.

So to alleviate this dilemma, I went to thin muslin (fabric) sacks, sewn by my wife. Since the weave is much tighter, I believe they need much longer, more often, and more vigorous agitation to extract, but no hop dust ever makes it out.

Now reading your thread, I may want to go back to the regular nylon hop sacks, then filter afterwards, like you just did.

My ideal is dry hopping by recirculating through a dry hopper with a pump, like the pros do. That cartridge filter may actually fit the ticket...

BTW, how did your IPA turn out?

 

[czucker]

How much hop pulp actually carried over into the filter?

I was very surprised at how little hop material made it out of the keg. I crashed it in my kegerator for about 24 hours before doing the transfer.

When I looked into the bottom of the source keg, there was a ton of hop material left on the bottom with a little clearing around the liquid out dip tube.

However, all of this has me thinking. . . . I have usually just dry hopped in primary once fermentation is done. I used to rack to a fresh carboy for secondary for dry hopping, but I'm not sure it really offered me any benefit.

I'm thinking I may just keep hops out of my kegs entirely. If I want to do something special, I can just rig up a hop randall.

 

[Yeastieboy]

In not really sure where to post this question. Do y'all think it's ok to open a carbed keg to toss in some dry hops or is it to late at that point?

 

[hezagenius]

In not really sure where to post this question. Do y'all think it's ok to open a carbed keg to toss in some dry hops or is it to late at that point?

Yes, but
1) It will foam a lot so if you don't have much head space, it will get messy fast
2) Be sure to purge the O2 after you add them
3) Put them in something or you may end up with a clogged dip tube or poppet

 

[Yeastieboy]

Thanks!