I’m looking to start dry hopping in my conical FV. I want to do this under pressure and low oxygen. For any of you who do this, what equipment do you use and where did you purchase it?
I want to be able to load the hops into a something that is sealed then blast them into the fermenter using co2. I couldn’t find anything online.
Thanks!!
I only dry hop during active ferment. Usually 24 - 48 hours after yeast pitch. That way there is positive CO2 pressure. To do it under pressure… well what’s wrong with just opening up the FV and dropping in hops while the gas is running? Can’t possibly pick up enough O2 to make a difference. I suppose you could create some sort of space-travel-type airlock, but is it really worth it?
Your post gave me an idea! Here is how I am going to do it from now on. I use a stainless tee on the lid of my SS Brewtech comical with a plastic funnel in the long end of the tee. The side port has the CO2 connected to it with about 2-3 PSI of pressure, trial and error will tell you how much. The stem of the funnel is long enough to extend below the side port of the tee so you don’t blow hop dust everywhere…
Turn on the CO2 and dump in the hops then replace the blow off tube and you are set.
I’m assuming the idea is to harvest before dry hopping? The parsimonious solution would just be to harvest from something else. 
Otherwise I would do what Wayne suggested and dry hop at the same time you cap/spund the fermenter, ~1°P above FG. It actually only take ~0.4°P of extract to carbonate to normal volumes, but that neglects head space and some margin for error.
Just in case it doesn’t go without saying, never pressurize a tank without both a spunding valve and a safety PRV in place.
I pressurize my conical durong cold crashing. To dry hop, I simply crack the lid and put the dry hops in. Good enough.
Wish I could do that, Denny. Unfortunately, I can’t cold crash in my walk-in cooler. Wouldn’t be able to get it that cold so I burp out the yeast, dry hop at room temp, keg, then cold crash. Different strokes for different folks. 
Lately I’ve been experimenting with a dry hop technique I read about and talked aboout on the pod. 48 hours at 35F. After 3 test batches, I’d say I’m getting the best dry hop results I’ve ever gotten.
Thats actually not to far off from what I seen online somewhere ( can’t locate it now) but the person used a sight glass vertically on top of their conical with a butterfly valve and a cap on top of the sight glass with a gas in port. Load the hops, add the gas in plate, pressurize and open the valve. Presto!! hops go into the fermenter without o2. I can def find a 4" sight glass but can’t seem to find the gas plate.
I guess I could do that also but I want to dry hop with active fermentation and I don’t want any O2 ingress.
OMG, So I had to look up the definition of parsimonious. Thesaurus pops up, reading them, spit my teeth out!! I found it to be extremely fitting to my “niggardly” “tight fisted” “penny pinching” and “miserly” ways!! Unfortunately, that’s the one thing I haven’t been able to put to practice in my love affair with all things brewing, parsimonious!!
Thanks for the laugh!
Obviously, it’s not during fermentation. I don’t care for that myself. And any O2 ingress would be so low, that I really don’t care. I’m a pretty relaxed homebrewer these days.
Thanks for the input Denny! As I have said in other posts, I don’t make many IPA beers or for that matter, dry hop often. My problem is that I read to extremes and then fixate on a certain process and then I have to try my hand at it.
Maybe I should relax a bit!! I think I will go pack one and pour one!! It is Friday right??
My attitude about Homebrewing has evolved over 22 years and 560 batches. I used you be worried, stressed, and uptight about making beer. Now everything is secondary to enjoying the process.
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Thats actually not to far off from what I seen online somewhere ( can’t locate it now) but the person used a sight glass vertically on top of their conical with a butterfly valve and a cap on top of the sight glass with a gas in port. Load the hops, add the gas in plate, pressurize and open the valve. Presto!! hops go into the fermenter without o2. I can def find a 4" sight glass but can’t seem to find the gas plate.
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I made my own “gas plate”. I ordered a female Tri-clover to female NPT fitting from Brewer’s Hardware and a and a male NPT ball lock keg plug from Foxx. I have also made one with a brass nipple that has NPT male on one side and a flare fitting thread on the other that I got at Lowes. It isn’t exactly a perfect thread match for the keg plug, but it worked. Obviously, the Foxx keg plug is better.
There was a pro brewer that said one was to get O2 out of the dry hops was to run liquid N2 over them in a bucket then drop in. Some PSE is required.
I wish I was the same. My attitude over 20yrs and 1600 beers from 5 gallons to 60bbl have gone the exact other way and at this point I can’t go back. Life would be much easier if I could!
Eventually you will. As you get older your priorities change.
I have seen all sorts of approaches for dry hopping without O2 pickup and, while ingenious, there are issues with each approach IMO.
I’ve resolved myself to the best I can do is get the beer cold to slow the O2 uptake, flush with CO2 while the container is open, add the hops, close the container, and thoroughly purge the headspace. I am aware that I very well may be sacrificing all the advantages of closed transfer doing this.
Well said. I’m the same…i do the best I can do and don’t worry about the rest.
Good info on dry hopping in a conical. As a new conical owner i wasn’t sure of the best way to do it. I’m not sure if there’s any advantage one way or the other (during fermentation or cold crash) but it seems like dry hopping during the cold crash might be better if you want to do a yeast harvest prior to. I’ll likely keep things simple and not add any additional equipment or processes for the dry hop.
