Dry Hop - Bricking It

[earthwormgaz]

Doing a dry hopped IPA at the mo. Should be ready for the weekend. I put the hops in a muslin sheet wrapped up with an elastic band. I put these in boiling water for 10 minutes before using them to wrap the hops up to kill any nasties.

Last time I dry hopped, I used some stones (boiled) to weigh it all down, but didn't this time, as the beer got infected or something and was wrank. I'm hoping the stones were all that was wrong and it'll be okay, but I through loads of malt and hops into this for a really strong hoppy brew. I'll be well upset if it hoes nasty.

Reassure me please :lol:

 

[PD]

there there there, pat pat pat....

 

[Green Ninja]

It'll be fine.

10 mins is enough to sterilise.

What you doing wasting time on here? get another brew on sharpish.

 

[boozy_shoes]

You don't need to boil the hops, they have natural antiseptic properties. They also contain volatile oils and chemicals that boiling drives off and these are what you dry hop for in the first place.

A better use for the muslin bag is to tie it over the end of your syphon when you bottle or rack of into your bottling bucket to leave the loose hops behind in your fermenter.

 

[Dieseljockey]

+ 1 with boozy shoes....if I dry hop...they go straight in. Getting an infection at any time is so easy.. :sick: the less you mess with a brew the better. Hope everything work out well for you. :pray:

 

[Belter]

boil or sanitise the muslin bag. DONT boil the hops. No need at all.

 

[earthwormgaz]

Sorry lads, confused matters here. I just boiled the stuff to steralise them, the hops went into the steralised bag!

Here's how it's going ... http://imgur.com/91iVWRl

I stirred them into the beer gently a couple of times, just mixing the surface of the beer, and turned the hop bag over. Should I just leave it? The hop bag is floating like a bogger, so might not be in the beer enough?

 

[PD]

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THE LID CLOSED it will be fine......

Better if the hop sock is submerged with a heavy sterilised wieght, but it shouldn't come to any harm. AS LONG AS THE LID IS KEPT CLOSED.

 

[kev]

+ 1 with boozy shoes....if I dry hop...they go straight in. Getting an infection at any time is so easy.. :sick: the less you mess with a brew the better. Hope everything work out well for you. :pray:

This man speaks sense.

I find dropping the beer on the hops works best.......

 

[bottler]

+ 1 with boozy shoes....if I dry hop...they go straight in. Getting an infection at any time is so easy.. :sick: the less you mess with a brew the better. Hope everything work out well for you. :pray:

This man speaks sense.

I find dropping the beer on the hops works best.......

Kev, do you always wear trainers with pyjamas

 

[kev]

Yes.

Not to the shops though.

K

 

[DirtyCaner]

Probably easiest just to chuck the hops in and let float around to their hearts content. Some people have suggested putting a couple of sterlised spoons etc in the muslin if your using it though. I prefer just to use an unopend bag of hops, cut open and pour some in.

Hope it turns out nice :thumb:

DirtyC

 

[DamageCase]

If you want to weigh the hop bag down, I've heard of people using sterilised marbles. Stones probably aren't the best idea as cracks could harbour bacteria that the sanitiser can't reach .

 

[Dieseljockey]

Yes.

Not to the shops though.

K

You'll have the supermarket after you... :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[earthwormgaz]

If you want to weigh the hop bag down, I've heard of people using sterilised marbles. Stones probably aren't the best idea as cracks could harbour bacteria that the sanitiser can't reach .

I think that might well be what happened to my last one.

 

[PD]

good ol half inch brass socket does for me.

 

[earthwormgaz]

I could have used some of the copper from my mash tun!

 

[winelight]

Stones look solid but they're porous to an extent.