If Hop Oil = Aroma why not "Dry Hop" with it???

[cjmcfoot]

I have heard many stories about people acquiring infections from "Dry Hopping" plus I don't rack to a secondary as I have a conical. Thus "Dry Hopping" in a secondary is not an option for me.

Have any of you beer wizards ever used hop oil for aroma? I am curious as to how much oil is equivalent to the amount of dried natural hops, "dry hopped"?

Craig

 

[carnevoodoo]

Infections from dry hopping are not entirely common. Hops are naturally a preservative and should be ok, plus the alkalinity and the presence of alcohol will help kill anything that might be hanging out.

I've never used hop oils, so I can't comment on that, but dry hopping provides very little in the way of infection potential. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[bkov]

i would be intersted in hop oil just for more ease

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

I have a little bottle of hop oil, I will tell you this: It is absolutely amazing! When I have a beer that didnt turn out just right I put a couple drops in a pint, if I like how it adds to the beer I then dry hop the beer. I use 2-3 drops (it comes in a container like eye drops) per 16oz (pint). Thats about it, if your LHBS has some I would buy one just to play with. However I wouldnt dry hop an entire 5 gal beer with it because its not cheap. I have never incurred an infection from dry hopping, I just use the oil as a tester mostly.

 

[bkov]

where do you guys get it?

 

[netjunk1e]

Freshops has it.

 

[dontman]

The only time I have ever heard of an infection from dry hopping is when the dry hop container was not sanitary.

Since, like carne says, hops are a preservative and this is in fact one of the early motivators for using them. This is why IPAs have more hops than PAs. The hops fight infection on a long journey.

But I am interested in the oil to have the ability to up the aroma hops just in case.

 

[cjmcfoot]

Yeah good point about the cost. I realize hops is supposed to be "Infection free", but you have to imagine that some germs live on it.
I have a brew buddy that has been told it should be fine to dry hop time and time again, and you know what? Infection EVERY TIME when he dry hops, and NO INFECTION when he doesn't dry hop so it makes you start to think..... coincidence?
Heck I don't know, maybe the way he is storing his hops is all screwed up, I never asked him how he is storing them.

 

[cjmcfoot]

Oh and BTW, I get all my hops from freshhops.com, good place to deal with.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

A conical fermenter does not prevent you from dry hopping. Once you dump the yeast, your beer is effectively in the clearing/brightening/aging stage that most people associate with the term, "secondary." Add dry hops then. Infection is not as big a concern as you seem to think.

 

[sonetlumiere85]

I would be really hard pressed to believe that the hops caused your friend's infection. If you just put hop cones from the bag they came in on top of the surface of your beer, there should be no reason your beer would get infected. If you store them poorly or have really dirty hands or something, I mean, maybe, but not likely.

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

I would assume that your friend is not very sanitary when he dry hops his beer. The only reason I could see an infection forming would be due to the hop bag (what I use) being contaminated (or an outside source when they are added). Whenever I dry hop I use a new hop bag soaked in starsan (they are only like 30 cents) unless i planned on dry hoping the beer and did it in the fermenter not in the keg. Either way, my LHBS sells the hop oil, and as mentioned you can buy it from fresh hops. If you really wanna be a big roller get the isomerized hop oil, then you can add bitterness and aroma with just a few simple drops

 

[david_42]

Hop oil has its place, but the choice is limited. I've seen Cascade and 'other'. I've used it in some commercial beers that have been stored long enough that the aroma was gone.

Infections from dry hopping are extremely rare.

 

[Edcculus]

My reasons for not using hop oil are cost and lack of variety. If hop essential oil is pretty readily available, it would be pretty sweet to have hop scented soap and cologne though!

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Another thing to think about regarding dry hopping and infection. If it truly was such a high risk do you honestly think commercial breweries would do it and risk loosing 10 - 20 - 100+ barrels at a time? I think your buddy does have something else going on if he's getting infections when he dry hops.

Never used oil, hope to never have to.

 

[McKBrew]

It would be interesting to experiment with hop oils/extracts if they were more available. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid is made that way and is one of my favorite IPA's.