Dry Hop Phobia

[IPADave]

I'm about to attempt my first dry hop, on a session ale. Using pellets. I'm worried about: 1. Risk of infection, and 2. excessive particles in the beer interfering with bottling. I'm considering using a sterilized muslin bag to address the particle fear. Any advice is welcome.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[MedicMang]

Will it be a brand new never opened pack of hops? It would be ideal. If so, spray the outside of the pack, the scissors, and a funnel with alcohol.

The particle thing can be handled a couple ways depending on your setup. If you can cold crash when you are done, it drops most of the hops to the bottom. Another trick I use is when I rack to the bottling bucket, I wrap my auto-siphon with a sanitized hop bag. Keeps most particulates out.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm about to attempt my first dry hop, on a session ale. Using pellets. I'm worried about: 1. Risk of infection, and 2. excessive particles in the beer interfering with bottling. I'm considering using a sterilized muslin bag to address the particle fear. Any advice is welcome.

Close your brain and dump those pellets right in there. Forget the muslin. I've seen more infections caused by muslin sacks.

The hops will settle to the bottom pretty quickly. Fermentor finings like gelatin help push everything down for when it's time to bottle. Also, cold crashing is magical. And a bit more time will help also.

Get those dry hops in there stat, joe!

 

[Barley_Bob]

First of all, no need to worry about sanitization (much). Hop oils fight some microbes, which is one reason hops are used in beer. 8+ IBUs can fight a lot off. Your beer also now has alcohol which will fight off bugs, and you have a robust yeast colony that can out compete bugs. You can still get an infection, but it's less likely, and dry hopping from a new packet with the outside sanitized is pretty darn safe.

As for particles - forget about it. When I bottle, I just set my autosiphon on top the yeast cake an let it go. Some trub, yeast, and hop material ends up in my bottling bucket, but most of it stays in the bottom. What does make it into the bottles settles out with the yeast when I crash it in the fridge. The last couple of bottles I do will have a little hop matter in them, and sometimes that gets into my glass, but I view the simplicity, reduced risk of oxygenation, and reduced risk of infection as a worthwhile trade-off. 48 out of 50 bottles I get out of a batch will be crystal clear in the glass with no hop matter in them.

 

[Natdavis777]

I, for one, get my hops put into a ziplock type bag from the LHBS. Those get dropped into the dry hop without sanitizing the carboy lip or bag... Have yet to have an infection from it in 100+ brews. The only batch Ive had to dump was, ironically, a sour!! (too much acetic acid) Hops inhibit bacterial growth. Plus you have alcohol to do the same. Dump those bad boys in loose!

 

[Zepth]

Launch it in. Come back a week or two later. Crash if inclined. Package and enjoy. Being paranoid is not on the list of things to do.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

First, atop saying sterilize. It is the wrong word. You want sanitary. That is different.

Second, drop them in. Cold crashing helps a ton but isn't necessary.

Third, enjoy! Ipa is my favorite style. After getting gold at brewing them I am regularly disappointed by what I buy.

 

[brewguyver]

+1 - you're not sanitizing anything without an autoclave or a pressure cooker. Generally soaking anything in a solution of star san works well.

Hops drop on their own, but if you want clearer then crash.

 

[IPADave]

First, atop saying sterilize. It is the wrong word. You want sanitary. That is different.

Second, drop them in. Cold crashing helps a ton but isn't necessary.

Third, enjoy! Ipa is my favorite style. After getting gold at brewing them I am regularly disappointed by what I buy.

Sorry....obviously meant sanitize...another cautionary tale about positing while sampling one's inventory!

Thanks to all for the support. Pellets going in today.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew