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Dry hopping during the secondary; are hop pellets "sterile"?

Slurk

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Hi,
I am planning dry hopping during the secondary fermentation.
I was wondering if hop pellets are "sterile" and if I could just add them to the secondary?
All suggestions are welcome!
Regards,
Slurk
 
Have been doing it for 30+ years, and NEVER had a problem.
 
I have read that its quite ok to add the pellets this way due to their bacteria-fighting properties.  They do not provide a happy home for bacteria.

I am planning to dry hop my present IPA with cascade pellets once I get it into the secondary.  What I am not sure about though is whether to just drop them in and stir, or whether it would be best to soak them in pre-boiled water first and add them as a slurryu and stir.

Anyone know if it makes any significant difference?


Brian
 
This has been/is being discussed in other threads here. You might want to check out these two threads:

http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,5404.0.html
and
http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,6852.0.html

Scott
 
Thanks a lott Scott, Brian and 88Q!
I am very interested to hear more about the thing you were wondering about Brian: whether to just drop the pellets in and stir, or whether it would be best to soak them in pre-boiled water first and add them as a slurryu and stir.


Regards,
Slurk
 
I was wondering if hop pellets are "sterile" and if I could just add them to the secondary?

One reason hops are used is their antiseptic qualities.  They act as a preservative. So yes, they are "sterile".

whether to just drop the pellets in and stir, or whether it would be best to soak them in pre-boiled water first and add them as a slurryu and stir.

Stirring them in could introduce air and/or bacteria.  Better to just drop them in and walk away.

They will break up on their own and form a "raft" at the top as they catch bubbles from the yeast. Then as yeast activity subsides they'll start to sink, though they'll catch bubbles and float back to the top. After a couple or three weeks there will only be a few bits floating at the top, and it's OK if they end up in your bottles or keg.

 
In brewing, nothing is really sterile except boiled water & wort (for a while). Wait till active fermentation is completely over before racking & pitching hops to keep the aroma. ive been tossing pellets for years without a single problem batch. If you see all the hop material settled at the bottom, go ahead and twist the carboy right & left to lift the hops back up. of course dont do this before kegging or bottling!
 
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