How long should Dry Hop last and why?

[radial67]

I have a few beers in kegs at the moment in storage @ 57F and I was wondering, untouched, how long would I expect the Dry Hop characters in the beer to last as a generalization? I know Stone recommend that the freshness of thier beers is about 90 days?

And if it dissipates (which I know it does), why does it die off?

Theoretically the keg is sealed so what is in the keg stays in the keg.

Any answers to help me understand this phenomenon would be appreciated.

 

[homebrewhaha]

Just think of dry hops as somewhat similar to a spice, for the sake of argument. Most of what you're adding when you dry hop is the aroma of the hop (along with some flavor). Gases are incredibly ephemeral, they just fly away! Think of the difference between smelling a fresh herb (strongest), a dried herb (weaker but still fragrant), and that container of dried rosemary that's been in your spice cupboard since 1998 (useless).

Not very technical, I know, but at least I gave you something to work with!

 

[Denny]

I dry hop in the keg to avoid the dry hops fading. I leave the dry hops in until the keg is gone, 2-3 months.

 

[ipsiad]

Your beer may be in a sealed container, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening to it. Compounds which are volatile and aromatic (I mean things with a strong smell, not the chemistry definition of "aromatic") tend to be unstable and reactive. So these nice smelling chemicals in the beer over time are reacting with oxygen and other reactive compounds in your beer and turning into chemicals that don't smell as nice. You can slow down these reactions by keeping the beer as cold as possible, but they will still occur.

It's generally accepted that the lower the storage temperature, the longer the hop aroma will last. But super low temps aren't ideal serving temps. Drink your hoppy beer while it's fresh, and brew up another one before the keg kicks.

 

[homebrewhaha]

I dry hop in the keg to avoid the dry hops fading. I leave the dry hops in until the keg is gone, 2-3 months.

This doesn't really seem ideal...

 

[igotsand]

This doesn't really seem ideal...

I dryhop in the keg too, but my kegs kick in about 3weeks....
I use 2oz dryhop to get the best aroma from the keg..

 

[Denny]

This doesn't really seem ideal...

Why not? What has your experience been with dry hopping in the keg? I don't think you've tried my beers, have you?

 

[TimTrone]

Why not? What has your experience been with dry hopping in the keg? I don't think you've tried my beers, have you?

What's your process when you DH in the keg? I've been wanting to try that, and I'll be brewing a 2ipa in a couples weeks. Do I just throw then in whole? Or do you put them in hop bags? I was planning on DH with 8oz of hops.

 

[homebrewhaha]

Why not? What has your experience been with dry hopping in the keg? I don't think you've tried my beers, have you?

I meant it just seems like a long time to have the hops in contact with the beer, but what do I know? You're right, maybe your should send some beer my way!

 

[VTDuffman]

What's your process when you DH in the keg? I've been wanting to try that, and I'll be brewing a 2ipa in a couples weeks. Do I just throw then in whole? Or do you put them in hop bags? I was planning on DH with 8oz of hops.

I am interested in this process as well. I would assume you would have to use a hop sack to avoid clogging the tube?

 

[rico567]

Why not? What has your experience been with dry hopping in the keg? I don't think you've tried my beers, have you?

This is good advice. My process improved when I started to refine my own experiences with brewing, rather than relying on what I thought MIGHT occur.

 

[Lakeman]

What's your process when you DH in the keg? I've been wanting to try that, and I'll be brewing a 2ipa in a couples weeks. Do I just throw then in whole? Or do you put them in hop bags? I was planning on DH with 8oz of hops.

You should put them in something to keep them from clogging your diptube/poppets. I use a stainless steel teaball, but it would probably take 5-6 of those for an 8 oz. dry hop.

My hat is off to you, sir, in your extreme hop devotion!

 

[homebrewhaha]

This is good advice. My process improved when I started to refine my own experiences with brewing, rather than relying on what I thought MIGHT occur.

Yeah you guys are right, I'm a newb; I was totally speculating. So I guess you've never had problems with vegetal flavors developing with hops sitting in your keg for 3 months? I've heard that could happen, that is all. I didn't say I thought it was horrible, just that it didn't seem ideal.

 

[Theis]

Pellets free in secondary = hops in my bottles. Last batch had a large amount of hop material at the bottom of the last 6-8 bottles.

3 months later and the hop aroma and flavor seems stronger in those bottles than the rest of the batch, plus it's probably heart healthy with all that extra fiber!.

 

[Denny]

What's your process when you DH in the keg? I've been wanting to try that, and I'll be brewing a 2ipa in a couples weeks. Do I just throw then in whole? Or do you put them in hop bags? I was planning on DH with 8oz of hops.

I use a hop bag. I tie it to the diptube with monofilament so it won't fall and block the diptube. Sometimes I'll slip a SureScreen over the end of the diptube and then just toss the hops in. Depends on my mood!

 

[Denny]

Yeah you guys are right, I'm a newb; I was totally speculating. So I guess you've never had problems with vegetal flavors developing with hops sitting in your keg for 3 months? I've heard that could happen, that is all. I didn't say I thought it was horrible, just that it didn't seem ideal.

Personal experience is worth more than all the books you can read. I've dry hopped in the keg for well over 100 batches. If it didn't work, I would have stopped long ago.

 

[TimTrone]

I use a hop bag. I tie it to the diptube with monofilament so it won't fall and block the diptube. Sometimes I'll slip a SureScreen over the end of the diptube and then just toss the hops in. Depends on my mood!

Ahhhh, interesting. I was wondering how you are supposed to keep the hop bag away from the dip tube. I guess I'll need 2 hops bags with all those hops. I'm just going to go big on this one, and use up the rest of my Amarillo, simcoe, citra, and centennial stash. Should be good!

 

[Denny]

These work well if you just want to put whole hops directly into the keg. Slips right over the end of the diptube.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/surescreen.html

 

[Yooper]

I meant it just seems like a long time to have the hops in contact with the beer, but what do I know? You're right, maybe your should send some beer my way!

At room temperature, I like to dryhop 3-5 days as I find it gives the best aroma and flavor.

At fridge temps, I dryhop in the keg all the time. It's great. I wouldn't keep the dryhops in at a room temperature keg, but in the kegerator it never gets "grassy" and it doesn't seem to fade nearly as much.

 

[radial67]

I dont understand..... I mean i do but I dont in my situation.

My DH's are in a stocking in the keg, but I still get this super astringent hop residue (esp from the first pour) but subsequent pours after that with fine grain hop matter.... dont you guys get that too?

I ended up taking my Hopbag out and then fining and carbing afta that.


As an additional question to my original post:

What was the ONE process that you discovered that prolonged your DH aroma?
To be really clear, Im not searching for the holy grail, Im looking for improvements to what im doing now; eg: what has worked for you? - Longer and colder, more qty for less time, shorter and warmer, changing water profiles, adding a single drop of sweat from a belgian monk.... u know, that sort of thing.

Personally, we all know how water profiles accentuate hops in the brewing process, but Id love to know its impact or whether it makes any difference in the DH.