Preservation properties of dry hopping

[Joewalla88]

I was wondering if any one knows if or how much dry hopping contributes to the beer preservation. I know that one of the reasons for using hops is their antimicrobial properties, but how much of that has to do with isomerization, and boiling process, and everything else? Does dry hopping effect the preservative "quality"(?) of the beer.

 

[bajaedition]

I cannot answer that with a scientific amount but I have read that India Pale Ale got its hoppy profile because they took regular pale ale and heavily dry hopped it so it would make the trip to India. They needed more of a preservative than the regular hops in the beer had. That was the days of sail and the kegs rocked a lot in the slow passage.

 

[Joewalla88]

Thanks for the reply. I made a 1 gallon batch that was tasting a little too bitter, so I blended it with a gallon and a half of unhopped wort. I think the flavor will be fine, but I'm worried about the preservation, because now it should be down somewhere around 4-6 ibus. I'm just not sure if IBUs play an actual part in the preservation, and if adding a little dry hop would stop any unwanted stuff from growing.

 

[MidAtlanticBrew]

On the time scale required to drink 2.5 gallons of home brew ... hops won't positively or negatively impact the beer antimicrobial protection. Dont' worry it'll be fine

Thanks for the reply. I made a 1 gallon batch that was tasting a little too bitter, so I blended it with a gallon and a half of unhopped wort. I think the flavor will be fine, but I'm worried about the preservation, because now it should be down somewhere around 4-6 ibus. I'm just not sure if IBUs play an actual part in the preservation, and if adding a little dry hop would stop any unwanted stuff from growing.

 

[oylerck]

Thanks for the reply. I made a 1 gallon batch that was tasting a little too bitter, so I blended it with a gallon and a half of unhopped wort. I think the flavor will be fine, but I'm worried about the preservation, because now it should be down somewhere around 4-6 ibus. I'm just not sure if IBUs play an actual part in the preservation, and if adding a little dry hop would stop any unwanted stuff from growing.

Plus the alcohol should help. Just a minor factor.

 

[Joewalla88]

Good point. Thanks.