[cheba420]

Hey everybody-

I brewed up a batch of Amber and want it to have a little more hop aroma. Its in the keg and ready to go. Can I throw some hops in the keg this late without contaminating the whole batch? If so, should I just throw the hops in or put them in a hop bag? I dont want to clog the dip tube but I also dont think I want that bag in there for the next couple weeks.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Matt

[denny]

I frequently dry hop in the keg.  I pout the hops in a sanitized bag and tie the bag to the diptube with monofilament.

[cheba420]

Thanks, Denny. Sounds like a plan!

[beersk]

I frequently dry hop in the keg.  I pout the hops in a sanitized bag and tie the bag to the diptube with monofilament.

What kind of bag do you use?  I was thinking of just throwing a tea ball in there with an ounce or so of hops in it.

[redbeerman]

Like Denny, I use a hop bag (like cheesecloth almost), sanitize, put the hops in, tie it up and chuck it the keg.  I don't tie it to the dip tube.  Some folks have had issues with it clogging the tube.  I have only had that happen once, but it was easily remedied by taking my mash paddle and pulling it away from the tube. YMMV.

[The Professor]

I frequently dry hop in the keg.  I pout the hops in a sanitized bag and tie the bag to the diptube with monofilament.

Ditto here.  I think that the keg is actually the best time to dry hop.  I've done the bag thing, but also for the past few years using a "SureScreen" applied to the business end of the liquid tube.

Either way, great results.

[cheba420]

Would you guys take them out after a specific period of time or let em ride til the keg blows?

[tschmidlin]

You can either leave the in the whole time or take them out when it tastes the way you want it to, it's your call.  I like to remove them after 3-14 days, depending on the flavor I'm going for.  But lots of people leave them in for the whole time, and it's a worthwhile experiment for you to do to see when you think the flavor peaks and tails off, if it ever does.

[James Lorden]

Dry hop In the keg is traditional for real cask ale.  I say go for it!

[markaberrant]

I use leaf hops and I also toss a stainless steel ball bearing or two into the hop bag to keep it submerged. 

[bluesman]

Typically it's whole hops in a sanitized muslin bag in the keg for at least a couple weeks but I've left them in for the duration.

I know some folks that like to use teflon tape tied to the bag and left hanging out through the lid for retrieval.

[cheba420]

I wound up dropping an ounce of whole leaf Centennial in yesterday! Looking forward to the results! Thanks for the tips. Very much appreciated.