So my hop yard has come in pretty nicely (for PHX, that is) and I believe these bad boys are ready to harvest. I have cascade, centennial, columbus, and galena. I want to harvest them but I'm afraid I won't be able to brew a beer with them until after Labor Day. Do I pick em and freeze em? Do I leave em on the vine? Thoughts?
Do you intend to dry your hops prior to brewing with them? If so, it is perfectly OK to harvest them now and dry & brew later. Cheers!
I pick my hops and put them in an herb dryer, which doesn't use hot air, it just blows air through the screens. After they feel about right (a little papery but not crunchy) I'll vacuum pack them and put them in the fridge. They will keep a very long time that way. I'll put some in the freezer if I want them to last even longer. If you want to try the old time way of drying, just cut the vines at the bottom and let them air dry.
I would not freeze or refrigerate the hops until they've been dried. Keep them as whole as possible through the process so the pollen sticks to the leaves instead of to everything else.
