remedial dry hopping........ hopilator

[Owly055]

I've several times used dry hopping to take a brew I didn't care for all that much and completely change it's character. I'm talking about both during secondary, and after it's been kegged and carbonated. That is returning it to room temp, adding hops, leaving for a number of days, cold crashing and transferring.... a lot of steps to add to brewing, but worth it.

Note that my "kegs" in the past have been Tap-a-Draft bottles, and I'm switching to low profile kegs........... I wish someone would get the idea that small lay down kegs for the second shelf of a fridge have a market!!

I'm contemplating using a vacuum pump, and a small container with a filter to very slowly transfer beer through a column of hops directly into a keg. The "hop column" would be fairly long and small diameter, offering a lot of resistance, and the process might take as long as 12 to 24 hours. It would be similar to a hop back in principle, but very slow, and designed to be used for dry hopping. The temperature could even be closely controlled if desired by simply dropping it in the sous vide. I'm envisioning a tube with a screen at the bottom followed by a filter so the beer would have to pass through a fairly lengthy column of pellet hops. The tube might screw into the filter assembly which would be much larger diameter. The "hopilator". Vacuum could be provided by a vacuum pump, or a food saver. Vacuum would be applied to the gas side of the keg. It could also be supplied by a hand pump.

H.W.

 

[fuzzy2133]

 

[Psylocide]

It could also be supplied by a hand pump.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Reverse Randall

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I wish someone would get the idea that small lay down kegs for the second shelf of a fridge have a market!!

Northern Brewer, Beer Box.

 

[ChefRex]

How do you come up with these truly awesome ideas?

 

[blizzard]

I'd think dumping a bag of hops in the keg is more 'remedial' than inventing a chamber that uses a vacuum pump and sous vide. Plus it makes more sense to have it on the keg outlet where you have CO2 pressure and don't need a pump.

http://shop.dogfish.com/store/barware/other-accessories/Randall-3.htm

Also, why would you want to sous vide beer?

 

[Owly055]

Northern Brewer, Beer Box.

That's a very expensive solution!! Tap-a-Draft, unfortunately is no longer in business, but offered a far more economical solution. I just spent something a bit over $200 for two compact kegs, as well as taps and connectors. At 11" tall, it will require re-disarranging my fridge a bit....(or is that "deranging"). Two Tap-a-Draft bottles sit side by side on the second shelf, taps and all, along with my paintball bottle CO2 bottle and regulator. The shelf spacing is 9.5", leaving plenty of room, and I can store stuff behind them. I can't raise my top shelf or I won't have room to cold crash, and lowering the lower shelves cramps stuff down there. The top shelf is important for things like milk. I can make it work, but it will require some rethink and compromises I'm not eager to make.


H.W.

 

[TheCADJockey]

The top shelf is important for things like milk.

Go on.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

That's a very expensive solution!! Tap-a-Draft, unfortunately is no longer in business, but offered a far more economical solution. I just spent something a bit over $200 for two compact kegs, as well as taps and connectors. At 11" tall, it will require re-disarranging my fridge a bit....(or is that "deranging"). Two Tap-a-Draft bottles sit side by side on the second shelf, taps and all, along with my paintball bottle CO2 bottle and regulator. The shelf spacing is 9.5", leaving plenty of room, and I can store stuff behind them. I can't raise my top shelf or I won't have room to cold crash, and lowering the lower shelves cramps stuff down there. The top shelf is important for things like milk. I can make it work, but it will require some rethink and compromises I'm not eager to make. H.W.

You spent $200 on a discontinued 11" tall system. And yet $200 for 2, 9.925" tall boxes and all the fittings, that has current support, is too much?

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

Do it! I've been doing this for a while now... I totally stole the idea from this thing -> http://klausshuler.com/files/eb0ba26ae4374c2ae2ef0473c3d6e94e-10.html

 

[andrewmaixner]

You're basically talking about a randle or a hop-back. NorCal Brewing is making one that fits 1lL/2L mason jars, or blichman makes one for $$$+.

Search for "canning" on their site, here's one of the options: :http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Wide-Mouth-Canning-Jar-Hop-Filter.html


Personally, I just throw 2oz of pellet hops into a small nylon mesh bag, add a stainless or glass weight, and put it into my keg. Even at 3 degrees C, it still gives good extraction, just takes a few more days. Maybe it is a little different than if I let it sit at room temp but it is really easy and works. WARNING: this will cause a huge mess if you don't think through your process of getting it into the CARBED keg, and closing it, really fast.

 

[slym2none]

This seems like taking the long way on purpose. Accomplish the same thing but more steps, more time, more complications.

So, I have to ask - why?

 

[ChefRex]

This seems like taking the long way on purpose. Accomplish the same thing but more steps, more time, more complications.

So, I have to ask - why?

Why what? You being an *******?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

How do you come up with these truly awesome ideas?

Psylocide has already detailed the process.

 

[blizzard]

WARNING: this will cause a huge mess if you don't think through your process of getting it into the CARBED keg, and closing it, really fast.

Yep. Been there.

 

[slym2none]

Why what? You being an *******?

