Hops Sanitized?

How do you sanitize your home grown hops?

Here's the process:

1. Done

That's it!

Hops are antibacterial by nature...that is why they were ultimately used in beer making. Just use them as is.

PackerfaninSanDiego said:

How do you sanitize your home grown hops?

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Hops have natural preservatives. So...yeah.

Yeah no need to sanitize them, just throw them in.

The initial assumption seems to be that the hops you buy in a store are sanitized.
That assumption is incorrect.

Cheers.

Mother Nature has done the job for you, send them in.

I'm referring to the kind I am growing. Not the pellets you buy at the LHBS

"I'm referring to the kind I am growing. Not the pellets you buy at the LHBS"

???

Processing whole hops includes only one essential step: dry the cones
(and for fresh hopped beers - not even that)

Hop pellets are simply whole hops that have been ground and pressed.

As others have mentioned, no sanitation is necessary. Hops are naturally antibacterial. That's one of the main reasons they are added to beer.

This is true for both homegrown and store bought hops.

^^^^ What he said. Thats why IPA's are very hoppy, they beer they brewed in europe wouldn't last the trip to the various colonies so they overhopped the ale turning it into and IPA. the oils in the Hops are a natural preseverative, doesn't matter if its a cone or pellet, everything about them is antibactierial.

Dude...if you grow hops how do you not know how they are made and how they grow? No form of hop must be sanitized.

Pratzie said:

^^^^ What he said. Thats why IPA's are very hoppy, they beer they brewed in europe wouldn't last the trip to the various colonies so they overhopped the ale turning it into and IPA. the oils in the Hops are a natural preseverative, doesn't matter if its a cone or pellet, everything about them is antibactierial.

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This is partly true. Read Mitch Steele's book IPA and find the real true history of the style.

Well let's see. Keep you hands clean when touching the hops.

When you pick them and dry them, they are pretty much free from the micro stuff.

You can contaminate your brew if you blow your nose with your hand, have nose slime on your hand, touch the hops with that nose slime filled hand and pitch the hops into the beer. (BN radio show advice).

Another way to think of it.. hops have a pH much like starsan. Not to much things can grow on the hops.