First batch, first mistake

[nbbrewing]

So... I brewed a batch of coopers lager tonight (the no boil that came with my kit) and I wanted to dry hop it just a bit to experiment. Well.... My inexperience let me add the hops right after adding the yeast. Does this pretty much guarantee an infection since i didn't want til after fermentation? It was 1 ounce whole leaf hops. Should I take them out now or will that only increase my chance if infection?

 

[Revvy]

That increases the chance that the hops will have no effect because the co2 during fermentation will drive off the hop aroma. Infection shouldn't be a worry, since I would assume they were in a sealed packet, and even if not your chances are low.

Dry hopping is typically done when fermentation is complete.

Just leave them in, trying to fix it could cause more problems. You may want to consider dry hopping again in about 2 weeks when the beer has fermented out.

 

[nbbrewing]

Thanks for the reply! I'll leave them be and hope for the best

 

[birvine]

Let's see what other say, but... if you just did it, maybe strain out the hops, re-boil to re-sterilize, then cool and re-pitch yeast. Then add hops in a few weeks.

B

 

[Revvy]

Let's see what other say, but... if you just did it, maybe strain out the hops, re-boil to re-sterilize, then cool and re-pitch yeast. Then add hops in a few weeks.

B

No NO NO....don't mess with it. Trying to fix something will increase the risk for causing an infection. Like I said earlier, your risk of an infection NOW is pretty low...But the more contact stuff has with your soon to be beer, the greater the risk of an infections.....you're just increasing the odds.

Right now all you did was dump hops in....If you do anything else, each thing adds another chance....

Just trust and know that it our beer manages to turn out alright DESPITE what we do to it.....but you don't want to push it.

Read this while you relax What are the mistakes you made where you beer still turned out great.

 

[ksbrain]

No just leave it alone. Revvy is right.

I have never met with anything other than misery trying to "fix" a "mistake"

 

[nbbrewing]

Thanks Revvy, I'm definitely leaving it alone. There's always the next one if this one doesn't work out haha. I'm expecting many bad batches in the next year or so. How else would I learn what not to do.

 

[joetothemo]

If you are wanting reassurance that everything will probably be alright, John Palmer says this in "How to Brew"

"When you are dry hopping there is no reason to worry about adding unboiled hops to the fermenter. Infection from the hops just doesn't happen."

Of course, he is talking about dry hopping late in the fermentation cycle, but it put my mind at ease when I dry hopped my IPA the other day (after 8 days in Primary)

 

[SilentAutumn]

That increases the chance that the hops will have no effect because the co2 during fermentation will drive off the hop aroma.

No effect? It won't add anything to his brew? Clearly it won't have the efficacy of dry hopping, but totally useless? Not trying to be difficult. I'm genuinely curious if he totally wasted an ounce of hops.

 

[cclloyd]

Thanks Revvy, I'm definitely leaving it alone. There's always the next one if this one doesn't work out haha. I'm expecting many bad batches in the next year or so. How else would I learn what not to do.

Think positive - it's not rocket science it's BEER! If you sanitize properly first and foremost, chances are you'll make the best beer you've ever had and it only gets better from there!