No question needed on that. PKU

 

[day_trippr]

This seems like taking the long way on purpose. Accomplish the same thing but more steps, more time, more complications.

So, I have to ask - why?

If you've witnessed the plethora of short lived threads, it's his thing...

Cheers!

 

[ChefRex]

If you've witnessed the plethora of short lived threads, it's his thing...

Cheers!

Heathen! All hail lord Owly!

 

[Owly055]

You spent $200 on a discontinued 11" tall system. And yet $200 for 2, 9.925" tall boxes and all the fittings, that has current support, is too much?

There are several reasons why the kegs are more desirable, including the fact that they will last a lifetime, and the fact that they are stainless steel using standard keg parts, easy to clean, already set up for a bottle fed CO2 supply, etc.

What does "discontinued" mean? All the parts are standard ball lock keg parts as far as I know.

It only takes one look at the beer box with it's opaque plastic with numerous nooks and crannies open to the interior, and large expanses of flat plastic which is inherently unsuited to containing pressure for me to conclude that they are NOT for me.

The 11" 1.75 gallon kegs are almost perfectly matched to my brew size which is 2 gallons more or less. The Tap-a-Draft bottles worked well for me, and were $10 each for the bottles. They easily handle 30psi for force carbonating, I can see through them for cleaning, the interior walls are smooth and uniform with no "features" to collect stuff. The beer box, though it is innovative, is clearly NOT what I want is an 8" diameter by 10-12 inch long ball lock stainless steel keg with conventional oval opening, designed to lay down, not a plastic box. full of hidden nooks and crannies.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

Do it! I've been doing this for a while now... I totally stole the idea from this thing -> http://klausshuler.com/files/eb0ba26ae4374c2ae2ef0473c3d6e94e-10.html

An excellent idea.......... One of several that folks have presented here. It of course could be done the way I propose, using CO2 pressure from a keg to circulate into another keg....... but that requires another keg.

Thanks........

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

I'd think dumping a bag of hops in the keg is more 'remedial' than inventing a chamber that uses a vacuum pump and sous vide. Plus it makes more sense to have it on the keg outlet where you have CO2 pressure and don't need a pump.

http://shop.dogfish.com/store/barware/other-accessories/Randall-3.htm

Also, why would you want to sous vide beer?

I like it......but not the price. The idea of the sous vide is to be able to set the working temp at the hopback or whatever you want to call it to a precise temp to extract what you want from the hops. Different oils are extracted at different temps........it was just as thought. Room temp, whirlpool temp, or serving temp extract different flavors, but unfortunately none of this seems to be usefully documented in any detail anywhere. For example if one want's the fruit or the floral flavors, what temps extract them best, or the spicy notes, etc. We confine ourselves pretty much to boil, whirlpool, and dry hopping as a rule.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

You're basically talking about a randle or a hop-back. NorCal Brewing is making one that fits 1lL/2L mason jars, or blichman makes one for $$$+.

Search for "canning" on their site, here's one of the options: :http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Wide-Mouth-Canning-Jar-Hop-Filter.html


Personally, I just throw 2oz of pellet hops into a small nylon mesh bag, add a stainless or glass weight, and put it into my keg. Even at 3 degrees C, it still gives good extraction, just takes a few more days. Maybe it is a little different than if I let it sit at room temp but it is really easy and works. WARNING: this will cause a huge mess if you don't think through your process of getting it into the CARBED keg, and closing it, really fast.

The jar system is so inexpensive and versatile, that it would be hard not to shell out the money and do it. It would be interesting to set the jar right in the fridge with fresh hops in it and dispense through it as with the $300 Dogfish Head product. For me where it's all in the fridge, it might be a cheap and simple solution.

H.W.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

There are several reasons why the kegs are more desirable, including the fact that they will last a lifetime, and the fact that they are stainless steel using standard keg parts, easy to clean, already set up for a bottle fed CO2 supply, etc.

What does "discontinued" mean? All the parts are standard ball lock keg parts as far as I know.

It only takes one look at the beer box with it's opaque plastic with numerous nooks and crannies open to the interior, and large expanses of flat plastic which is inherently unsuited to containing pressure for me to conclude that they are NOT for me.

The 11" 1.75 gallon kegs are almost perfectly matched to my brew size which is 2 gallons more or less. The Tap-a-Draft bottles worked well for me, and were $10 each for the bottles. They easily handle 30psi for force carbonating, I can see through them for cleaning, the interior walls are smooth and uniform with no "features" to collect stuff. The beer box, though it is innovative, is clearly NOT what I want is an 8" diameter by 10-12 inch long ball lock stainless steel keg with conventional oval opening, designed to lay down, not a plastic box. full of hidden nooks and crannies.

H.W.

My apologies, I misread your post to mean you spent $200 to make tap-A-draft work. As for the rest,

 

[Owly055]

My apologies, I misread your post to mean you spent $200 to make tap-A-draft work. As for the rest,

Sorry.......... That explains why I couldn't understand what you were getting at.......

This thread has brought some interesting solutions to my attention....... I appreciate the constructive input from numerous brewers.


H.W.