Bottled today..I'm setting my hopes pretty low, I don't think this one turned out properly, but I reserve judgement until they've had some time to condition.
I spund right after pitching and set the gauge to release at about 10 PSI. Usually takes 3 days to reach pressure. I then toss in a dry hop and set the valve to 15-25 PSI. I leave it under pressure from that point on. Seems to finish with 1318 in 5-6 days and then its pushed to a purged SV. All hops float free, which seems to help both aroma and flavor. I have experienced clogs and am working to make the method more fool proof, because it is a pain getting around a tough clog... but it can be done. I have a new screen setup I am building which I hope eliminates the clogs for good. Once I get around to making it and trying it a few times, I will post results. Best of luck!
Really curious to see the results as well. I've wanted to experiment with dry-hopping in the keg for some time but havent pulled the trigger on a method yet. Seems like that type of system could streamline the spunding part too.
Thanks for the update! Sounds like I may have some new methods to try
@degivens: are you Rick Flair's son?
Glad this worked for you. Let us know how the flavor and aroma is in a week! Cheers!!!
Here's an updated recipe. This is my current best snapshot.
Grains
2 Row - 70%
Flaked Wheat - 18%
Crystal 15 - 5%
CaraPils - 3%
Dextrose - 4%
Mash @ 150F
Yeast
Wyeast 1318 - London Ale III
Hops
Boil Hops:
Columbus - .5oz - 60min
Columbus - 1oz - 10min
Columbus - 3oz - Hop Stand
Dry Hops:
(Add to Primary 3 days post-pitch. Rack off of hops to serving keg 7 days post pitch.)
Columbus - 1.5oz
Mosaic - 8oz
Note, I've dry hopped a number of different ways. Although it's not true to Melcher Street, my current favorite is this:
Columbus - 1.5oz
Mosaic - 4oz
Citra - 4oz
Also love...
Columbus - 1.5oz
Amarillo - 4oz
Simcoe - 4oz
Recipe Stats
60 minute mash, 60 minute boil, hop stand of 20-30mins (or however patient I can be!)
OG: 1.075 / FG: 1.019 (although usually this finishes around 1.013-1.014)
75% attenuation for 7.4% ABV
25 IBUs (but, really, who knows)
150ppm Sulfate and Chloride
I shoot for 7.5gal post-boil to account for the massive hop loss in both the kettle and fermenter. It's not uncommon for me to go from 7.5gal in the kettle to 4.25gal in my keg. (Working on improving this!)
For the dextrose, are you adding that to your grains/mash, or in the boil?
For my last several batches, I've aimed for low Ca (30-40) and CaCl around 100-125. No issues with highish Mg. I think soft water is important to hit the target profile, but that's just my taste buds.Awesome, thanks. And for those who are making their water profiles.. I'm balancing out to 150 CaSO/CaCl2, but with adding those it also brings the Calcium level up to around 150ppm... Is that a big deal? The alternative is using Epsom salt rather than Gypsum, but that'll bring the Magnesium level up instead... Is one preferred over the other, or am I looking too much into it? I am using Bru'n Water to calculate.
Thanks in advance.
I added your recipe to Beersmith and am working on a starter now.
For the transfer, using a plastic siphon is totally fine. The important part is using CO2 to move the beer and minimizing any oxygen ingress in general.
Dry hopping for me is typically 36-48hrs post-pitch, I haven't been "double dry hopping" very often, but it's totally reasonable to add an additional dry-hop in the purged keg you ultimately transfer. With that, you may not want to do it unless you've either cut your dip tube a bit shorter or are using a floating dip tube like the clear beer draught system (i'm a big fan of this option). Some people have reported some vegetal taste from keg hopping, I personally haven't gotten that -- but something to be aware of. Might be something to test after you get through batch 1 so you minimize the points at which something could go wrong!
I have a stainless 300 micron mesh tube I was thinking of attaching fishing line to, to be able to pull back out after a few days.. think I would run into any issues with that? I was thinking 2-3oz.
