atooraya

Recipes 

I'm supposed to dryhop after a week, and it's been a week now. I have the bag, and the hops. How do I make sure the hops are sanitized? I opened them up from their vacuum seal last week when I was making the primary wort, and this leftover batch is in a ziploc. I was going to boil some water, put the powder in boiling water and drop the bag I have for the hops in there. Should I skip the bag, and just dump the hops from the ziploc into the fermenter?

(I'm not using a secondary fermeter)

drkaeppel

Recipes 

I usually sanitize a mesh bag for the hops and then just drop it in.

You could also just dump the hops right into the fermentor. When you rack to a bottling bucket or secondary, put a mesh bag or some cheese cloth over the end of your auto siphon to help filter as it drains.

__________________
-Dave

"Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life." -Anonymous

atooraya

Recipes 

The hops that I put in a bowl, then into the ziploc bag aren't contaminated though?

I was thinking of boil some water, putting the hops in the boiling water to kill anything off, and cold crash the water and pour it in the fermenter

BradleyBrew

Recipes 

Boil your bag so its sanitized. Just put the hops right in the boiled bag and add to your fermenter. I would advise not to just put them in the fermenter. In my experience this tends to be a pain during bottling.

jbaysurfer

Recipes 

Bag or no is a preference thing. I sanitize my hop bags (I've used nylons too) in starsan, along with some glass beads (like you get at a hobby shop for vases and flowers...)then put the hops directly in with sanitized hands. The bag will float, so you'll want the glass beads/marbles/SS Parts that have been sanitized..to weigh it down). If you add the hops directly to the beer, just let them float and swirl them gently after a few days..they'll eventually drop out.

The reason IPAs were dryhopped in the first place was that the hops acted as preservatives against nasties growing in beer. So while it would be disingenuine to say that hops are already sanitized...I am of the belief that for the most part they are sanitARY. I do nothing with the hops themselves other then add them to the beer with sanitized hands and sanitized anything else that will touch it.

This is all just my experience talking...others may have other ideas of course.

__________________
RIP: Galaxy Pale Ale, Pliny the Elder Clone, Blind Pig Clone, All Amarillo APA (AAAPA), All Cascade IPA
Kegged: Pliny the Ellis, Ruffle Duffel Rye-wheat IPA, Haley Hop, Texas Redhead
Ageing: Jamil's Belgian Dark Strong "Brew Like a Homebrewer" recipe.
Fermenting: Apricot Blonde
On Deck: Honey Wheat

cl330b

Recipes 

I have the same questions regarding dry hopping. I am using leaf hops for the boil but will be dry hopping with pellets. Just want to know how people are doing it.

drkaeppel

Recipes 

Nah don't worry about it. As others have said - put the hops in a sanitized bag and just toss them in the fermentor.

__________________
-Dave

"Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life." -Anonymous

Hang Glider

Recipes 

Hops are a natural preservative, and it is unlikely anything nasty has taken hold there.
I just drop mine in - although I wait three weeks so everything's good and done before I dry hop for another week -

__________________
It must be understood that common sense and caution are factors which cannot be built into this product and must be supplied by the operator.

atooraya

Recipes 

The directions I have say the IPA should be fermented for a week, then 1 week dry hop.

It's still bubbling, after a week (1 bubble every 30 secs) so you think I should let it sit for a few more days, then put the hops in?

The problem is that I'm leaving next Saturday and will be gone for a week....Maybe I should just dry hop them then

remman4

Recipes 

Hops are a natural antiseptic, add the dry hops the day you leave and then bottle the day you get back no bag needed!