Sanitizing for dryhop process?

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)

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

atooraya said:

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

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

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 -

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

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

Sounds good to me!

Is it an issue letting an IPA ferment longer than instructed?

atooraya said:

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

Click to expand...

Directions from beer stores are notoriously bad. They're in the business of selling kits and ingredients, not in patience.

The best things you can do for your beer (10+ years' experience here)

1) excellent sanitation
2) pitch lots of healthy yeast
3) GOOD temperature control of your fermentation process (wort temps, not ambient temps)
4) time - ALL my beers sit in the primary 3 weeks before I decide to go longer or move them, or dry hop them.

Hang Glider said:

Directions from beer stores are notoriously bad. They're in the business of selling kits and ingredients, not in patience.

The best things you can do for your beer (10+ years' experience here)

1) excellent sanitation
2) pitch lots of healthy yeast
3) GOOD temperature control of your fermentation process (wort temps, not ambient temps)
4) time - ALL my beers sit in the primary 3 weeks before I decide to go longer or move them, or dry hop them.

Click to expand...

I santize as best I can. This is my second batch, and my first batch came out fine after 2 weeks in primary, then I bottled it, and opened a bottle up to try it out a week after bottling and it was DELICIOUS, but a little flat. (It was an ale)

I like my beer EXTREMELY HOPPY! So I'm hoping that by letting this sit longer,and dry hop longer, it will come out hoppy as well.

I also have my fermenter sitting near the wall to the outside in my apartment. The temperature on the bucket strip ranges from 64-68 depending on the day.

atooraya said:

Sounds good to me!

Is it an issue letting an IPA ferment longer than instructed?

Click to expand...

One week?

I let my IPAs sit in the primary for probably 3-4 weeks, then add the dry hops and bottle a week later.