This will be my first dry hop, and I just want to throw the hops in for the last 2 weeks in the primary. Should I sanitize the pellets by putting them in a solution of water and crushed campden tablet the day before?
What about home grown hops? My hops have been subject to all sorts of dust and contamination during this season of growth. They were grown organically, so they are not completely free of pests, namely spiderwebs. I am planning an ipa that will be heavily dry hopped. Do I need to sanitize my hops?
Could I soak them in a little star san for a min and then toss them in the secondary? I'm trying to avoid boiling or subjecting them to too much heat so I may retain the most hop aroma. I am paranoid about infection because I've had those problems in the past.
Thanks for the advice. I'm surprised there isn't more discussion on this topic with the number of brewers that grow their own hops.
My $.02 is it's not a more discussed topic because it simply is a non issue. Have you ever seen what hops go through between the time the vines are cut and they get to your LHBS? They aren't processed in a clean room or anything. Homegrown/Commercially grown, there's not really a whole lot of difference there, just the scale of the operation. At the point in the process we are using hops for dry hopping there are several factors allowing the process to work without issue.
RDWHAHB...It really is that easy.
Could I soak them in a little star san for a min and then toss them in the secondary? I'm trying to avoid boiling or subjecting them to too much heat so I may retain the most hop aroma. I am paranoid about infection because I've had those problems in the past.
Thanks!
There is some concern with contamination during DHing. The pros say not to dry hop until a week or so after fermentation to let the alcohol build enough to kill what bacteria will be present in the hops(because there is always bacteria and natural fungi on everything.)
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