Hop tea

[ckirtley]

I brew in the keg with natural carbonation (so no CO2 for blanketing). I tried dry hopping a couple of times and it seemed to cause oxidation from the trapped air in the pellets. I'm wondering about trying a hop tea instead. I plan on steeping some Galaxy in water at about 70C. Any body tried this or have any tips?
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[Hangover68]

Ive done it, just brought some water to boil and added the hops and let it sit til it cools then added to a keg, revived a lack lustre partial mash.

 

[ckirtley]

I put about 60g each of Amarillo and Galaxy in a hop cylinder in a jug of hot water for half an hour or so. Will report back with results!

 

[Osangar]

I tried a hop tea - about 500ml water and 100g hops over 60mins in normal hop additions times. I was trying my hand at a partial mash, no boil, and adding water to meet OG after boiling.

all in all, it was rubbish, the hop flavor was raw, grassy and strange

but then, the beer itself was vile. raw beer is clearly not something I can do.

 

[JDW81]

I brew in the keg with natural carbonation (so no CO2 for blanketing). I tried dry hopping a couple of times and it seemed to cause oxidation from the trapped air in the pellets. I'm wondering about trying a hop tea instead. I plan on steeping some Galaxy in water at about 70C. Any body tried this or have any tips?
.

Hop tea is a good way to get some flavour and aroma into you beer. I used a coffee plunger, which worked well. Works better for late addition flavours (but doesn't replicate dry hopping so well).

I'd be surprised if the dry hopping added a huge amount of oxidation to your beer though (the air in the pellets is so negligible that it probably didn't contribute much if anything). What flavours did you get in your beer (as it might not have ben oxidation at all).

Opening your fermenting vessel unnecessarily and agitation/stirring once fermenting are far more likely candidates than adding hops (even if fermenting in a keg).

Thousands of home brewers (and commercial brewers) have opened their fermenters added dry hops without any issue (something I've also done dozens of times).

Also, don't be fooled by the alleged "CO2 blanket". It doesn't really exist. Yes, fermenting beer will push out air from the fermenter (particularly during active fermentation) and provide some protection, but O2 is almost impossible to completely exclude. I brewed dozens of batches with natural carbonation and never had an issue with oxidation (even with heavily dry hopped beers), so I'd be interested to know what you're doing so we can possibly provide some insight.

JW

 

[yankinoz]

Also, don't be fooled by the alleged "CO2 blanket". It doesn't really exist. Yes, fermenting beer will push out air from the fermenter (particularly during active fermentation) and provide some protection, but O2 is almost impossible to completely exclude..

JW

If by blanket, one means a heavy layer that does not mix with the air above, then no, it's a myth. But, it is heavier than oxygen or nitrogen and steadily pushes up from below, nudging top layers toward their exit. Most important, the volume generated during fermentation is many times greater than the volume of most headspaces. How much depends on final ABV and headspace proportionate volume; I've posted sample calculations on past threads Meanwhile, any O2 that enters an actively fermenting wort is quickly scavenged.

Nonetheless I concur with JDW81s advice that opening the fermenter and stirring are more likely culprits than 02 trapped in pellets.