Dry hopping with random leaf hops

[Salyangoz]

I have some local hops, which I found in an online herb and spice store and I don't even know their type. They were cheap so I decided to give them a try. I'm planning to brew a small batch and add them to boil at 60 min / 30 min / 15 min / 5 min and dry hop the rest to get the full bitterness/flavor/aroma.

I don't know how they were kept/dried and they have a lot of leaves/branches which I tried to seperate mostly but still there are some micro grind pieces left in the bag. I'm concerned if they might contaminate or ruin the beer, although it's a small batch I don't want to risk it. Also if it works fine I will use them in my regular batches. So I came up with this idea, I can boil them in a hop bag for a couple of minutes, cool and add it to the bucket after it's done fermenting.

My question is, will I still get the aroma or will it be lost in sterilization boil? Or is it safe to add them as they are? Will alcohol protect the beer from contamination?

What do you guys suggest?

 

[thunderwagn]

Just from what you describe, they don't sound like hops I would use in my homebrew...especially if I was concerned or not prepared for a dumper. Sounds like they are for possibly making tea. How is the aroma now? Do they compare at all to any quality hops you've used before? If they don't stack up, I wouldn't bother, unless you're willing to prepare a test batch. Some beer styles do use old, aged hops. I've got bags of hops aging now, but I have been the sole handler. Some sours use old hops. Something you may look into.

 

[Salyangoz]

Just from what you describe, they don't sound like hops I would use in my homebrew...especially if I was concerned or not prepared for a dumper. Sounds like they are for possibly making tea. How is the aroma now? Do they compare at all to any quality hops you've used before? If they don't stack up, I wouldn't bother, unless you're willing to prepare a test batch. Some beer styles do use old, aged hops. I've got bags of hops aging now, but I have been the sole handler. Some sours use old hops. Something you may look into.

The bag contains the cones but with leaves and small branches as well. I tried to seprate cones but there are left over crumbs of branches and dark green leaves.

The aroma has an apricot and some tropical character.

 

[Nosybear]

Go for it, but as Thunderwagn says, be prepared for a dumper. Those hops may be more suited for soap than beer.

 

[Mase]

X3.... go get some real hops

 

[sbaclimber]

The first infection I got was (99% sure) from dry hopping with wild hops. Drying them was really successful, but there are just way too many other things (yeast, bacteria, etc) flying around in the air that must be killed by boiling!