12 replies to this topic

[gumballhead]

I need a simple answer to a techical problem. any help the Board can offer would be great.I have a keg of Czech IIIPA it is very well off right now at the ripe old age of 6 months old.I had given thought of pulling it off and putting it away for a while perhaps until next Jan.my concern is the loss of hops due to age. keeping in mind this is a monster Triple IPA. made with all Czech hops. and want to keep that up.Question. has any one come up with a way to introduce hop extract into a closedkeg through the Co2 some way. sort of like an I.V. push would go. Co2 up stream and the extract inDown stream . I don't want to open keg up to open air if I don't have to. I know I can re purge with the Co2not that would matter alot with an ABV of over 10%.Thanks again GH

[ncbeerbrewer]

GH,I can't say I have done this suggestion but it has come to mind thinking about your inquiry. If you have your beer in a keg and sealed up, get another keg, add to the empty keg whatever amount of hop extract you would like to add to your beer, then purge the empty keg with hop extract with Carbon Dioxide gas, use a jumper line and push your Triple IPA from its current keg into the purged keg with hop extract and then you should be done. This is just an idea and I believe that would keep your closed system idea intact. Anyone else with more experience can nah or ya my idea but thats my suggestion for you.Mike

[chuck_d]

gumballhead, not to thread jack you too much, but where do you get your extracts?

[gumballhead]

GH,I can't say I have done this suggestion but it has come to mind thinking about your inquiry. If you have your beer in a keg and sealed up, get another keg, add to the empty keg whatever amount of hop extract you would like to add to your beer, then purge the empty keg with hop extract with Carbon Dioxide gas, use a jumper line and push your Triple IPA from its current keg into the purged keg with hop extract and then you should be done. This is just an idea and I believe that would keep your closed system idea intact. Anyone else with more experience can nah or ya my idea but thats my suggestion for you.Mike

Thanks Mike.I hadn't thought about doing the Transfer Jump. That is a can do.and the wife sais I have to much stuff already .now I get to make something new. yipee.I'll let you know how it goes.Cheers.

[gumballhead]

gumballhead, not to thread jack you too much, but where do you get your extracts?

Chuck,No Problem. That's why i asked the Question to see if it's even an option. But. I haven't gotten that far Yet but I would say you can get from most of the Big BoysHop Extract shouldn't be to hard to find.I am working on that today. I'll post back what I find out.I have a truck load of Hops on hand so if I must I can add a bit more of the Czech hopsbut hoped to use what is left of them to make another batch.

[gumballhead]

Chuck,No Problem. That's why i asked the Question to see if it's even an option. But. I haven't gotten that far Yet but I would say you can get from most of the Big BoysHop Extract shouldn't be to hard to find.I am working on that today. I'll post back what I find out.I have a truck load of Hops on hand so if I must I can add a bit more of the Czech hopsbut hoped to use what is left of them to make another batch.

follow up.the extract and or oil is a bit salty on price. i can buy over a puond of hops for the cost of the oil or extract. so far I have found that you can buy it from NB So I think I will do a bit more thinking I mean Drinking on this subject.Maybe i'm over thinking this whole thing.

[ncbeerbrewer]

follow up.the extract and or oil is a bit salty on price. i can buy over a puond of hops for the cost of the oil or extract. so far I have found that you can buy it from NB So I think I will do a bit more thinking I mean Drinking on this subject.Maybe i'm over thinking this whole thing.

GH,If the hop extract is too pricey but you have hops to use or still wanna keep a close system just put the hops in that transfer keg and transfer the beer onto them from there. Same idea as I originally suggested just changing the hop material.

[chuck_d]

follow up.the extract and or oil is a bit salty on price. i can buy over a puond of hops for the cost of the oil or extract. so far I have found that you can buy it from NB So I think I will do a bit more thinking I mean Drinking on this subject.Maybe i'm over thinking this whole thing.

Word, NB changed their site layout recently and it messes with me, but found it by browsing instead of searching. So here's my take. The $3 for 50 IBUs of extract actually seems not to pricey to me. Now, because they say you need to boil it for 60 minutes to get the IBUs, these are the more common extracts which are not isomerized already. The extracts retain all their varietal characteristics, but generally speaking extracts are just used for commercial production to dose bittering and so pretty much all extracts are made from high or ultra-high alpha hops not known or bred specifically for their pleasing aroma. That's probably why there is only one type of syringe available and why no varietal characterstics are listed. I think for your keg you'd be better off choosing whatever hops variety you used for the aroma kettle addition (or something you like that blends with them that is another aromatic variety) than with injecting this extract into the keg.

[Slainte]

I think you're probably better off drinking it now while you still like the hop character.Or, if you really want to age it, dry hop with some more hops in the keg.Unless you can fine some aroma hop extract, I would stay away from the stuff.

[gumballhead]

I think you're probably better off drinking it now while you still like the hop character.Or, if you really want to age it, dry hop with some more hops in the keg.Unless you can fine some aroma hop extract, I would stay away from the stuff.

I have enough of the Czech hops fet to make another 5G batch. so Drinking it now would beokay or I can transfer some into swing tops and put away for later trial.I appreciate all the input you all have given.It will take some time to drink all this But im sure i'll manage.I just wasn't sure what the NB stuff would inpart to the beer. GH

[BrewerGeorge]

Are you talking hop extract, or actual iso-alpha acid?

[chuck_d]

Are you talking hop extract, or actual iso-alpha acid?

I believe the Hop Shot at NB is extract, not isomerized extract. They say you need to boil it for 60 minutes, like it is a regular kettle hops charge.

[BrewerGeorge]

I got some isomerized extract from a place called Hop Tech, but their site says "no entries in this category" now. I'm sorry, I have no experience with the kind of extract you're talking about.