How do you wash your hop bags?

[Akavango]

I used to put mine in the washing machine until I realised that some of my ipa had some tide flavour in them. Now I just boil them several time to sterilise them but the hops stains just won't come off.

I know in the us it is easy to find some smelless washing detergent but not so much here in cork.

So how do you wash your hop bags?

 

[hercher]

To be honest, I don't wash them. The stains don't hurt anything. I just soak them in sanitizer. You could try soaking them in bleach (unscented, of course).

 

[Red_Scooter]

I normally just spray them out with a garden hose. They do get discolored from the hops, but I don't worry about that.

 

[worksnorth]

Yup, I just spray mine out really well. Any I use for dry hopping I soak in StarSan.

 

[atreid]

I clean them with the rest of the equipment, by soaking them for a day in oxyclean, rinse very well and let them dry until i need them.

As for the dryhop, I found that boiling them or soaking them with sanitizer was a tad bit annoying because they'd be soaking wet and I didn't like having to handle them to dry them out at least a bit, especially when boiled.

The very best solution I found was to open them wide and make them stay in an up position, and then vapor cook them for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove. Now your covered pot is all sterilized. Let it cool and then you have your hop bag, still wide open, and you can pour the hops directly in there. I usually sterilize a little aluminum bowl I use to transport and weight the hop bag to the fermenter. Vert often I do tie up the knot with hands I just cleaned so that I don't even have to prepare sanitizer... Good enough for me.

It's quicker to do than it was to write this with my phone...

 

[funnycreature]

I will try and autoclave mine today for dry hopping on Sunday. I hope it doesn't melt Even if it does I have a second one that I will boil or steam as suggested by a previous poster.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

I throw mine in the laundry with the Whites!

 

[Akavango]

I will try and autoclave mine today for dry hopping on Sunday. I hope it doesn't melt Even if it does I have a second one that I will boil or steam as suggested by a previous poster.

That might be a little overkill plus i would need an autoclave.

 

[Akavango]

Good to know that is not a worry. Unfortunately Oxi clean is not sold here in Ireland. I'll keep doing what i have been doing. Since I have made my best ipa since i don't add the tide taste to my beer. My first pliny the elder clone was a big let down with this soapy taste. The second one without it was just divine.

Thank you guys.

 

[funnycreature]

That might be a little overkill plus i would need an autoclave.

Haha! I have one at work so it's too easy for me. It pays off working in biotech and homebrewing! So much overlap...

 

[BinghamtonEd]

I wash mine out best I can and then boil it with my paint strainer bag for about 10 minutes, and store it away with the rest of my supplies. When I reuse it, it gets a good spray of StarSan. It's stained, but as long as it doesn't have chunks in it and has been boiled/StarSan'd, I consider it good to go.

 

[unionrdr]

I empty & rinse them in the tap water stream. Then boil in a small saucepan till the water turns color. Rinse again,the soak in PBW solution a few days.
Rinse,squeeze out & hang to dry. Usually gets them white as new. But those wheat beers stain pretty good. some a little off white,but clean otherwise.

 

[Xpertskir]

I don't use them...

 

[tjpfeister]

I just hand wash them in soapy water, let them dry and shake out the dried chaff. When the stains get a bit much, soaking them overnight in bleach water whitens them right up.

 

[kh54s10]

I normally just spray them out with a garden hose. They do get discolored from the hops, but I don't worry about that.

Yup, I just spray mine out really well. Any I use for dry hopping I soak in StarSan.

Why go to much more trouble.
But, give them a shake after they dry. You will get a cloud of very fine particles.
I don't worry at all about the staining and the boil will kill anything nasty.

 

[worksnorth]

Why go to much more trouble.
But, give them a shake after they dry. You will get a cloud of very fine particles.
I don't worry at all about the staining and the boil will kill anything nasty.

It's hilarious to me that you chose the two guys who do about the least to their hop bags and asked why we go to so much trouble,

 

[BBBF]

I let them sit outside on the fence post for a few weeks. Then when my fermentor is soaking in oxyclean, I'll put the bag in it. Eventually it makes it's way into the washing machine