Surescreens for adding dried fruit to keg

[Xtian]

I was thinking of putting a sure screen on a dip tube and putting the fruit in the keg. I've done this with whole hops which works well but never with fruit. Anybody tried this? Does the fruit get too soggy when in rehydrates and gums up the sure screen or does it work?

I was also wondering if anyone has tried putting puree in a keg with a sure screen but that seems even riskier.

Thanks

 

[Feurhund]

Probably depends on how long the fruit is in there. If it swells up around the screen it might obstruct it, but I imagine the fruit would stick to the bottom. Worst case you blow cO2 through the pickup tube to clear it.

In a separate note. How do you like the sure screen and have you used it with free floating pellets?

 

[rorypayne]

I use a muslin bag for whole hops, never tried dried fruit but I'm sure it would work the same way. If you do not want it to obstruct the dip tube you could always anchor it to the lid with enough string to sit just off the bottom and weigh it down with some sanitized glass marbles.

 

[Callacave]

I use a sure screen a lot. It's great for leaf hops, but not so great with pellet. For pellet I'll still use a sure screen, but also put a nylon hop bag over it. Does the trick well.

 

[Zepth]

I've failed at this opening 3 times now, not trying to be rude but the following will be blunt and to the point.

Why do you want to add fruit? My first thought of this is that it will cause a secondary ferment in the keg. While I've fermented a full batch in one corny and racked it to another, it was my intention all along. Are you doing anything to prevent a secondary fermentation? If a secondary ferment is part of the intention why not do it in another bucket or carboy then rack it over when it's done?

The hop bag tied to fishing line that comes out the lid trick could be of use here. Keep the bag in the top half of the keg so that it never makes it low enough to have a chance at impeding the dip tube.

 

[maddcow]

It's works fine. I make ciders for my wife and always backsweeten with fruit puree in the keg. The surescreen does a good job of keeping the lines from clogging

 

[Xtian]

thanks y'all for the tips.

I've since said WTF and tried both methods:

I made a Dark Saison recipe from the Mad Fermentationist and put currents in the keg with a sure screen dip tube along with sine soaked oak chips and to my surprise after sitting on it a month it didn't clog the out nozzle per the sure screen.

In another keg i had racked an imperial wheat, put 20g of dried sour cherries into a hop bag with marbles to sink the bag and i tapped it at a fundraising event two weeks later and it ran great.

Zepth, I don't like using finishing line/ floss because regardless how thin the line is I will have problems with the kegs sealing long term. They may seal for a while but eventually the seal comes open and i loose CO2 and it doesn't work well for me. And yes I could put it in secondary, but i find transferring the beer as little as possible works best for me. Also, I have a conical that I'd prefer not putting wood chips in as i'm afraid it may scratch the stainless and or not fit out the constriction in the outlet.

So if anyone else is interested, both these methods worked.