# Drying Home Grown Hops



## Shanta (16/3/14)

I'm not too sure if this thread has been done before but I just harvested my first batch of P.O.R today. I'm drying them out on a window screen in the spare room and just letting the natural air flow do it's thing. Any other cost efficient methods? How do you prefer to dry your hops?


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (17/3/14)

Thats the best way.


----------



## CrookedFingers (17/3/14)

Thats what I did. In the garage though.
They dried well in about 5 or so days and have been packaged up now.


----------



## Shanta (17/3/14)

Great thanks for the replies. I'm glad to hear this method works well! Did you turn the hops during this process or just leave them for about a week?


----------



## CrookedFingers (17/3/14)

As I walked by i just gave them a gentle rustling.
Not enough to knock the lupin out, but just enough to turn them over.


----------



## philistine (17/5/14)

Its been a few weeks, and you've probably finished drying them by now.

Maybe this has all been discussed on here before and Im just regurgitating old news, but after a quick google search on hop drying techniques, i saw a lot of wierd info and strange contraptions made from fans that force air through the hops in various ways which in my opinion is a bad start to the drying process.
Airflow is a necessity obviously, but it needs to be gentle and the material needs to be kept out of sunlight. 


One of the best ways to start the drying process with fresh material would be to lay it all out on a flyscreen, put it in a dark room. If you like, put a fan in there to circulate the air (but not blow on the stuff). Gently shake the trays/screens around every day or two and just let it dry slowly over a week or so.
If super quick drying is something that really needs to be done for whatever reason, dont use heat!!!!!
get a plastic container large enough to hold all your material with room to spare. put a layer of damp-rid in the bottom - say 1cm thick. on top of that, put quite a few layers or paper towel, then put you hops on top. cover with one more layer of paper towel, put the lid on and then put it in the freezer. check it after a day or two to make sure the damp-rid hasnt started liquifying and if it has, just replace with fresh dry stuff. Depending on how much is in there and how dense it's packed, it should be more or less done within a few days.

Id also recommend taking the time to gently 'cure' the flowers to improve aroma and flavour and to help reduce unwanted characteristics.
(Ill try not to get too horticulturally geeky here)
Its quite simple, it just requires patience. Even if your flowers are dry to the touch, the very inner vascular bundles will most likely still contain a bit of moisture, which is a good thing - because it means its ready for curing. Rapid/forced drying any sort of aromatic/flavouring plant material to the point of complete crispy dehydration will stop certain enzymes from completing various metabolic processes before they've had the chance and in a way, will 'preserve' the hops in an unfished state.
These processes help break down sugars and chlorophyls within the material, improving the aroma and flavour profile and also eliminate certain unwanted elements (such as tannins, grassy, earthy and unpleasant bittering compounds).
To help these processes along, the idea is to find a balance between keeping it slightly moist , but dry enough to prevent mould and then maintaing this balance for as long as possible.
The easiest way to do this is to simply place your 'almost dry' hops flowers into a large glass jar and put the lid on. Store it in a cupboard away from light. Every 24 hours or so, open the lid and leave it open for an hour or so to allow the air to exchange - or to do it quickly, tip the hops out, then put it back in.
Initially, you'll notice that condensation will develope in the jars as the material "sweats" and if you do notice moisture, just open the jar and let them air dry at ambient temps. for a while (depending on how moist they are).
Over time (anywhere from a week to a month) you'll notice a dramatic change in the aroma as the moisture dissipates, the chlorophylls break down and the oils begin to 'mature'.

I hope all that makes sense.. I havent had much sleep and Im rambling away 'seemingly' making sense to myself.


----------



## CrookedFingers (17/5/14)

Good info !
I just dried mine on a fly screen in the garage. 
Used a combo of cascade, chinook and Columbus just last night as a flame out addition on a pale ale.
Smelled great. 

CF


----------



## Shaneygrog (22/5/14)

CrookedFingers said:


> Good info !
> I just dried mine on a fly screen in the garage.
> Used a combo of cascade, chinook and Columbus just last night as a flame out addition on a pale ale.
> Smelled great.
> ...


That would have smelt like the breeze passing through the gates of heaven.


----------



## Shaneygrog (22/5/14)

I dried my last small crop on kitchen trays but they were layered thin, not piled up high and the trays were kept in the lounge up high on top of furniture. They were dried out in 5 days or so and were great, all brewed now and all drunk! I did say it was a small crop!


----------

