Full kegs but no beer...

[peteru]

I disagree - hops in keg are just fine. Hops in dip tube and further up are a problem, but it is a manageable problem.

 

[Mall]

Agreed, hops in the keg, in a suitable hop bag supended under the lid work a treat. I attach the bag of hops to a sanitised line; unflavoured floss or fishing, to the inside of the lid with one of these:

Use enough line to make sure the hops can't reach the bottom as the beer level drops.

 

[Coodgee]

well ok pedants!

I've got a hop sock suspended in a keg right now actually. I meant loose hops... without a filter on the dip tube... :unsure:

 

[barls]

i use something like this on my kegs that have fruit beer in them
http://www.homebrewing.org/Corny-Keg-Dip-Tube-Screen_p_2091.html

 

[Nattydstar]

I tried using pantyhose on the end of the dip tube but it clogged again right away, I am sure the end of the dip tube just isn't enough surface area to act as a filter without getting blocked. I toyed with the idea of something spherical with holes all over it at the bottom of the dip tube but I think it's probably going to be easier to just clean and sanitise a fermenter, rack it into that with a hop sock on the end, then rack it back into the keg, hopefully free of these pesky particles.

New question is - am I going to run into trouble trying to rack carbonated beer into a fermenter and back into a keg?

 

[peteru]

The cylindrical filters that I linked to and use have a fairly large surface area, so they do a good job. The only thing to watch out for is that you must not put the dip tube all the way to the end, otherwise it will press against the bottom of the filter and restrict the flow.

 

[Nattydstar]

The cylindrical filters that I linked to and use have a fairly large surface area, so they do a good job. The only thing to watch out for is that you must not put the dip tube all the way to the end, otherwise it will press against the bottom of the filter and restrict the flow.

Yep, I've ordered a few of those, but it's going to take a few weeks for them to arrive, and in the meantime, I'm thirsty. I'm going to head to the local homebrew shop to see if he's going a bazooka screen and maybe I can attach it to the end of the dip tube somehow.

 

[Coodgee]

I'd be transferring back into the fermenter and filtering it before you transfer it back to the keg. Try to fill things with c02 to avoid oxidation. That will be the easiest and simple way. If you do it slowly and carefully I don't think you'll get too much foam. Siphon the beer rather than push it out with co2 I reckon.

 

[barls]

I tried using pantyhose on the end of the dip tube but it clogged again right away, I am sure the end of the dip tube just isn't enough surface area to act as a filter without getting blocked. I toyed with the idea of something spherical with holes all over it at the bottom of the dip tube but I think it's probably going to be easier to just clean and sanitise a fermenter, rack it into that with a hop sock on the end, then rack it back into the keg, hopefully free of these pesky particles.

New question is - am I going to run into trouble trying to rack carbonated beer into a fermenter and back into a keg?

i haven't clogged one yet but I've got a sour aged on cherries and raspberries in kegs to come out.

 

[MastersBrewery]

i haven't clogged one yet but I've got a sour aged on cherries and raspberries in kegs to come out.

OT I'll be doing the same with a 9% Belgian and some oak, I want to bulk age for 6-12 months how long for the oak do you think?

 

[barls]

I've got a dark braggot thats at 12 months now. i should taste it.

 

[peteru]

Rather than shifting beer back and forth just try to avoid picking up the sedimented hops. The first time I had this problem, I solved it by bending the dip tube so it was sitting about 3-4 cm higher than normal. Then I left the beer alone for about 2 days so that everything would settle. Managed to get the keg emptied without any further clogging.

 

[Nattydstar]

Success!

I inserted a closed hop ball (tea strainer) inside the large opening of a funnel and wrapped a hop sock around it, connected the spout to some silicone hose, cut two inches off the end of the dip tube, connected the hose and funnel to it, and it worked!

I ended up with foam everywhere after submerging this behemoth of a solution, and God knows how many times I've had my hands in that beer this week but it tastes pretty darn good. I learned the hard way just how easy it is to get a blockage in a corny keg.

Thanks for all the helpful replies, stoked to finally be active on this forum after doing so much research here over the last few months

I'll post a pic of the first pour of my first ever AG brew: a session IPA.

 

[Nattydstar]

 

[MickGC]

Good result mate, now drink it fast before any infection get a chance
and its not often people dont wanna drink beer fast!

 

[Nattydstar]

Good result mate, now drink it fast before any infection get a chance
and its not often people dont wanna drink beer fast!

Indeed! I'm already three pints in and planning my next brew day (a red rye IPA). Cheers mate.

 

[Grott]

If I was on the Gold Coast I'd help you out- drinking it that is. :beerbang: ​
Glad fixed, cheers.

 

[Nattydstar]

Slightly different solution, but again, it worked, and here's the first pour from the other keg: a (much anticipated, read: not long for this world) Black IPA.

 

[Tilt]

Good to hear it all ended well. Not much use for your situation after the fact but maybe this tip will help someone else out in the future.
In my fledgling kegging days I had the same problem - blockage after blockage of the dip tube and poppet after my keg hop teaball broke open as I dropped it in.
In the end I tilted the keg at about 45 degrees, chocked up with a bit of wood. Left it 3 or 4 days with the odd swirl to get the hops to fall away from the end of the dip tube. Worked OK for a quick fix and didn't expose the carbed beer to air/infection risk.