Keg modding for floating dip tube to begin dry hopping

[jollster101]

Hi all

I am looking to start playing around with dry hopping directly into the keg post fermentation having completed and am looking at options to avoid sunken hops and blocked dip tubes.

I know there are various options that people have used but I am leaning towards replacing the liquid dip tube for a short gas dip tube and then adding the silicon floating assembly from a fermentasaurus / fermzilla as they are cheap at KL.

Are there any gotchas with this approach that I may not have thought of that the seasoned brewers could advise of?

Cheers

 

[Schikitar]

The main downside with keg hopping is O2 exposure as, ideally, you would fill your keg with sanitiser and push it out with CO2 and then not open it again. Burping the keg is far less efficient (when done properly and not token) but then I suppose it depends if you're doing a closed transfer from FV to keg or not. If not then you'll have the lid off anyway and you're not overly concerned with O2 so go ahead, just know that sometimes the inlet can suck up against the inner wall and you'll need to dislodge it. Hop bags and a regular dip tube are also fine which is what I used to do..

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, others may have other opinions, thoughts/tips..

 

[jollster101]

The main downside with keg hopping is O2 exposure as, ideally, you would fill your keg with sanitiser and push it out with CO2 and then not open it again. Burping the keg is far less efficient (when done properly and not token) but then I suppose it depends if you're doing a closed transfer from FV to keg or not. If not then you'll have the lid off anyway and you're not overly concerned with O2 so go ahead, just know that sometimes the inlet can suck up against the inner wall and you'll need to dislodge it. Hop bags and a regular dip tube are also fine which is what I used to do..

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, others may have other opinions, thoughts/tips..

Thanks. To date I have been doing closed transfers from the Fermentasaurus so maybe its a better option to perform all the hopping in the FV.

You mention you used to use hop bags.....what do you do now if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Schikitar]

You mention you used to use hop bags.....what do you do now if you don't mind me asking?

Well due to the oxidisation risk I decided to stop cracking my kegs open and instead do the sanitiser/purge method to really minimise that O2 exposure (read: paranoia). That said, I had done a number of keg-hopped beers and I never actually had any oxidisation issues with them. I would still fill and push out sanitiser, then fill the keg, but then quickly open it and dump hop bags, burp it about 8 times and that was that, no noticeable issues. The next brew I'm doing will be a NEIPA and in this case I won't be cracking the keg open once I've pushed out the sanitiser as that style is extremely sensitive to O2. Something else I'm going to try with a less expensive brew is returning to keg hopping but I'll also add a crushed campden tablet to see if/how it might stabilise the beer and improve its shelf life and flavour/aroma profile - http://brulosophy.com/2019/02/11/po...at-packaging-has-on-beer-exbeeriment-results/ - I'll probably do the biggest batch I can, ferment as one and then split across two kegs, in the name of 'science'..

There's been some discussion about that method (and others) in this thread and you'll see I was learning as the thread progresses - https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/hop-flavour-gone-after-1-day-in-keg.100664/ - additionally, raising the temp of my keggerator has definitely also helped!

To be fair, I have had really good results from keg hopping and doing it in hop bags just helps keep the larger particulates out BUT you could definitely do it the way you suggested if you take as much care as you can to minimise O2 exposure..

 

[goatchop41]

You mention you used to use hop bags.....what do you do now if you don't mind me asking?

Something like this is great for keg hopping (and also for keg additions like fruit!):
https://www.keg-king.com.au/stainless-hop-tube.html.html
https://www.kegland.com.au/stainless-steel-hop-tube.html

Added a link from both retailers, to prevent the ********* making inevitable accusations of being a shill for one of them...

 

[goatchop41]

Well due to the oxidisation risk I decided to stop cracking my kegs open and instead do the sanitiser/purge method to really minimise that O2 exposure (read: paranoia). That said, I had done a number of keg-hopped beers and I never actually had any oxidisation issues with them. I would still fill and push out sanitiser, then fill the keg, but then quickly open it and dump hop bags, burp it about 8 times and that was that, no noticeable issues.

This would certainly be the best way of doing it, but burping 8 times is probably excessive (yep, paranoia haha) and you'd be fine with 3 or 4 purges.

All that i would add to it would be to lower the bag/hop tube in slowly, allowing the air in it to be pushed out of it as you add it. Depending on how fine the bag or tube is, it could trap some air when you drop it in, introducing O2...but again, probably just paranoia!

 

[goatchop41]

There's been some discussion about that method (and others) in this thread and you'll see I was learning as the thread progresses - https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/hop-flavour-gone-after-1-day-in-keg.100664/ - additionally, raising the temp of my keggerator has definitely also helped!

Glad too hear that the temp change helped you - it's a factor that a lot of people aren't aware of. Especially those who still insist upon keeping their glasses in the fridge/freezer, and proudly show a pic of their IPA served in a frosty glass...what a waste!

 

[Abird89]

Added a link from both retailers, to prevent the ********* making inevitable accusations of being a shill for one of them...

But one is significantly cheaper than the other..

