Dry Hopping Sanitation Question

[clintmo]

I am looking at doing my 1st dry hop but am a little concerned about hops and their sanitary condition I opened up the vacuum sealed pack on brewday and put it in the freezer (leftovers) not in a glad bag. I then put in a glad bag around a week later. So the freezer air could contact the hops in that 1st week. The freezer does have some mold in there too as its an outside freezer.

So my question is if dry hopping should i boil the hops prior to adding to secondary or just chuckem in?

cheers clint

 

[Bribie G]

I am looking at doing my 1st dry hop but am a little concerned about hops and their sanitary condition I opened up the vacuum sealed pack on brewday and put it in the freezer (leftovers) not in a glad bag. I then put in a glad bag around a week later. So the freezer air could contact the hops in that 1st week. The freezer does have some mold in there too as its an outside freezer.

So my question is if dry hopping should i boil the hops prior to adding to secondary or just chuckem in?

cheers clint

To be doubly sure, make up 'hop tea' with boiling water, allow to soak for about ten minutes and strain into fermenter through a sanitised SS strainer. You'll get nearly all the benefits of dry hopping. Possibly a tad increase in bittering but nothing you should worry about.

 

[zebba]

Pretty sure most people just chuck them in. Hops were originally used as much for their anti-bacterial properties as for their bittering and flavouring properties, and it's reasonable to assume they are still usefull for this. So I just chuck my pellets in as-is.

 

[BrenosBrews]

Boiling the hops will negate the benefits of dry hopping. Assuming you at least sort of closed the vacumn pack I seriously doubt you'll have any issue.

 

[dpadden]

Just chucked a handful of pellets in my IIPA this morning As long as you're reasonably careful they will be fine :icon_cheers:

 

[Count Vorlauf]

Just chucked a handful of pellets in my IIPA this morning As long as you're reasonably careful they will be fine :icon_cheers:

Never had an infection caused by dry hopping. Make sure your hands are nice and clean when you chuck them in, tho!

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Just chucked a handful of pellets in my IIPA this morning As long as you're reasonably careful they will be fine :icon_cheers:

Thats the same method that I use, sometimes I even remember to wash my hands 1st. Never had a problem.

 

[clintmo]

okay ill just chuck em in, i did fold up the foil pack pretty well... thanks

 

[newguy]

I'm paranoid about infections. I let my dry hops soak in a small amount of spirits (usually scotch) to sanitise before I add them to the fermenter.

 

[superdave]

I haven't had any dramas with pellets or flowers going straight in dry.

 

[Fourstar]

Go commando!

The only time i go the dry hop tea route (oxymoron?) is if i want exactly that. The short contact time you have with boiling water wont kill all the nasties if existant (which they probably are all the time anyway in some way shape or form) unless you do an extended boil anyway.

 

[Rod]

I normally just add directly from a new pack

and then vacuum seal the remainder

yea , I know another bit of gear to buy , but comes in handy with a lot of things

got mine from Aldi , on special $79

 

[Ross]

They'll be fine - Just chuck them in.

Cheers Ross