Wash hops before drying?

This is my first year growing hops and I am getting ready to harvest them. Do you wash the hops after you pick them and before you dry them? I did some searches on this forum and couldn't seem to find an answer.

Pretty sure not......never really thought about it.

Cleaning may rinse out some lupuline.

no absolutly not cheers Glen

If not, what about possible infection from nasties on the cones? Especially if you use them at flameout or dry hop with them?

Hops cannot infect beer.

They are too antiseptic as it is.

I agree that it seems plausible, but millions of brewers would have uncovered some risk by now.

You aren't doing anything new.

Instinctively, washing seems like the right thing....but I just recently did a big wash of cascade and they are turning brown/black instead of drying like they should. Probably going to buy a fan at lunch to minimize the damage. Won't do that again....

Sound like i just need to make sure there are no obvious contaminants like spiders crawling around on my hops before I put them out to dry! :cross:

Washing just adds water to a product you are trying to dry. Don't do it. If you absolutely have to do something, wash down the entire plant while the cones are still on it and then wait a day before you pick. Or pick after a rainstorm.

Again do not wash before drying sorry but its the funniest thing I have ever heard Cneers Glen

When you get a "cneers" from a guy named hopfarmer, abandon the practice and slink into the nearest corner.

I had a bug problem earlier in the year and did a soil amendment (worm castings) which seemed to fix the issue. Hops got ripe and nice (some bines healthier than others). However, there are some patches of shriveled black bugs and a few live aphids still mulling around. My initial thought is to split in two and use the healthier hops for dry hop and the others in the boil.

Thoughts are welcome.

Michael

obeahsf said:

I had a bug problem earlier in the year and did a soil amendment (worm castings) which seemed to fix the issue. Hops got ripe and nice (some bines healthier than others). However, there are some patches of shriveled black bugs and a few live aphids still mulling around. My initial thought is to split in two and use the healthier hops for dry hop and the others in the boil.

Thoughts are welcome.

Michael

Click to expand...

The bugs won't survive the drying, vacuum packing, and freezing. I wouldn't worry about it at all, just pick them out if they are there when you go to package them after they dry.

On some of them, they shriveled and turned black. Others are not present at all. I trashed about 1/2 of the crop. I guess it'll be obvious when they are finished. Thanks a bunch for the help!

"Sound like i just need to make sure there are no obvious contaminants like spiders crawling around on my hops before I put them out to dry!"

Spiders aren't a contaminate - just a protein addition.

In all seriousness, most of the creepy-crawlies will leave during the drying process.

And, as far as I know, commercial hops are not washed.

We don't wash them. That would just add water content to a product we need to dry. If it is a really dusty summer, we will wash down the bines a few days before harvest.

There is an inspection for insect and other foreign containment, though. If it doesn't look good in the field, we don't harvest. When they are picked, if it doesn't look good, its rejected. Same when they are brought into the processing facility. "Not good" is too much leaf/stem, brown from mildew, brown from oxidation, any sign of insect remains or anything that makes the inspector uneasy.

For the most part, they do crawl out as soon as the bine is cut. They continue their escape during the drying process. If they are still there when drying is done, its because they were dead to begin with...reject.