I use these tubes (and no I can’t recall which retailer I bought it from). I find them great for chucking in the fermenter and reducing the amount of hop material the floating dip tube has to work against

 

[jollster101]

So, it looks like a hop tube could be a good way to go initially rather than dropping straight in. Either way I need to purchase something to achieve this assuming I want to avoid a potential blocked liquid tube from just dropping hops straight in.

How easy are the hop tubes to clean and sanitise post keg blowing?

Reading between the lines it appears that you drop the hop tube in after liquid transfer?? Or do you do it before and then purge?? Is it a better option one way over the other?

I had a quick look at both retailers (in the interests of non-bias) and both mention a small ring that you afix. Trying to picture how that works and how you attach swiftly to minimise the risk of O2.

Thanks for the input to date.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

What I noticed on Nguyen Trong's set up was his ball moved around the wall of his vessel so his dip tube didn't suck up against the wall, a stainless steel fishing swivel would allow the ball to just travel around the vessel

 

[Dan Pratt]

get these, they work excellent.

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com...r/products/hop-stopper-2-0-keg-edition-1-pack

I bought 4 of them shipped to my door for $135 i think i was. done 2 beers since, 100% hop oil extraction.

 

[sp0rk]

get these, they work excellent.

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com...r/products/hop-stopper-2-0-keg-edition-1-pack

I bought 4 of them shipped to my door for $135 i think i was. done 2 beers since, 100% hop oil extraction.

Hmmm, I have a 1m^2 sheet of stainless mesh in about that aperture...
Might have a go at making a couple of these

 

[FatDrew]

I’m going to drill a hole in a stainless hop tube and fit it over the end of the keg dip tube. Should achieve the same thing and have heard of others doing so with success

 

[Schikitar]

get these, they work excellent.
https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com...r/products/hop-stopper-2-0-keg-edition-1-pack

They look great, expensive though! Maybe one of the site sponsors could work something out.. or a bulk buy?

I’m going to drill a hole in a stainless hop tube and fit it over the end of the keg dip tube. Should achieve the same thing and have heard of others doing so with success

Should work fine, maybe stick a little grommet on there to protect the dip tube and create a better seal..

 

[jollster101]

I’m going to drill a hole in a stainless hop tube and fit it over the end of the keg dip tube. Should achieve the same thing and have heard of others doing so with success

Is that the gas dip tube? I am trying to picture how it would work if it was the liquid tube.

 

[ABG]

I’m going to drill a hole in a stainless hop tube and fit it over the end of the keg dip tube. Should achieve the same thing and have heard of others doing so with success

I can assure you it works a treat.

Something like this is great for keg hopping (and also for keg additions like fruit!):
https://www.keg-king.com.au/stainless-hop-tube.html.html
https://www.kegland.com.au/stainless-steel-hop-tube.html

Added a link from both retailers, to prevent the ********* making inevitable accusations of being a shill for one of them...

So you're a shill for Keg Universe then! Long live Keg World!. I can't believe how many oxygen thieves are wasting their time on this whole KL V KK palava. Good to see there's still the occasional thread here where people actually talk about brewing.

 

[damohb]

have been thinking quite a bit about the DDH via keg problem lately in the context of closed transfers, and planning on doing the following in my next (neipa'ish) brew:
1) follow the recommendation in the other thread of filling the keg with to prv with (filtered?) water + star san, and pushing it all out via co2
2) immediately after open the lid, drop in 2nd DH (optionally purged in a jar using co2), close lid, wait 5 mins then re-purge with ~5-10 psi co2, venting headspace as required
3) transfer beer from FV (which was dry hopped at day 3 or 4) using closed transfer, hopefully venting out any additional o2 left after the above step in the process, the risk could be any o2 left in the headspace above the gas tube
4) to mitigate above risk maybe vent using PRV again a couple of times while topping up with co2 to serving pressure, at the end the o2 exposure should be minimal?

 

[jollster101]

I can assure you it works a treat.

Any chance of a picture of this if possible to paint a 1000 words.

 

[ABG]

Any chance of a picture of this if possible to paint a 1000 words.

At the moment it's sitting in my keg filtering an IPA.

All you need to do is:

• Drill a hole through the screw on lid from your hop tube that's large enough to fit your beer post through it.
• Screw the lid back on the hop tube, then clean and sanitise.
• Unscrew the beer post from the keg you want to use.
• Poke the tube of your beer post into the empty hop tube.
• Push it down and screw back the beer post.
• Fill the keg with your favourite hoppy PA, IPA, NEIPA, etc.
• Enjoy said beer without hop matter clogging your beer post. You can even dry hop into the keg if that's your thing. The hop tube acts as a filter.

Hopefully the 1000 words painted a clear enough picture. If not, this is where I got the idea http://scottjanish.com/my-favorite-way-to-dry-hop-loose-in-primary-and-kegs/ Scroll down to where you see the heading Keg Filter

 

[Joshed1]

Some great solutions here I must admit. I ferment in corny kegs(and mini kegs too) and I bought sheets of stainless steel filter around A4 size and have been cutting them into shapes and attaching them to the end of dip tubes and floating dip tubes. It's okay but every time I brew I have to unwind them again, clean them and and fiddle around re attaching them (currently using plain and sanitized dental floss). Might get the drill out on the hop tube instead.

That doesn't fix my next problem though...how to do the same on those mini kegs with the tiny diameter openings....