Dry Hopping & Infections

[Oatlands Brewer]

looking to dry hop my APA after primary and while CC, id there any problems with infections and the like

 

[Fourstar]

looking to dry hop my APA after primary and while CC, id there any problems with infections and the like

i have had no issue going commando with plenty of beers dry hopped. if you are really concerned you can do a hop tea in a coffee plunger and add this to your fermenter or do a small 2 min boil and add the liquor and hop matter. Although this isn't really DRY hopping.

 

[QldKev]

i have had no issue going commando with plenty of beers dry hopped. if you are really concerned you can do a hop tea in a coffee plunger and add this to your fermenter or do a small 2 min boil and add the liquor and hop matter. Although this isn't really DRY hopping.

Would it still be called dry hopping if you used fresh wet hops added straight into the fermentor?

QldKev

 

[Fourstar]

Would it still be called dry hopping if you used fresh wet hops added straight into the fermentor?
QldKev

if it doesn't encoutner a hot water period then yep!

 

[RobH]

Newb observation here, but here goes...
How is an infection going to get in?
1. Infected hops? (have never heard of that happening, but I guess it is a possibility - esp if you don't store them correctly)
2. unsanitsied utensils ... if you are going to use a spoon or pouch to put the hops in they need to be sanitised
3. airborne infection ... well I only open the lid of my fermenter just enough to drop the hops in, and then close the lid up straight away ... reduce the exchange of air in/out of the fermenter & keep as much of that that CO2 inside your fermenter.

Aside from those, I can't think of any other way you might get an infection from dry hopping - and avoidance of infection via those avenues is pretty easy.

 

[BrenosBrews]

Would it still be called dry hopping if you used fresh wet hops added straight into the fermentor?

QldKev

You'd just be dry hoping with wet hops. That'd make for some very grassy beer though.

 

[Nick JD]

Newb observation here, but here goes...
How is an infection going to get in?
1. Infected hops? (have never heard of that happening, but I guess it is a possibility - esp if you don't store them correctly)
2. unsanitsied utensils ... if you are going to use a spoon or pouch to put the hops in they need to be sanitised
3. airborne infection ... well I only open the lid of my fermenter just enough to drop the hops in, and then close the lid up straight away ... reduce the exchange of air in/out of the fermenter & keep as much of that that CO2 inside your fermenter.

Aside from those, I can't think of any other way you might get an infection from dry hopping - and avoidance of infection via those avenues is pretty easy.

Not everyone dry hops with "utensils".

 

[QldKev]

if it doesn't encoutner a hot water period then yep!

You'd just be dry hoping with wet hops. That'd make for some very grassy beer though.

I was joking about the using wet hops for dry hoping comment. you get it dry hopping buy the hops are wet. I thought it was funny at the time.. doh!

making it grassy; wouldn't that depend on the hop?

QldKev

 

[RobH]

Not everyone dry hops with "utensils".

Ok, well I guess they had better make sure that they wash their hands well then

lol ... reminds me of a good joke ... over to the jokes forum

 

[matho]

oatlands
i remember the first time i dried hopped i was worried about infections too
but alot of people do it and there isn't reports of infected beers just remember to use sanitary practices.

cheers matho

 

[MarkBastard]

What about flowers you've grown yourself? Wouldn't they be covered in things likely to cause infection?

 

[Fourstar]

I was joking about the using wet hops for dry hoping comment. you get it dry hopping buy the hops are wet. I thought it was funny at the time.. doh!
QldKev

Thats what the was for.


Yes.. i got it!

 

[Kai]

A few thoughts:

1. A wise homebrewer once said every homebrew is infected, it's just the degree of infection that is important. This is pretty much true, so if your dry hops are adding microbial counts to your beer it's only an issue if the beer goes smelly.

2. I know from my own experiences that dry-hopping with pellets is highly unlikely to introduce any beer spoilage microorganisms to a beer.

3. I'm not so sure on whole hops, I have not seen any data on microbial loading in them but I can say whole hops are far more likely to come with foreign matter included.

 

[Hatchy]

I was planning on sneakily opening the lid of my fermenter & dropping them straight in out of the bag. I didn't think about stirring them in because I figured I'd aerate the beer & hadn't thought about mixing the hops in. I've never dry hopped before though so I'm glad I came across this thread.

 

[Fourstar]

I was planning on sneakily opening the lid of my fermenter & dropping them straight in out of the bag. I didn't think about stirring them in because I figured I'd aerate the beer & hadn't thought about mixing the hops in. I've never dry hopped before though so I'm glad I came across this thread.

as the pellets break apart they WILL be introducing oxygen into your beer. either way you are screwed on the O2 issue unless you liquify them first.

personally i pop them in 'commando' in with 2-4 points of gravity to be knocked off so the femrentation scrubs out any excessive O2.

 

[Hatchy]

I assume there's little risk of infection doing it that way? I was also wondering about weighing them, I just chucked them straight on the scales & from there into the boiling water. I assume it's best practice to tare the scales with a sanitised vessel on them & weigh the hops in there.

Sorry about the stupid questions, this is my 1st step away from K&K & into the world of real brewing. I don't want to bugger it up 1st try (although I may already have done that).

 

[TasChris]

Every thing I have read says that dry hopping cannot cause infection. I have never had any cause to think differently as never pin pointed hops as the issue in any of my infections.
Hops are a good preservative so perhaps infected hops would be akin to disinfectant becoming infected.

Cheers
Chris

 

[BrenosBrews]

I've dry hopped with whole leaf hops numerous times and have never had an issue with infections. Touch wood.

 

[Kai]

Every thing I have read says that dry hopping cannot cause infection. I have never had any cause to think differently as never pin pointed hops as the issue in any of my infections.
Hops are a good preservative so perhaps infected hops would be akin to disinfectant becoming infected.

Cheers
Chris

Dry hopping *can* cause infection, no matter how clean your hops are. If you're opening your fermenter to dry-hop, you are risking infection.

 

[kirem]

Dry hopping *can* cause infection, no matter how clean your hops are. If you're opening your fermenter to dry-hop, you are risking infection.

what if it is already 'open'?