Keg Aeration & Hops
What a great combination...air & hops!
I ran into a predicament while transferring kegged beer to another keg. I had empty a 5 gallon corny, and proceeded to siphon the remaining 2 gallons into a 3 gallon corny. After trying many times without success (I think it was because of all the CO2 in solution), I ended up pouring it as gently as possible. That went as well as could be expected, but I'm sure oxygen got mixed in pretty good. Before sealing it shut, ¼ ounce of whole Yakima Golding hops were tossed in. I really like these hops for late additions and dry hopping. After bleeding out the oxygen in the large head space, I cranked it with 30 lbs of pressure.
Six hours later, I brought it to an ensemble rehearsal, and everyone really liked it. It already had a light/young & fresh/green hop aroma and taste. A couple days later, the taste is really remarkable. Much smoother and balanced. It is a wonderful cask conditioned ale.
There is quite a bit of foam coming through the line, and I assume that is because of the CO2 release emitted from the large surface area on the hops. Also, with what oxygen has been introduced (pouring & hops), the feel of carbonation is so much smoother with much finer bubbles. Since it also has lower carbonation it really feels like it has Nitrogen. I think the combination of air and hops put this beer in a much better place. It is sitting at cellar temperature and is becoming a great tasting cask conditioned ale.
What a wonderful surprise. Since this is my first experience keg hopping, and after it has already been carbonated, I look forward to seeing any differences adding them at various times. The beer transfered and keg hopped here was the Round 2: ESB Amber Ale.
