2008 Hop Plantations

[Bizier]

Update: Picked all hops. Was lucky as I got it off just as the first few drops of rain started to fall... I think all the rain would have washed off a few points of AA%

Got about 800g wet off both POR and Cluster, and about 1kg wet of Chinook. All are vac-packed and frozen wet.

I saw this this morning on the Grow Hops Yahoo Group and thought I'd share. It follows suit with info from Ralph Olson not to trim bines back at the end of the season until they have drawn all of the sap back into the rhizome. I wouls even go so far as to say that you could even give it a good last hit of fertiliser after harvesting to pump a bit more out of the foliage and root system.

Nitrogen and potassium are both very mobile within the plant regardless of shoot age. If you graph the nitrogen uptake with plant biomass accumulation you'll find that the slope starts shallow in April/May steepens during june and really takes off, almost vertical during mid June and July. It tapers off again in late July and August. Potassium follows a similar slope but not as steep. Granted, N is required for general biomass development, but much of the compounds in the flower development are heavily N dependent. Too much N after flower development will result in vegetative bolting of the axial buds within the cone...looks like another shoot growing out of the flower. Water uptake follows a very similar slope.

Think about it from the plant's point-of-view...it doesn't stop photosynthesizing after cone set. Studies have shown that bines allowed to stand instead of being removed for harvest can produce up to 30% more yield and alpha the following season. 6-8 more weeks of carbohydrate partitioning and storage for spring...

 

[afromaiko]

I dried my harvest and put them into zip locks bags but they started smelling like lawn clippings. Is there a better way to store them? Currently I have the rest (also dried) just sitting in a paper bag, don't know if this is bad or not.

 

[Bizier]

Always store hops in freezer if possible, and with as little exposure to oxygen as possible. If you keg, I would suggest purging your bags with C02 first as well.

I got a Sunbeam vac sealer. There are also a few vacuum "foodsaver" sealers out there from Aldi and other off brands.
I noticed that there was a full $50 difference between Big W ($130) and Kmart ($180) for my exact model. It is a PITA that I got a 20cm model though, as the aftermarket bags I got are just a couple of mm too big and I have to cut the corner off and seal that, and then seal the main gap in a second pass.

 

[afromaiko]

I store my bought hops in the freezer, but was reading another thread on here where some guy was growing his own and trying to sell it and everyone was saying not to store them in the freezer or they go mushie or destroy the cells or something.. :unsure:

 

[jbirbeck]

dried get them in the freezer.
wet - I'd say them them out as they go mushy but...I've always dried mine or used them straight off the vine

 

[chappo1970]

I hate this thread! :angry: <Greeneyed Monster Icon>


Ok guys, one soul, left knut, right leg and first born offered up for some rhizomes when available in around september this year. All in reasonable condition errr... that's a lie, possibly the soul is a little bit torn and likey to go to hell, aggates have the plumbing removed, right leg needs a knee reconstruction and first born is/maybe/high likely the Satan reincarnated. Let's talk cash huh?

How about? All reasonable cash donations to your respective brewing funds considered. :icon_cheers:

 

[raven19]

I hate this thread! :angry: <Greeneyed Monster Icon>


Ok guys, one soul, left knut, right leg and first born offered up for some rhizomes when available in around september this year. All in reasonable condition errr... that's a lie, possibly the soul is a little bit torn and likey to go to hell, aggates have the plumbing removed, right leg needs a knee reconstruction and first born is/maybe/high likely the Satan reincarnated. Let's talk cash huh?

How about? All reasonable cash donations to your respective brewing funds considered. :icon_cheers:

I dare say with more and more of us growing our own, there should be plenty of cuttings and rhizomes around in a handful of months. I was able to source some small plants in exchange for HB mid to late last year.

I am jealous too - I have a few 1st year plants in pots (no flowers this year though), need to get them in the ground for some decent growth next season...

 

[chappo1970]

I look at it like this guys. When I cook good fresh food with good fresh ingredients like out of my veggie patch and herb garden the taste's, aroma's and flavour difference is huge! Flavours and aroma's pop out and slap you in the face. So I imagine fresh plump hops would have a reasonably similar in effect to my brews :icon_drool2:

 

[mckenry]

I am going to throw my fresh (frozen) Columbus into as a (wet) dry hop.

I love the way you put this. Double contradiction, yet right at the same time.

 

[Bizier]

I love the way you put this. Double contradiction, yet right at the same time.

Bah!
"I am going to throw my recently frozen Columbus, unboiled, into a brew, post fermentation"

 

[PryorBrewing]

View attachment 25539

Not too impressive yet, but in about 6 months they should be. My rhizomes just arrived from the states today and I'm pretty excited. If all goes according to plan, parts of the house will disappear behind hop vines.

Top row, L-R: Fuggle, Golding, Willamette, Sterling.
Bottom row, L-R: Cascade, Centennial, Hallertauer, Mt. Hood.

Hey Mate were did you buy yours from in the states ??? Is there no problem getting into Australia ?? i saw a site in the usa but didnt know if they would send them to aus

 

[gap]

Hey Mate were did you buy yours from in the states ??? Is there no problem getting into Australia ?? i saw a site in the usa but didnt know if they would send them to aus

newguy is in Canada not Australia.

 

[Smashin]

Woolven st brewery harvest is finally in. Been on a shutdown so haven't been able to pick on time I had left the cascade, goldings and perle a bit too long should still be useful if only as bittering.

I managed to get these dried weights:
Goldings - 524g
Cascade - 252g
Tettnanger - 42g
Hallurtau - 22g
Perle - 573g
Hersbrucker - 374g
--------------------
total 1787g

well that certainly paid the rhizomes off in the first year, cant wait for a bigger crop next year.


drying


50g Packs - will repack when i get my vacuum sealer.


Perle


near to far (Goldings, Herbrucker, Perle, Tettnanger, Cascade, Hallurtau)