Terrified to dry hop

[SnickleFitsBrew]

I got an IPA in the primary, similar to a DFH 60... I was going to dry hop for a week some Simcoe and Amarillo possibly.. Im just scared to put the pellets straight in there.. I fear for infections and anything else going wrong.. I also dont want to deal with the floaties and the trub caused by the pellets disintegrating.. is there anyway to use a grain/hop bag and sanitize the whole deal before dropping it in there? Ive read countless threads on the antiseptic and high acidity of the hops being not an issue in terms of contamination but I am still very weary because my last brew got infected... id hate to see another batch get screwed up but I REALLY want that extra hop aroma!!! ahhhh someone put my fears aside

 

[samc]

You can sanitize the hop bag easily enough. If you are really scared of the pellets infecting you could soak them in some vodka first and dump everything in after a day of soaking, including the Vodka. I use leaf hops and never had infections.

 

[Sea]

Yeah, if you get an infection it won't be from the hops. I used to dry-hop in a bag, either soaked in starsan for a few days or microwaved for a few minutes, but you will get much more flavor and aroma from loose hops. I also recommend whole leaf as well for improved flavor and ease of racking.

 

[DeafSmith]

I've never had an infection from dry hopping (or anything else for that matter - knock on wood). As for the pellet hop residue, here's what I do if I'm bottling:
1. Sanitize a jumbo size grain bag (got mine from AHS) by boiling it
2. Place sanitized grain bag inside bottling bucket - drape excess material over sides of bucket and secure with bungee cord around outside of bucket
3. Use autosiphon to rack into bottling bucket
4. Add priming sugar solution during racking - stir very gently and briefly to mix (or just rely on the swirling action of the beer entering the bucket).
5. Remove grain bag containing hop residue - have another container ready next to the bottling bucket to dump the wet bag into.
6. Proceed with bottling

Here's the bag I use:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_403&products_id=1058

Possibly you could use a paint strainer bag - not sure if it's big enough to fit in a bottling bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

I use hop sacks to dry hop after FG is reached. Just don't put more than 1oz in each bag to allow for expansion of the pellets. Everything stays cleaner that way.

 

[wilserbrewer]

FWIW I just dump the pellets right into the fermenter...it helps to let them sit at least 5 days and cold crashing. Given enough time they will settle nicely...RDWHAHB

 

[Vance71975]

I got an IPA in the primary, similar to a DFH 60... I was going to dry hop for a week some Simcoe and Amarillo possibly.. Im just scared to put the pellets straight in there.. I fear for infections and anything else going wrong.. I also dont want to deal with the floaties and the trub caused by the pellets disintegrating.. is there anyway to use a grain/hop bag and sanitize the whole deal before dropping it in there? Ive read countless threads on the antiseptic and high acidity of the hops being not an issue in terms of contamination but I am still very weary because my last brew got infected... id hate to see another batch get screwed up but I REALLY want that extra hop aroma!!! ahhhh someone put my fears aside

I just dry hopped a Rye Pale Ale with 4 oz of hops, just tossed them in, no issues at all.

if you dont want the floater's use an extra large hop sack.

 

[tnshurtm]

FWIW I just dump the pellets right into the fermenter...it helps to let them sit at least 5 days and cold crashing. Given enough time they will settle nicely...RDWHAHB

Interesting thing I haven't thought of before....should I cool the beer before removing the dry hops? I keg and normally remove them before putting in the fridge.

 

[ISUBrew79]

I got an IPA in the primary, similar to a DFH 60... I was going to dry hop for a week some Simcoe and Amarillo possibly.. Im just scared to put the pellets straight in there.. I fear for infections and anything else going wrong.. I also dont want to deal with the floaties and the trub caused by the pellets disintegrating.. is there anyway to use a grain/hop bag and sanitize the whole deal before dropping it in there? Ive read countless threads on the antiseptic and high acidity of the hops being not an issue in terms of contamination but I am still very weary because my last brew got infected... id hate to see another batch get screwed up but I REALLY want that extra hop aroma!!! ahhhh someone put my fears aside

There's no reason to worry about infecting your beer by adding dry hops. I usually add the pellets loose to the fermenter. When I'm ready to rack the beer to the keg, I sanitize a nylon hop bag by boiling it in water for 15 minutes. I secure the hop bag to the end of my auto siphon using zip ties, then rack the beer as usual. I've had great results using this method.

 

[SnickleFitsBrew]

thank you all very much... my fears have subsided and i will santizing my hop bags and adding them to the fermenter tonight... my fg has been reached... its amazing how fast 1056 fermented out for me even with such a high og... beautiful yeasties.. well thanks again! this site is truly the best asset for a homebrewer... nothing compares !!

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks,that's what we do here. Someday,you'll get your turn to give something back. Everyone in their turn...

 

[blkandrust]

I dry hop in the keg using a 3" stainless tea ball.Works great.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Forget about getting infections from hop pellets, it never happens. The properties inherent to hops are why they're successful as a preservative. I've boiled my hop sacks for 10 minutes or soaked them in One-Step for the same time, put the pellets in, tie a loose knot and toss them in with about 5-7 days left before bottling/kegging.

 

[Cosper123]

Eventually in my "every boy needs a dream" hobby grand plan...I want to grow my own hops. This is where my concern lies concerning dry hopping...It is plant matter and dirt and all else is going to wind up in it. And my experience in the food industry has taught me that even excessive washing cannot account for every nook and cranny.

It is knowing this that makes me weary about dry hopping with leaf hops. Would soaking the hops in a starsan solution for a few minutes do anything to damage the properties of the hops?

 

[BeerEagle]

The old guys didn't have star-san for the first few hundred years of beer making with hops. In the 19th century the use of sulphur to kill the nasties became common practice in the oastings.

Hops have strong antiseptic and preservative qualities, use the philosophy of the organic folk. Leave them alone, they'll be fine.

My €.02 worth.