Dry hop under pressure

[Vallka]

Has anyone tried putting a hop bag with your dry hops into the pressure fermenter and have it suspended above the wort using magnets, after few days pull the magnet and Bang, dry hopping!
Is this possible?

 

[Craigerrr]

I have never done it, but I have heard of people doing it.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I have dry hopped under pressure. But from post, are you suggesting putting in a hop bag at the start of fermentation? Then once fermentation progressing to a certain point, drop the hop bag into the beer without opening the fermenter?

That’s actually ingenious. Zero oxygen ingress. The biggest hurdle would be getting the means of doing it. Magnets don’t work stainless, so you would need a ferrous metal. Not sure what that would do to the beer. If you could coat the ferrous metal with something that keeps it from coming in contact with the beer, that might work.

 

[FrostyBeach]

Magnets don’t work stainless

Depends on the stainless. 304 and 316 to a lesser degree are supposed to be magnetic. My SS brewtech kettles say 304 and are not magnetic except for the weld lines (they are). The lid to my fermenter is slightly magnetic and a Bilchman kettle is magnetic.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Depends on the stainless. 304 and 316 to a lesser degree are typically magnetic.

They are, but it’s going to have to support some weight. Rare earth magnets and mild steel could hold serval ounces or more.

Edit: What about a stir bar? Teflon coated and magnetic. Perfect.

 

[FrostyBeach]

Sorry connection dropped. The stir bar would work well if it couldn't support the weight if the SS was magnetic.

I was just checking with a small rare earth magnet and the welds are magnetic on my SS Brewtech vessels but the 304 walls are not.

 

[Minbari]

Put magnets in a ziplock?

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Are your fermenters stainless or plastic?

 

[Vallka]

Are your fermenters stainless or plastic?

Plastic allrounders, I like the stir at idea!

 

[Vallka]

Great idea with the stir bar. Rare earth magnets will hold fine. I have some that are very strong.

 

[J A]

Seal a rare earth magnet into a piece of silicon tubing using food-save silicone on the ends. Or use a food sealer and laminate the magnet into sealed plastic. A rare earth on the outside and one on the inside should work. Hardly seems worth the trouble, though.
When I've dry-hopped after pressure-carbing, I just relieve pressure (slowly), open the "hatch" and drop the hops, seal up and repressurize. O2 can't really get in because there's CO2 pushing out any time the pressure it off and if it's cooled down somewhat, you don't lose much CO2 out of suspension.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Great idea with the stir bar. Rare earth magnets will hold fine. I have some that are very strong.

Awesome!

 

[west1m]

The pellet type hops exposed to 100% humidity may grow and get a bit heavier . Make sure your hop bag has plenty of holding power and you may need a few marbles to get it to sonk properly..

 

[Vallka]

The pellet type hops exposed to 100% humidity may grow and get a bit heavier . Make sure your hop bag has plenty of holding power and you may need a few marbles to get it to sonk properly..

Maybe the swelling heavy hops drop and “self dry hop” .....

 

[Craigerrr]

Another alternative might be to hang the hop bag with a fine fishing line, not sure how that would work with the closure on your fermenter. Just as another option, you could also just release the pressure, toss the hops on loose, I have never had any oxidization issues doing this.

 

[Nosybear]

One magnet in the bag, another outside. Slide the outside magnet, the inside one follows.