How do you guys get your beer to keg w/out getting into hop pellets or leafs? I would think just to filter it but, if I filter it at top it will be splashing around bottom. Not gonna be dry hopping for awhile till hops aren't in shortage but, just curious.haha

I dry hop in my kegs by putting whole hops in a muslin bag with some marbles to weigh the bag down so it will be submerged within the beer.

I, of course, sanitize the bag and marbles by boiling them for about 20 minutes before cooling and adding the hops.

This seems to works pretty well to impart the hop aroma while containing the hops.

- Scott

I like that option. I hear it can give grassy taste to it but, most say they have used for over 6 weeks like that and nothing like that. I will definately try that. Guess thats one of great things of homebrewing, even if you screw up it's still pretty good.haha

Alternatively one can always infuse hop character using something similar to Dogfish Head's Randall the Enamel Animal.

Here are pictures of their monster version.
http://www.dogfish.com/tangents/endeavours.htm?newsID=34

Here are pictures of a smaller scale homebrew version of Randell along with instructions as to how to construct such a beast.
http://www.maltosefalcons.com/clubgear/hash-back-aka-moormanator

I've thinking about making this but simply use a 20 micron or so filter instead of using the central piece of tubing. It seems to me that filter would help keep bits of hop out of your beer.

I've never had a beer served that this but it is just too much fun not to try. Plus I already have a filter from when my friends stuck their noses up at less than crystal clear beer. It was easier just to find a new set of friends than to take the time to do all that filter.

May the Hops be with You!

- Scott

I like all these ideas!!haha Now, with that water filter idea, will it work if only using 1-2oz of hops? The storage container looks huge!! Or doesn't it matter?

Also do you guys mostly use pellets or whole hops? Also how long do you guys generally dry hop for? Obviously if in keg, it's till the bastard is kicked.haha

Now, with that water filter idea, will it work if only using 1-2oz of hops?

I believe it should work with only one or two ounces.

The only draw back I see with the filter is that clean up after you are finished with it would not be nearly as easy. One would have to back flush the filter with sanitizer and then rinse throughly whereas the stainless tube could simply be rinsed off.

...do you guys mostly use pellets or whole hops?

I generally dry hop with whole hops. Hop pellets are harder to work with when dry hopping since they are harder to contain.

Also how long do you guys generally dry hop for?

I generally only dry hop in the secondary (about a week) though I've also put them in the serving keg.

- Scott

Thanks a lot for everyone's input. Guess I will be starting my next chapter in homebrewing w/ dry-hopping.haha

I've put hops in the keg once (a last minute addition since the beer turned out "uneventful"). It turned out great, but after about a month it developed a sort of stale, almost metallic after-taste. I'd still do it again, but only if I knew it would be drank relatively soon. I much prefer adding hops to secondary.

I also agree that Whole hops seem to work better as they're easier to work around.

Last Saturday my homebrew club, Zymurgist Borealis, got together to celebrate National Homebrew Day/Big Brew.

I brewed up my Hopzilla IPA for that meeting and to go along with a new toy.

At the meeting I unveiled my Hop-O-Matic.

This is somewhat altered version of the Maltose Falcons' design posted above.

I had a canister type water filter that I used to use for filtering my beers. I simply took that set up and replaced the water filter with a stainless steel tube with some holes drilled in it.

Originally I was going to save time and money and simply use a 20 micron filter instead. I decided against this because for ease of cleaning. From my filtering days when I was finished filtering to clean the filter I had to back flush it with sanitizer and then flush it with water and allow to it air dry. With the stainless steel set up I simply dumped the hops out and rinsed everything off.

Hopzilla IPA was great by itself but combined with the Hop-O-Matic and the aroma and flavor of the Amarillo hops was amazing. Wow! I am really pleased with the way it came out.

I put 4 oz. of whole hops in it. Two ounces would have probably worked just fine but since the hops I had were in 4 oz. packages I figured what the heck.

Here is a picture of the Hop-O-Matic:


I am really stoked about this new toy. I can't wait to try another IPA featuring a different kind of hop. Hmmm...I wonder how an IPA with Saaz would be? A SaazPA?

- Scott