Dry Hopping unhealthy wtf?

Surprised to see numerous treads with users stating they are worried about health issues in dry hopping (not here necessarily).

First of all isn't hops just a healthy plant? Can't i put it in a tea bag and make hop tea and drink it and it would be healthy? If fact isn't the hops the only healthy ingredient in your beer?

I'm a newbie in beer making, but am a health nut in general. Please clarify these concerns for me.

Thanks

-can't i take hops out of a baggie and put it in my cheek for an herbal dip of sorts and it would be healthy? maybe the unhealthy thought comes from the fact that everything needs sterilized and cleaned all the time, sterilize your hops i guess??? wtf

Anyone who claims dry hopping a beer is unhealthy is an idiot about brewing.

Welcome, J. Never heard of health issues with hops, dry or otherwise. As for sanitizing hops before adding them, its unnecessary. I've dry hopped many, many beers and always just toss them in the carboy - no infections. I've read that hops naturally inhibit wild yeast and other bugs.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Anyone who claims dry hopping a beer is unhealthy is an idiot.

Click to expand...

There fixed that for you. Op, I'd be wary of listening to anything these people say, especially about brewing.

Are they referring to the estrogen content in hops?

I don't know about hops being "healthy", but there is nothing about dryhopping that is unhealthy per se. Hops are nuked with pesticides throughout their growth, but they usually stop this well ahead of the harvest.

And yes, hops do contain phytoestrogens.

As for infecting the beer, hop resins coat the outer surface of bactia and other microbes and inhibit their ability to reproduce or do anything. Dry hopping has a similar effect of yeast. Bottle conditioning takes a while longer if the beer was dry hopped.

Never heard this before. I feel like any health issues related to the hops should be the least of our worries. Alcohol and caloric intake would have a far greater impact on one's health, imo. Neither of which I'm too concerned with

BassBeer said:

I feel like any health issues related to the hops should be the least of our worries. Alcohol and caloric intake would have a far greater impact on one's health, imo.

Click to expand...

Bingo. Yes, the estrogen/hops effect does appear to be valid (if you're a menopausal woman or insomniac, get all the hops you can!), but we're dealing with a few ounces. We're not shoveling hops in by the pound or spending weeks in hop fields.

IMO we're better served by minding the carb, gluten, and alcohol content of the beer.

jasolhe said:

Surprised to see numerous treads with users stating they are worried about health issues in dry hopping (not here necessarily).

Click to expand...

We need a lInk to these numerous threads.

Historically, hops were phased into beer partially due to their apparent harmlessness. I am happy to put my body on the line... for science. Everyone send me some pales and IPAs.

Personally I am going to dry hop my ****ty Milwaukee's Best Ice by taking a Cascade dry hop pellet - put it in a tea bag, immerse and wait 5 or so minutes, and taste the difference. Can't fix **** with perfection but I just want to see what happens.

-hops are one of the healthiest things in this world