Brew day over.... now what

[Grundysidemount]

So I just did my first 2 batches.

Fresh Squeezed IPA (extract)
Flashing Lights IPA (extract)

It's been just over 24 hours since I put it in the Fermenters. Flashing Lights is in my kegerator set at 68 degrees. Fresh Squeezed is in a closet settled at 65 degrees.

FL is already moving and bubbling, FS is not.

I am very confused on what comes next. Recipe calls for dry hops to go in 4 to 6 days. Then how long?

I had someone tell me to let it sit for 3 weeks before I throw in the hops then leave for 1 more week.

Then kegging..... pour the batch into the keg and hook up to CO2 and pressurize........ but for how long.

I am sure these questions are often up to debate, but I am a little lost in the details

 

[RM-MN]

I am very confused on what comes next. Recipe calls for dry hops to go in 4 to 6 days. Then how long?

I had someone tell me to let it sit for 3 weeks before I throw in the hops then leave for 1 more week.

I wait until the fermentation is done and maybe more time yet. If your fermentation is done by day 6, you can dry hop then for at least 4 days. If your hydrometer proves that the beer is indeed done at day 10, go ahead and bottle or keg. I'd probably give the beer a week to properly carbonate before sampling.

I often leave my beer until day 14 to day 20 before dry hopping and if I have any patience left after waiting that long, I give the hops another 7 to 10 days before I bottle. As you may have noticed, there is no set time for starting the dry hop and the time the hops are in the fermenter can also vary. The longer you wait to dry hop, the less trub will get transferred to your keg. Sometimes the hops settle out well, sometimes not. I've begun wrapping a fine mesh bag around the siphon, holding it in place with a rubber band to filter out the hops during transfer.

 

[IslandLizard]

Most beers are done actively fermenting in 1-2 weeks. After that, the yeast is still conditioning the beer while she's floccing out. You can certainly dry hop for a week, while the beer is conditioning. Especially for IPAs retaining hoppiness and freshness is paramount. Avoid beer oxidation at all cost, read up about it.

In that light,

Then kegging..... pour the batch into the keg

is a big no-no!

You need to rack/transfer the beer to the keg carefully, so not to introduce air (O2) into the beer, which will cause oxidation, and kill hop sensation, among other things.

Although a bit more of an advanced technique, ideally you should perform a '100% liquid prepurge' of the kegs, and transfer the beer from the fermenter with a siphon or racking cane into the keg through the liquid-out post/QD. In that scenario the keg lid remains ON, it doesn't get removed until the keg is empty and you're ready to clean it. There are some variations on that, including closed transfers. You can 'dry train' yourself with a bucket of water until you get it down pat.

If you're not quite ready for that, the end of your siphon hose curled up on the bottom of the keg (lid is off in this case) is the minimum requirement to transfer beer while reducing aeration which results in oxidized beer later.

 

[Jag75]

As RM said there is no set time . You will try different times and figure out what you like. There times I dry hop on day 2 of fermentation . Watch the oxidation in the hoppy beers . When you keg I highly advise you to do closed transfers . Hopping styles whether it's just dumping in or bagging is personal preference but keeping your beer from oxidizing is a must . Congrats on your beer . And nice set up , I love my keg king kegerator.

What Islandlizard said lol

 

[Jag75]

I see mongoose is here . He is the one who I learned closed transfer process. it is probably one of the most crucial things I've learned here .

 

[kh54s10]

While closed transfers is probably best, it is by no means necessary. I have brewed quite a few IPAs and have gotten very good results just using an autosiphon. I have kegged - without purging and bottled.

Would my IPAs have been better if I did? Most likely. Were they bad? Definitely not!

 

[Grundysidemount]

Thank you so much everyone. I will play around with it and keep notes. Then I'll compare down the line.

Glad I asked about the kegging. I will keep doing research on the closed transfer.

 

[IslandLizard]

I will keep doing research on the closed transfer.

IMO, 100% liquid pre-purging of kegs and filling while the lid remains closed is more essential than the closed transfer, since the transfer only takes around 5-10 minutes, so the top level of the beer would become exposed to air, but there's very little turbulance during that time.

With some fermenters (conicals, carboys, fermonsters, big bubblers, Speidels, etc.) closed transfers are a bit easier to implement than with others, such as brew buckets, either plastic or stainless.
I use plastic brew buckets, and even with those completely closed or near closed transfers are very possible with a little ingenuity.

Once you've done them, you would never again consider doing them without.

 

[mongoose33]

Here's the short version of my purging/closed transfer approach:

1. Purge keg. I fill mine with Star-San, then run a bit of CO2 into the OUT post (you have to use the black QD to do that), so the CO2 creates bubbles out of the top of the keg. What's in those bubbles? CO2! In the midst of all those bubbles I then install the lid so there is no air inside--only star sand and bubbles of CO2. I have somewhat more bubbles coming out of the keg mouth than shown in the pic.

Tip: Be gentle in creating those bubbles. Put high pressure into the bottom and you'll have a surge of Star-San out of the keg. Don't ask me how I know. You can attach/disconnect the QD repeatedly to manage that.



2. Now you have a keg full of mostly Star-San, plus some CO2 bubbles. What I do next is push that Star-San out using CO2. I connect a CO2 line to the IN post, then use a tube or a jumper on the OUT post. I'll either push that Star-San into another (clean) keg for the next iteration or, occasionally, capture it in a 5-gallon bucket for re-use.

You can use a jumper like shown, or just a QD connected to tubing. You could also just run the tubing into the open mouth of the next keg, then repeat process above.



After the star-san is emptied from the keg, disconnect the OUT post. You should still have pressure in the keg.

I then tilt the keg or leave it sit upright (depending on where the dip tube extends into the bottom), and use the residual pressure to blow out whatever Star-San remains. Typically a couple ounces. Before the pressure is completely gone in that keg, I pull the QD, and voila! I now have a keg purged of air.

3. Closed transfer: Simply rack the beer from your fermenter into the keg. If a conical like I use, I'll pressurize that conical using CO2, so that I'm not drawing air back into the fermenter to oxidize the surface of the beer.



If from a plastic fermenter or bucket, I'll run a line from the keg back into the top of the fermenter so that the CO2 displaced by the beer flowing into the keg is directed back into the fermenter.



You can also purge a keg by running the CO2 from fermentation into the keg. A full fermentation will produce about 25 volumes of CO2, enough that if you run it through the keg, you'll have a virtually perfectly-purged keg. Just run your blowoff line from the fermenter to a QD and into the keg. Either pull the PRV so it vents, or use some other way to allow gas to escape. When I do this I use a black QD and run that fermentation gas into the OUT post so it fills from the bottom pushing out from the top. The gas all mixes--there's no "blanket" of CO2--but it makes more sense to add at the bottom than the top.

Hmmm....didn't really turn out all that short, as versions go.