Hunting for ideas to a problem...

[Cazamodo]

Ok so, at work we are trying to come up with an idea of how to easily dry hop in our conical.

We hoping to pump bright beer over to the vessel, seal it up, dry hop and condition it in there. These tanks are great as you can gas them up like a giant keg too, and ferment under pressure if you fancied.

Anyway we tried hop bags, but that seemed to fail miserably, almost doubled the hopping rate and after a week still very little hop flavour coming through. We have no way to recirculate the bright beer, plus would rather not as we also add the finnings to try and clear it at this point too.

So actually my mistake, its not completely bright when its transfered over to be hopped and condition. Anyway.

I'm hoping loose hops would be better, but cant think of how to filter them.

I have a couple of ideas. Either smaller 'hop bags' or similar, so more of them. Or try and find a late that would sit in the cone of the vessel to filter loose hops. Problem being the opening is small so not alot will fit inside.

That or we try and create some kind of vessel that we can pack with hops and recirculate beer through for a few days. But that would also mean we have to wait longer for it to clear once thats done.

Any ideas on filtering dry hops?


And the only reason were not dry hopping in the cask, is to save time, As cleaning them is a nightmare haha, but if needs be we will carry on.

[Fil]

only an idea.. could you clear the bulk as is, and take a small volume out into a smaller recirculation vesesl where u circulate thru a filter of hops continuosly while the bulk of the brew clears with gravity, a few days before kegging add the clear hop filtered concentrated small volume to the bulk to distribute the hoppiness? or mix in the keg to the correct proportion. That is if its possible to oversaturate with hop oils, i dunno that it is.

[Cazamodo]

Yea that is an idea we've also had, just the pump we have is stupidly over the top powerfull...

For this batch we ended up making a strong hop tea in a cask with some fermented beer, then adding a gallon from that to each keg when filling. As out batch size is only 8-9 casks/kegs a time it wasnt too much of a problem. As long as I managed to keep most hop debris out so it clears ok.

Were actually now seeing if we can get a custom purpose built item made, which will be a tiered stainless mesh cage tjing... with compartments to stuff hops where they should sit and not bunch up too much.
Hard to explain in words, but if it works out ill post some pictures up.

[Rick_UK]

I was going to suggest Hop Tea. Did it give you enough aroma? I've always found it works great and is far less hassle than dry hopping.

Rick

[jamesb]

Use t90 pellets. They'll drop out when you crash cool and you can run the sludge off. Easier with conicals but works with flat bottomed tanks too.

[darkonnis]

I'm guessing your uni tanks are pressure sealing? Why not drop it bright, then push it into a different tank filled with hops under pressure. That would leave the yeasty sludge behind and then you'd have bright beer to be dry hopped then racked to cask?

[Cazamodo]

They're being racked to keg, so really want to avoid any hop debris at all being racked of with it, so worried that dry hopping the bright beer under pressure would lead to hops debris in the keg.

As for the hop pellets, We arent sure if they will completely drop also, leading to the same problem. Its going to be a case of experimentation I think!

[darkonnis]

Use pellets then, crash cool then fine in the FV? or put a filter in the FV?

[Cazamodo]

So, we had this made up. Seems to work so far!

[Fil]

what size is it its hard to judge from the pic..

[Cazamodo]

Its 30cm wide by 45 high. If I remember right.