Dry hops in keg, or out of keg?

Northern Brewer General
1

Beermates,
I have the Surly Furious extract kit finishing up secondary fermentation in the serving keg. The kit comes with a huge amount of hops for dry hopping. I did 3 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary with dry hop bag hung off the bottom with dental floss . The question is, before I put the keg on the gas, should I leave the dry hops in the keg, or remove them?
Thanks!
Chet

2

That is plenty of time for those hops. I wouldn’t transfer them.

3

I don’t like leaving my beer more than 5-7 days when dry hopping.

4

I agree. After 7 days (sometimes as early as 5), dry hopping starts to contribute more and more grassy flavors.

5

I agree. After 7 days (sometimes as early as 5), dry hopping starts to contribute more and more grassy flavors.[/quote]

I personally don’t get that affect. But to each their own.

6

Thanks for the info! I’ll pull them out before I put the gas on!
Chet

7

Over lunch I went home and pulled out the hops. Let me tell you, the hops had expanded so much that I could barely get them out of the corny keg opening. They had expanded so much that there is NO WAY you could pull them out of a carboy opening. So, if you are going to dry hop with a massive amount of hops (approx 6 oz), then you better have a way to extract them after.

As an aside, doing the secondary ferment in the keg yielded a beer that was pretty carbonated. Once it chills, I’m going to try it, but I released quite a bit of pressure from the keg before I opened it. I like the idea of not having to force pressurize my keg and save a few days (and CO2).
Cheers!
Chet

8

[quote=“chetgregg”]So, if you are going to dry hop with a massive amount of hops (approx 6 oz), then you better have a way to extract them after.
[/quote]
Yikes! Dry hopping with 6 oz. for two weeks, I would expect the beer to be very grassy and (for me) difficult to drink until that flavor fades. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t leave that much plant matter in my beer for more than 3-4 days.

IMO dry hopping in a keg is the way to go. One of these makes the job even better: http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Dry-Hopper_p_155.html

9

I agree. After 7 days (sometimes as early as 5), dry hopping starts to contribute more and more grassy flavors.[/quote]

I personally don’t get that affect. But to each their own.[/quote]

Agreed. I leave hops in the keg for months with no problem.

10

I always throw hops (in a nylon bag or knee high stocking) straight in the keg and leave them. Dry hopping in the keg is a thing of beauty, I highly recommend it. There’s something about the beer being in touch with hops right up to the instant you poured it that makes it extra special. I’ve never noticed grassy flavors, but you could always do the trick where you suspend the bag with some dental floss or similar to limit contact time.

11

I use monofilament to suspend the bag, but I’ve never felt the need to take it out. I think the grassiness has to do with the hop variety you use. British and continental hops seem to have more of an issue with grassiness.

12

[quote=“Denny”]
Agreed. I leave hops in the keg for months with no problem.[/quote]
At what temp? If the hops are left in cold beer, I could see grassiness being much lower. Beer temp, hop quantity and hop variety would make a difference. Beer style would matter in terms of what can be perceived.

I’ve got a five gallon batch of IPA that I dry hopped with 3 oz of galaxy for eight days at room temp and I can barely drink it at the moment due to a subtle grassiness that I find offputting.

13

[quote=“kcbeersnob”][quote=“Denny”]
Agreed. I leave hops in the keg for months with no problem.[/quote]
At what temp? If the hops are left in cold beer, I could see grassiness being much lower. Beer temp, hop quantity and hop variety would make a difference. Beer style would matter in terms of what can be perceived.

I’ve got a five gallon batch of IPA that I dry hopped with 3 oz of galaxy for eight days at room temp and I can barely drink it at the moment due to a subtle grassiness that I find offputting.[/quote]

Temp doesn’t seem to matter in terms of grassiness. I have a keg of Rye IPA on that sat for almost a month sat room temp before spending the last couple months in the fridge. No problem.