Hops

[Cocko]

Cocko: say I want to add a hop late flavour to a nearly fermented beer - is there a method for this without adding too many fermentables?

So you are talking about adding them to the fermenter then? 'Dry hopping' ? Pretty much aroma only, obviously aroma will effect the placebo of flavour....

Short answer: If you wanna dry hop, I would run some boiled water over the hops to sanitise and then add....

Is that what you mean?

 

[manticle]

With hops being anti-bacterial, is there any major reason/necessity to sanitise?

 

[Cocko]

With hops being anti-bacterial,

How so?

Does that bacterial resistance run through the process to making them pallets? And then packaging them?

Not being smart, tell me!

 

[manticle]

As far as know (and I admit to not being mr super brew) hops themselves have anti-bacterial and preservative qualities, regardless of the form they're in. I would assume that the process of turning flowers into pellets is sterile and the inherent properties would be retained.

All that is purely assumption and based on information I've read and heard but on an experiential level, I've dry hopped with handfuls of pellets and had absolutely no infection problems.

 

[RdeVjun]

Yep, some stuff in the hops (AA in fact- wiki link) is a mild bacteriostat, but our friendly sacc. cerv. is one of the lucky few that are resistant to it, at least to some degree. At least AFAIK, others might put it slightly more elegantly... so dry hopping isn't such a problem when that's considered, along with that and the low pH and alcohol of a nearly- fermented wort, its a fairly inhospitable environment for foreign bugs.

(Damn- beaten again...)

 

[manticle]

http://www.ankamed.com/onlineshop/product_...250/language/en

 

[RdeVjun]

ROTFL, manticle!

"perine areas smell, dry and crack"

I guess babel fish has its uses!

Edit: Who'd have thought to cleanse the perineum with hops on a rag?

 

[Cocko]

I've dry hopped with handfuls of pellets and had absolutely no infection problems.

Same, not arguing - just asking!

The only reason I suggested it is it does eliminate the guessing out of it... Its sort of like sanitising bottle tops! - I didn't for months of bottling and never had an issue... then someone said 'Why wouldn't you?' Couldn't answer that so from then I did, still never a problem while bottling, keg now, but thats where I am coming from...

Why not take a simple step to eliminate a chance for point of infection... especially a simple, non time consuming one?

 

[manticle]

Same, not arguing - just asking!

The only reason I suggested it is it does eliminate the guessing out of it... Its sort of like sanitising bottle tops! - I didn't for months of bottling and never had an issue... then someone said 'Why wouldn't you?' Couldn't answer that so from then I did, still never a problem while bottling, keg now, but thats where I am coming from...

Why not take a simple step to eliminate a chance for point of infection... especially a simple, non time consuming one?

Generally I'd agree but in this instance it just seems a bit like disinfecting dettol. Dry hopping is called dry hopping because it's done in the absence of moisture.

Anyway it's so simple that either way is probably up to the individual brewer and as you say it takes the guessing out of it. If it works for you, cool.

 

[Scruffy]

I dry hop a lot, any excuse to get some in... only a couple of times have i had to skim the white silky gossamer mold off the surface - and i reckon that was a high PH, low alcohol, airbourne anything... not dirty hops...