Does anyone else suffer from dry hop sanitation paranoia?

[Strongarm]

I'm only 3 brews in but each time I've dry hopped I can think of something I've done that could infect the brew and it rests on my mind until I bottle and am proved otherwise. It's always something unplanned, like this time around the hop bag came undone and hops started popping out, so I lifted it out via its string and tied it with my disinfected (I always use that hand disinfecter prior to doing anything with my brew) hands, but then dawned on me I'd taken the FV lid off with them and I hadnt given that a spray with star san. Fingers crossed there was nothing on it and I guess each time I do something that makes me worry I know something else that needs doing next time.

I'm wondering if I should just put a filter on my coopers FV tap, thinking a sheet of stainless mesh, 30 gauge maybe, rolled into a tube and stuck into the back of the tap like one of those bazooka hop filters, and then just chuck my hops straight in. Would save me worrying.

 

[Wezzel]

I never worry. Hops have a natural antiseptic quality that should prevent infection.

Be sensible about sanitation but not obsessive, after all someone, either on this forum or over on Jim's, dropped a rabbit into the FV with no effect ;-)

 

[nobyipa]

using a hop bag really isn't necessary IMHO
80gram vics secret pellet
50 gram nelson suavin leaf dry hopped here






:thumb: :drink:

 

[timw]

I was a bit worried when I first did it, as you always are when you've laboured for a day over your precious ale.... but my experience of dryhopping has been positive....

Sanitise the spoon.... and rinse it if using bleach... open the lid, chuck in the hops (I used leaf last time, although I believe pellets create less of a blockage challeng), give a gentle stir to get them well 'wetted' and submerged. Reseal the lid. Leave for 4 days or whatever the schedule is.

When i come to bottle, I boil my hop bag in a saucepan for about 10minutes, then tie the hop bag around my syphon cane, as per Noby's picture using the stainless steel mesh as a filter, and this then stops all the hop debris from blocking the syphon. Drop it from the FV into another barrrel with the priming sugar solution added, then bottle from there. This seems to give the hops maximum exposure to the beer in the FV - rather than constraining them in the hop bag.

Generally speaking, if you can limit opening, stiring, moving, poking, looking, playing etc etc with it to the absolute minimum, you'll avoid infection (as long as you've sanitised well). Hops are pretty much sterile.

 

[lukehgriffiths]

I did until I thought it such a common practice there can't be much wrong with doing it.
I usually do it when I transfer to secondary.
The most critical time to avoid infection is, I believe, just after boil when the wort is a perfect breeding ground for yeast and bacteria and you want to make sure your yeast is the winner in the battle for domination.
I use tights with marbles rinse and soak in kettle boiled water. Drain and add hops then I run the primary drain into the bag.
Have slung straight into primary too.
No issues.

 

[Strongarm]

Cheers all. I'm generally happy with the process, but always seem to find something that doesn't quite go to plan.

I think I'll try the loose in FV with the strainer over the syphon approach next time, for experience sake if nothing else.

 

[Strongarm]

using a hop bag really isn't necessary IMHO
80gram vics secret pellet
50 gram nelson suavin leaf dry hopped here

:thumb: :drink:

So is that a sheet of stainless mesh wrapped around the syphon?

If so what gauge is it?

 

[morethanworts]

I never worry. Hops have a natural antiseptic quality that should prevent infection.

Be sensible about sanitation but not obsessive, after all someone, either on this forum or over on Jim's, dropped a rabbit into the FV with no effect ;-)

Surely there was an effect on the rabbit! :shock:

The only times I've siphoned with a mesh filter and/or hop sock over the racking cane was before I fitted a tap to my boiling pan. It was a really slow process, however hard I tried, but I defer to noby and others if you've had greater success. Anything that slows racking down is a bad thing to me, but maybe the amount of hops going in those pics offer further protection to the beer!

Pellets loose, or leaves in a weighted hops sock (sock and weights sanitised and boiled first) for me. All handling done with nitrile gloves on, regularly re-rinsed in Star San. I think it's healthy to be reasonably obsessed with sanitation, though this shouldn't stop us doing things like dry hopping and rousing when required. Graham Wheeler talks about that (homebrewer's fear of touching the brew) a little bit in one of his books. It's not JUST about keeping bad flavours out - you've got to get the good ones in. I slightly relax by the time the gravity is getting low, the pH has lowered and there is a decent amount of alcohol in there.

 

[Strongarm]

I slightly relax by the time the gravity is getting low, the pH has lowered and there is a decent amount of alcohol in there.

Sounds like a good excuse to brew high ABV beer.

 

[jonnymorris]

...dropped a rabbit into the FV with no effect

:shock:

 

[Pjam]

I've taken Nobys lead and I just chuck them in, no bag required ........ very liberating feeling :) In fact I'm a real slut and let a few bittering hops slip in to the FV too.

 

[Wezzel]

Here's the rabbit post. Funniest thing I had heard for ages

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/sear ... ve+mistake

 

[nobyipa]

using a hop bag really isn't necessary IMHO
80gram vics secret pellet
50 gram nelson suavin leaf dry hopped here

:thumb: :drink:

So is that a sheet of stainless mesh wrapped around the syphon?

If so what gauge is it?

it is 20

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woven-Wire-20 ... 3ccd3792c4



it makes a fantastic hop stopper too if you buy more

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=44170

:drink: : :thumb:

 

[Strongarm]

I've taken your lead, bought a bit of the stainless mesh and just lobbed 30gr each of Citra and Styrian Golding straight into the FV. Definitely liberating. Will see if I'm still happy when it comes to siphoning into the bottling bucket next week.

 

[Strongarm]

They're floaty little things when you chuck them straight in. 12 hours later all just sat on top bone dry.

 

[Duxuk]

I give them a little poke with a sanitised spoon at this point to get them wet. You could whizz them in a food processor. They just seem to drop if you do this but you get all the flavour out. I do this for flameout hops to try to get better extraction, but tend not to bother with dry hops since they have a lot more time to soak.
The alcohol at this stage of the game should protect your brew from infection. I just try to be carefull not to disturb theCO2 layer, which protects the beer from oxidation. Must admit I poke around in my brews quite a bitIt's a bad habit, I'm sure, but I've never had an infection problem.:thumb:

 

[Strongarm]

I was thinking a spoon might go in this evening, but I'm a new brewer (this is #4) and I've been trying to train my skills in leaving the brew. I've done the best so far this time with just one sample (via tap) after 6 days and then at 8 days the lid came off the first time for the dry hops. I then just gently swirled the FV to spread them out.

 

[Pjam]

I use these.
Add a weight, steam in a pan, then add hops.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I always used to worry if a bird had crapped on hops as it flew over but then I have a drink and forget about it....

 

[Pjam]

hahahhaha .......... I'm laughing but I did once have bird poop on my hops