Have any ideas by chance on that OG conundrum?
Thanks for the reply and advice!
As long as you’re blasting everything with CO2 during the addition / removal I would think it’d be fairly safe.
One thing with the filters as opposed to just throwing the hops in is that you’ll get much less efficiency in terms of hop character from the mesh screen. The surface area of the hops in contact with actual liquid is substantially dimensioned because the hops tend to agglomerate in the screen.
As far as the OG — that just seems weird. Wish I could offer any help but i’m not quite sure to be honest.
So what does everyone carb to on NE IPAs? 2.2?
After transfer to keg I set it at 24 psi for 48 hrs (temp is 40 degrees) then dial down to 12-14 psi and leave it.So what does everyone carb to on NE IPAs? 2.2?
Drink it fastWell I kegged the beer yesterday, ran into some issues when doing so. Here is my update so far.
The first issue I ran into was that I was going to dry hop 2.5oz more inside the keg for 3 days. I had purchased a 300 micron mesh tube keg hopper, loaded up the hops, dropped it in about halfway via fishing line. Well, the keg top wouldn't seal with the line. Retried a couple more times after depressurizing, trying a different seal, nothing. Wouldn't seal up with that line sticking out. So I cut the line, and dropped the hopper into the keg and decided if I get off, grassy flavors.. So be it. I have nothing else to use those hops for planned, and I had already opened them. So it was either toss the hops and scratch the hopping altogether, or leave it in. I've read quite a bit both ways, were some people can taste grassy notes, others have had no issues leaving the hops in for a couple months. I plan on the keg going fast enough, that I am hoping it wont be an issue.
- Brewed beer on 5-19 (OG was 1.056, but I don't know if this was right. I started at 1.058 post-mash, 8.25 gallons.. Ended with 6.75. Still confused on this is possible).
- Dry hopped 8oz of hops on 5-22 (Day 3, gravity was 1.022)
- Transferred 5 gallons to keg 5-29 (Day 10, gravity was 1.014). Also had about a gallon leftover, bottled 2x12, 2x16, 1x22 bottles.
Next, this is what I was hoping to be able to do after ordering parts:
I believe I had everything setup correctly, but when the beer started to transfer it appeared to stop at the liquid in post, and I am wondering if it got clogged. I have never done a closed transfer, and my worry was about pressurizing the carboy (glass) too much. I didn't want any unneeded mishaps. I tried disconnecting, sanitizing, reconnecting. Nothing seemed to get the beer to transfer into the keg. So I went with plan B, against everything I didn't want, which was opening up the keg lid and siphoning in. This at least let me see where to kill the transfer, since I knew I had more than 5 gallons fermenting. However, I don't know about the oxygen exposure. I'm still upset about this, and I hope it didn't kill the batch. I took a sample prior to this and the beer tastes and looks fantastic.
Trying to remain positive about the mishaps, but we will see. My plan is to let the beer sit at room temp on that 2nd dry hop for 2-3 days, chill the keg for 24 hours on 6/1 or 6/2, on 6/3 carb to 30psi for a day, then set to serving psi (8psi probably) for a few days and try it. Wish me the best, I have had a fair share of hiccups thus far haha.
Sounds like you are going through what we all did when we started brewing this style of IPA. Ive heard mixed results with the fishing line not allowing the keg to seal. I think floss works better but I cant say for sure as I've never tried it. I'd look at it as an experiment to see how you like just leaving the hops in as everyones flavor preference varies.
For the closed transfer flow issue. It seems like you did have a clog somewhere, either dip tube or at the post like you said. With so much dry hop floating around it can be super tough to not run into issues. I've went with a mesh tube that goes over the dip tube and haven't run into a clog since. It might be a little slower because the hops will eventually start impacting the flow but it only adds a couple extra minutes. I now use it for all my beers as the peace of mind is worth it.
Sounds like you planned everything out well. You'll have to let us know how it tastes!
