Building a Dry Hopper for Corny Kegs – Dry Hop Under Pressure!

Thanks to /u/NachoTacocat on r/homebrew for this photo and build info!

Benefits of Fermenting Under Pressure + The Challenges of Dry Hopping Under Pressure

Fermenting under pressure has some great benefits. One of the challenges that using this method presents is… dry hopping. When fermenting under pressure the beer is carbonated. Adding dry hops to a fermented and carbonated beer, especially one at relatively warm fermentation temps equates to a Mentos+Diet Coke sort of situation. The hops provide lots and lots of nucleation points that can cause the beer to erupt expelling foam all over the place in the process denaturing head retaining proteins.

FermZilla fermenters from Kegland have a ready made solution called the Hop Bong. It allows you easily dry hop under pressure. Since the beer and dry hops are under pressure you don’t have foaming problems when dry hopping.

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The Hop Bong has the added benefit of being able to dry hop oxygen free, since you can purge the chamber prior to dropping hops.

What About Keg Based Fermenters?

Another fermenter type that homebrewers like to use when fermenting under pressure (and not fermenting under pressure for that matter) are…kegs. As of this writing, there is no ready built solution for dry hopping under pressure in a homebrew keg.

/u/NachoTacocat on r/homebrew has adapted some of the parts and pieces of the Hop Bong to work with an available TC ball lock keg lid. That build is pictured above installed on a ball lock keg. The parts list and photo are published her with permission.

Building a Dry Hopper for Corny Kegs

From /u/NachoTacocat

Here are all of the pieces I used.

I just used the setup to add 4oz hop pellets to an NEIPA and my tips/recommendation: do 2oz max at a time, and open close the butterfly valve to get the hops to move into the fermenter.

Notes from HBF:

  • As you can see this assembly is installed on a Torpedo keg. Since it’s based on a standard sized keg lid (albeit modified from standard) my guess is this will fit on many ball and pin lock kegs.
  • Why not use a standard Hop Bong? These are intended to be installed on compatible FermZilla fermenters and feature 2″ TC Ferrules. That’s too large for the TC Keg lid that’s available. If you already own one of these you could potentially get a reducer to convert it from 2″ TC to 1.5″ TC
  • But… MoreBeer does offer a different version of the Hop Bong that’s designed for BrewBuilt Series X Uni Conicals. This features a 1.5″ TC ferrule.
  • Never exceed the rated pressure on any component of your draft system.
  • Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

The keg lid this build is based on…

304 stainless steel Cornelius Keg Lid with 1.5" Tri-clamp Ferrule,NEW Corny Beer Keg Lid 60PSI PRV Food Grade Dry Hopper

304 stainless steel Cornelius Keg Lid with 1.5″ Tri-clamp Ferrule,NEW Corny Beer Keg Lid 60PSI PRV Food Grade Dry Hopper

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Corny Beer Keg Lid with 1.5" Tri-clamp Ferrule.
  • 1.5"TC ferrule is widely used in the homebrew products. You can find many fastic products with 1.5"TC ferrule connection.
  • Our corny beer keg lid with 1.5 inch ferrule is a great addition for the corny beer kegs.
  • More Sturdy: Made of 304 stainless steel.
  • Easy to Install & Use: Large handle makes installation easier; labor-saving design of safety relief valve, no need to keep lifting when deflated, just lift once and rotate 90° to continuously deflate.
Learn More

 

Note from HBF: One difference between Pin Lock and Ball Lock kegs is the type of lids that come with each.  Ball Locks, generally, have a manual PRV valve, while Pin Locks do not.  Ball Lock style lids are, in my opinion, superior because the manual PRV allows you to easily vent your keg as needed.  The good news is that, for standard kegs, the lids are the same size and can be interchanged.  That means you can use a Ball Lock style lid in a Pin Lock Keg.

304 stainless steel Cornelius Keg Lid with 1.5″ Tri-clamp Ferrule,NEW Corny Beer Keg Lid 60PSI PRV Food Grade Dry Hopper – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Related Reviews and Resources:

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

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Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:lnksfxd top:dryhopper #tag:tpr

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