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delayed dry hopping a finished beer


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#1 positiveContact

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 06:56 AM

This is something I've done before but I'm not sure if it's a reasonable practice.

 

Usually I dry hop a beer either during primary fermentation (warm) or post fermentation (cool/cold) in the serving keg.  This means I put some hops in a SS mesh tube and put it in the keg and rack the beer on top of that.  Not exactly ideal since I have no way to purge O2 until after I fill the keg.

 

Alternatively I've used the same SS mesh tube and just dropped it into a keg of beer that's been sitting around for a month or so.  Typically this would be a situation where I've made 2 kegs of beer and I'm going to drink them in series.  I figured drinking it closer to the dry hop would be better.  Unfortunately this method also has some good O2 exposure.

 

Just curious if anyone has thoughts on this and if one way is better than another.  Sometimes I can kick a keg pretty quick if I want to ;)

 

 



#2 matt6150

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 08:53 AM

I deal with the same thing. Usually I treat them the same and just drink the first keg quickly to get to the second. Or I have hopped the second keg a little more.

#3 positiveContact

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:06 AM

I deal with the same thing. Usually I treat them the same and just drink the first keg quickly to get to the second. Or I have hopped the second keg a little more.

 

due to equipment and hop constraints this time I decided to do the delayed hopping on keg 2.  



#4 HVB

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:09 AM

I do not tend to have this issue since I brew 5g but I have seen some where they are suspending the DH in the keg with a magnet and then dropping it before they are ready to drink that keg.  I am not sure if that is really ideal though because to me it seems they would have more deadspace in the keg than I would want.

 

I would just flush with CO2 and drop in form the lid as fast as I could and purge a few times.


I guess you could add the DH to another keg and purge it and then move the beer over to the new keg.



#5 positiveContact

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 10:42 AM

I do not tend to have this issue since I brew 5g but I have seen some where they are suspending the DH in the keg with a magnet and then dropping it before they are ready to drink that keg.  I am not sure if that is really ideal though because to me it seems they would have more deadspace in the keg than I would want.

 

I would just flush with CO2 and drop in form the lid as fast as I could and purge a few times.


I guess you could add the DH to another keg and purge it and then move the beer over to the new keg.

 

since I hate cleaning I'll probably do the first thing :P

 

I'm thinking my next beer will be another hoppy one so I'm debating if I dry hop in primary or try one of my various "in the keg" hopping methods.  the primary dry hop seems to be the "easiest" and least likely to clog.



#6 matt6150

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 07:00 AM

since I hate cleaning I'll probably do the first thing :P

I'm thinking my next beer will be another hoppy one so I'm debating if I dry hop in primary or try one of my various "in the keg" hopping methods. the primary dry hop seems to be the "easiest" and least likely to clog.

Floating dip tubes for the win! I have actually never dry hopped in the keg. I plan to on my next batch.

#7 HVB

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 07:04 AM

Floating dip tubes for the win! I have actually never dry hopped in the keg. I plan to on my next batch.

They really are a game changer.  I made fun of them when they came out years ago but now I see the advantage of them.



#8 positiveContact

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 07:14 AM

I think you have to use them under the right conditions. Don't do what I did and load up a 5 gallon keg with 5-6oz of free range hops. By the time you get to the bottom gallon or so there is so much sludge the dip tube will either clog or stop sinking. Under pretty much any other situation I expect it would work very well.

#9 HVB

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 07:27 AM

I think you have to use them under the right conditions. Don't do what I did and load up a 5 gallon keg with 5-6oz of free range hops. By the time you get to the bottom gallon or so there is so much sludge the dip tube will either clog or stop sinking. Under pretty much any other situation I expect it would work very well.

 

I have done that in a keg with a floating tube and only lost about a pint of beer all said and done.



#10 positiveContact

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 08:14 AM

I have done that in a keg with a floating tube and only lost about a pint of beer all said and done.


Maybe I drank the beer too fast lol

#11 HVB

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 08:16 AM

Maybe I drank the beer too fast lol

That is a possibility for sure.

 

I think most beers need about 2-3 weeks in the keg to hit that sweet spot.



#12 positiveContact

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 08:55 AM

That is a possibility for sure.

 

I think most beers need about 2-3 weeks in the keg to hit that sweet spot.

 

I was just thinking that if I drank it too fast the hops wouldn't have time to compact.



#13 pizzaman

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Posted 15 January 2021 - 01:22 PM

Hook up a co2 line to beer out post and flush o2 out by adding co2 through the diptube right after you add the dry hops.



#14 denny

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Posted 25 January 2021 - 12:08 PM

All I doi any more is the short cold dry hop method.  48 hours at 35F works better than anything else I've ever tried.



#15 HVB

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Posted 25 January 2021 - 01:04 PM

All I doi any more is the short cold dry hop method.  48 hours at 35F works better than anything else I've ever tried.

 

I am trying this again but I am not going that cold.  Still in the 50's.  I know I am out outlyer but I did not get any aroma when I went to 35 and that was with Galaxy and Vic!



#16 denny

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Posted 27 January 2021 - 01:19 PM

I am trying this again but I am not going that cold.  Still in the 50's.  I know I am out outlyer but I did not get any aroma when I went to 35 and that was with Galaxy and Vic!

I use 35 because it's my cold crash temp, so the beer is already there. 



#17 HVB

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Posted 27 January 2021 - 02:02 PM

I use 35 because it's my cold crash temp, so the beer is already there. 

Sure, makes sense.  I do a "soft" crash and then do my DH then do another crash all the way down.  I tasted mine yesterday and it was better than the last go.  I did have it at mid 50's for the dry hop.  I still did not get as much out of the 6oz of the hops as I expected but that could be many reasons.




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