Well I kegged the beer yesterday, ran into some issues when doing so. Here is my update so far.
The first issue I ran into was that I was going to dry hop 2.5oz more inside the keg for 3 days. I had purchased a 300 micron mesh tube keg hopper, loaded up the hops, dropped it in about halfway via fishing line. Well, the keg top wouldn't seal with the line. Retried a couple more times after depressurizing, trying a different seal, nothing. Wouldn't seal up with that line sticking out. So I cut the line, and dropped the hopper into the keg and decided if I get off, grassy flavors.. So be it. I have nothing else to use those hops for planned, and I had already opened them. So it was either toss the hops and scratch the hopping altogether, or leave it in. I've read quite a bit both ways, were some people can taste grassy notes, others have had no issues leaving the hops in for a couple months. I plan on the keg going fast enough, that I am hoping it wont be an issue.
- Brewed beer on 5-19 (OG was 1.056, but I don't know if this was right. I started at 1.058 post-mash, 8.25 gallons.. Ended with 6.75. Still confused on this is possible).
- Dry hopped 8oz of hops on 5-22 (Day 3, gravity was 1.022)
- Transferred 5 gallons to keg 5-29 (Day 10, gravity was 1.014). Also had about a gallon leftover, bottled 2x12, 2x16, 1x22 bottles.
Next, this is what I was hoping to be able to do after ordering parts:
I believe I had everything setup correctly, but when the beer started to transfer it appeared to stop at the liquid in post, and I am wondering if it got clogged. I have never done a closed transfer, and my worry was about pressurizing the carboy (glass) too much. I didn't want any unneeded mishaps. I tried disconnecting, sanitizing, reconnecting. Nothing seemed to get the beer to transfer into the keg. So I went with plan B, against everything I didn't want, which was opening up the keg lid and siphoning in. This at least let me see where to kill the transfer, since I knew I had more than 5 gallons fermenting. However, I don't know about the oxygen exposure. I'm still upset about this, and I hope it didn't kill the batch. I took a sample prior to this and the beer tastes and looks fantastic.
Trying to remain positive about the mishaps, but we will see. My plan is to let the beer sit at room temp on that 2nd dry hop for 2-3 days, chill the keg for 24 hours on 6/1 or 6/2, on 6/3 carb to 30psi for a day, then set to serving psi (8psi probably) for a few days and try it. Wish me the best, I have had a fair share of hiccups thus far haha.
I do something very similar but just put a hose from the racking cane into the keg through the top opening. I purge the keg first by pushing out 5 gal of startsan with Co2. Open the top and put the purged hose in (it reaches the bottom) the set the cover over the open hole. 2-3 psi get the beer flowing. I doubt very much that you could break a carboy with a press fit carboy cap on. I have blown mine off before when crimping the discharge (keg)hose trying to fill some bottles after the keg filled. I have not had any noticeable oxidation issues doing it like this. As the beer fills the purged keg the gas is being pushed out and there would be very little O2 from just opening the top. You might not have had enough pressure to start the flow or your relief valve wasn't open. Try it again with water or starsan and figure it out.
That I didn't do. I did fill the keg with star san, ran it through, purged it, filled it with co2 and purged again and left it closed. Before I did the transfer I released the pressure inside, but I didn't unscrew the relief valve or anything.. Could that have been it? I was pushing with around 3psi, I did go up to 5 once it wasn't moving, but that's when I stopped.
Once the keg is cashed, I'll definitely spend some time trying again. I'd be happy if it was as simple as needing to unscrew the relief valve.
That I didn't do. I did fill the keg with star san, ran it through, purged it, filled it with co2 and purged again and left it closed. Before I did the transfer I released the pressure inside, but I didn't unscrew the relief valve or anything.. Could that have been it? I was pushing with around 3psi, I did go up to 5 once it wasn't moving, but that's when I stopped.
Once the keg is cashed, I'll definitely spend some time trying again. I'd be happy if it was as simple as needing to unscrew the relief valve.
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