Growing Hops 2022

Hopefully. They seem to be starting to turn brown some. They smell amazing. Either way it’s my only chance to brew in my schedule so it is what it is. I don’t have time to dry them out and store them. Plus I really wanted to brew with them straight of the bine.

 

I was surprised how many cones popped up. There is a lot more coming in now but they won’t be ready by next Friday. Maybe I can dry and freeze them. Next year it’s on. I’m plant 3 more cascades and buying another trellis and doing a total of 6 of a different variety. Not sure what kind yet. We have 2 humming birds that like to visit the bines when they come for the flowers.

 

Nice, pretty sure I did the same with my first year’s yield.

 

Cascade is going nuts. Hopefully I’ll make up for not getting anything last year. Should be ready to pick by the end of the week.

 

WOW those look like happy hop bines!!

 

Same here in Zone 6 in Southern PA, my Cascade and Nugget were ready for harvest the 3rd week of July. So early that I didn't bother harvesting since with some vacations I won't be able to homebrew anything until September. The cones were totally brown by beginning of August.

I assume they were so early due to all the hot weather we had.

 

So I have a question. I brewed with my Cascade hops today. I added about a quart a jar full of hops to the whirlpool. I let them soak and whirl @170° for about 15min. When I was cleaning my kettle out. I decided to rip a few cones apart and found the yellow Lupilin still intact. I would have thought it would resolve into solution??? Any one else experience this?

 

I'm in SE Pa and the recent dry weather all of a sudden forced me to pick all magnums. My cascades and centennials first bines that grew also needed picking. The bines that followed on them cones not ready to pick yet. Sun has been intense.

 

Just out of curiosity, have you been periodically watering your plants?

I have one hop plant, of unknown variety, which I have harvested over the past 10ish years the second - third week of September. The plant is mostly in the flower vs. cone stage but there are some small cones. My guess is I will be harvesting as usual this year in the middle of September. I have been periodically watering during the recent drought (about once a week; 5 gallons of water at the base).

Cheers!

 

They are in the yard still. They just smell like wort lol.

 

I harvested my CTZ hops yesterday and got 2 x 6.5 gallon plastic buckets full. I am drying them now. However, what is the best way to use them? I was planning to brew a Saison this Wednesday. Are there any special techniques to use? I was thinking of heating them in my mash water and/or sparge water or using them like the pellet hops at 60/15/0 minutes. Also, how much to use? Many questions.

 

I've been watering them at night a few days a week when dry. They get full sun all day and it's just getting hotter as people cut down trees for whatever reason.
Certain hops for me don't produce for me. Northern brewer, Goldings, Sterling and Cashmere all died. C hops do better. I'm thinking of planting Neomexicanus maybe they'll like the sun.

 

Well, all hop varieties should "like the sun". Most of the US hop crop is from the Pacific Northwest with Yakima Valley in Washington having a lot of hop acreage. Yakima Valley has hot summers and lots and lots of sun.

As to why Northern brewer, Goldings, Sterling and Cashmere did not fare well, I have no idea.

My hop plant has always done well but I really do not know what variety it is. The story (from a soon to be published article):

"I likely have a unique journey into being a hop ‘farmer’ as opposed to other homebrewer hop farmers. The one hop plant I have in my backyard is a result of my sister drop shipping a hop rhizome to my wife as a birthday present (my wife’s birthday is in April). My wife and I visited a brewpub in Lake George Village, NY during one summer and we sat outside on a patio for lunch (and beers) with a wooden trellis as our overhead cover with hop plants growing above and providing shade. It was an idyllic setting and the beers were pretty good. My wife told my sister about this and the following birthday the gift arrived. The hop rhizome was from gardeners.com and the packaging simply stated “Hop Rhizome” with no mention of the variety. This hop plant was intended to be ornamental and I purchased an Arch Trellis for this plant."

Cheers!

 

I think part of my problem with the hops doing bad are the ones planted on a sloping hill, so water drains more. Ones at the bottom or on flat ground do better.

 

Good on u ripper, my goldings are rather poor this year, like maybe 3 oz wet.

however,,, the foundry hops are legendary again. Best guess is 6-9 lbs dry. Cascade chinook and nugget all grown together

 

Personally haven't had great success with my wet hopped beers, but it's been many years and two houses since I've brewed one in my own brewery (since the hop bines stayed there). But the space where the lupulin gland resides is pretty hydrophobic and really the best way to access it is to shred the hops. Odell Brewing uses a hammer mill...I've heard suggestions of a blender, but I knowing how sticky and resinous lupulin is, personally wouldn't be willing to sacrifice my ninja blender to the hop gods. So that leaves good ole kitchen prep processing in my mind with a knife and cutting board...but if you can think of a better way to shred/pulverize the cones, would be interested in hearing.