Got some fresh hops

I mentioned this in another thread, but I got some freshly picked hops from a friend. He brought them over halfway through a brewday, so I decided to dry hop with them. So, here are a few questions that I need some help with. The hops are fresh, have been stored in a sealed zip top bag for about a week in the fridge, and are still whole.

To dry hop, do I need to dry them somehow? (This could be a very obvious question, sorry. ) Or can I throw them in whole and fresh? Does crushing them make a difference? Use a mesh bag, or throw them in the secondary on top? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

SEP

this is a very good question since i have hops growing in my backyard. mt.hood and willamette hops. could you use a dehydrator on hops or does it have to be air dried like herbs?

Well just a shot in the dark i think drying them out is for storage. Other than that any additive will not hurt the beer. I suppose drying or what not may have an effect on the beer but as for me i do not have enough experience to call on the matter

I'm not sure of the affect when used as a dry hop, but I do know the rate at which you should use them. 6 ounces of wet hops roughly equals 1 ounce of dried hops. 6:1

I recomend drying them out I have used wet hops and I felt I didn't get the flavor or aroma I got from the dry hops. However, this was just perception as I didn't measure the exact amount used I just filled my hop holder and dry hopped. If you lay them out on a screen of somesort they will dry in a few days. If you put a fan on them you can dry them in a day.

I've been very disappointed with fresh hops for dry hopping. The grassy aroma was stronger than anything else. The times I've used them, they went from the bine to the keg without any delay. I haven't tried storing them in the fridge for a week. Maybe that will give the chlorophyll time to breakdown without developing the off-flavors you get from undried hops after a couple days.

I'd crush a couple and give them a sniff. If they don't smell like grass or worse, then toss them in without doing anything else. Otherwise, I'd dry them first.