2011 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hops!

[Tony]

no used the same method last year

 

[Tony]

but i really should make one more small batch with a different yeast to rule out the hops shouldnt i :/

 

[Wolfy]

but i really should make one more small batch with a different yeast to rule out the hops shouldnt i :/

Nope.
I'm sure you've brewed enough beer to have a good idea what it's supposed to be like either in or freshly out of the kettle, if it tasted crappy then you are allowed to blame the hops.

 

[kalbarluke]

Tony, you might have to change or alter your personal signature. "Defender of the Pride...of Ringwood ....as long as it wasn't grown in my own yard."

 

[hoppy2B]

I remember when Tony picked his POR and posted pics I thought it was a bit early.

Its my first year growing hops and I left mine for ages. I started panicking when mine started turning brown as I thought I had left them too long. They have turned out splendid though, marvelous, terrific, sensational, awesome. Yes indeed, they're absolutely fabulous darling. :lol:

 

[drsmurto]

First proper tasting of my 2012 Chinook Harvest Ale. Recipe as follows:

1.5kg LDME
1 x Coopers Light Liquid Malt
400g Carahell, steeped
100g Dark Crystal, steeped
20g Dry homegrown Chinook 60
15g Dry homegrown Chinook 15
40g Wet homegrown Chinook 10
50g Wet homegrown Chinook 5
1/2 tsp Gypsum etc
Made upto 21L
WY1272 (American Ale II) at 17degC

SG 1.050, FG 1.013, estimated ABV 5.6%

Wet hop additions need to be multiplied by 8-10 to be the equivalent of dried hops. So your late additions are tiny and your overall hop rates low.

I use dried homegrown chinook regularly in a rye golden ale with late hopping rates of 2g/L at 20 and 2+g/l at flameout. At that rate it's not in your face but a smooth hop character, not unlike B Saaz but with some passionfruit character as well.

 

[hoppy2B]

Wet hop additions need to be multiplied by 8-10 to be the equivalent of dried hops. So your late additions are tiny and your overall hop rates low.

I use dried homegrown chinook regularly in a rye golden ale with late hopping rates of 2g/L at 20 and 2+g/l at flameout. At that rate it's not in your face but a smooth hop character, not unlike B Saaz but with some passionfruit character as well.

Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh:

Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh:

Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.

How do you know what hop utilisation homegrown hops have in individual gardens when even if you tried couldn't get within 5 IBU's in a batch of wort?

 

[drsmurto]

Are you sure about that PrSmurto? :huh:

Most of my hops seemed to dry out to about 1/4 the original weight, which would make waggastew's late additions identical to yours. I haven't grown Chinook though but find the figure of 8-10 a bit extreme. Perhaps wet hops have more aroma and flavour to them as well.

PrSmurto?

I've kept records of wet and dry from the past 5 seasons. Chinook loses ~85% of its weight each and every year.

 

[hoppy2B]

PrSmurto?

I've kept records of wet and dry from the past 5 seasons. Chinook loses ~85% of its weight each and every year.

Fair enough, if that's what you're getting. I may be picking a little later as its my first season and I lack the experience of a long term hop grower. Mine all started to go brown before I picked them in a panic. Better than picking early judging from Tony's comments.
I delayed picking for as long as possible because I was experimenting with making some of my own malt from wheat I grew and also didn't have time to put down a brew. I wanted to brew with wet hops.
If I recall, the driest mine came out at was 1/5 the original weight, at which stage they seemed to lack a lot of the aroma of the fresh product.

 

[drsmurto]

Fair enough, if that's what you're getting. I may be picking a little later as its my first season and I lack the experience of a long term hop grower. Mine all started to go brown before I picked them in a panic. Better than picking early judging from Tony's comments.
I delayed picking for as long as possible because I was experimenting with making some of my own malt from wheat I grew and also didn't have time to put down a brew. I wanted to brew with wet hops.
If I recall, the driest mine came out at was 1/5 the original weight, at which stage they seemed to lack a lot of the aroma of the fresh product.

When to pick hops is a fine line between too wet resulting in low lupilin levels and lacklustre results in the beer and too dry causing lupilin to dry out and oxidise. I'd err on the too dry side.

I pick mine when they feel papery and the edges start to brown but it does involve a lot of guesswork. 5 years of experience helps but only slightly, I suspect i was very lucky the first year i harvested and have tried to pick at the same stage each year :lol: :icon_cheers:

 

[hoppy2B]

These are most of this years harvest taken back in March. Foreground is the Cluster and from about the door handle is the Goldings. I picked about 3kg wet Goldings and 2kg wet Cluster.
Cluster started browning several days before the Goldings. Cluster seem to have a wide harvest window, particularly if picked for aroma. Very sweet on the nose.

 

[stux]

So my POR bine (just finished first year) has just thrown up some nice new shoots :-/

It only just died back a month ago or so

Should I just let it go and maybe get an earlier start to the season, or do something else with the poor confused plant?

We don't get frosts

 

[Bongchitis]

So my POR bine (just finished first year) has just thrown up some nice new shoots :-/

It only just died back a month ago or so

Should I just let it go and maybe get an earlier start to the season, or do something else with the poor confused plant?

We don't get frosts

You don't get frosts in the Blue Mountains??

The new shoots will stall in time when the weather gets colder/days get shorter.

 

[stux]

You don't get frosts in the Blue Mountains??

The new shoots will stall in time when the weather gets colder/days get shorter.

We're in a bit of a micro-climate in the lower blue mountains, and where the hops are we've never had frost

Okay, so I'll just let them be, was concerned that the rhizome reserves might get used up or something :-\

 

[Wolfy]

Should I just let it go and maybe get an earlier start to the season, or do something else with the poor confused plant?

I can't imagine that the bines will continue to grow though winter and since you have to wait for the longer day-length to get any crops, I can't imagine it will help either.
I'd be more inclined to chop them to encourage the plant to sleep over winter.

 

[Filfy]

Great story here on hops and harvesting http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2012/s3496477.htm


Another here on aussie craft beer http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2012/s3491268.htm

 

[Tony]

Tony, you might have to change or alter your personal signature. "Defender of the Pride...of Ringwood ....as long as it wasn't grown in my own yard."

I think that brew may have been infected. I had the hops out to throw but i kept them for another run.

I remember when Tony picked his POR and posted pics I thought it was a bit early.

Its my first year growing hops and I left mine for ages. I started panicking when mine started turning brown as I thought I had left them too long. They have turned out splendid though, marvelous, terrific, sensational, awesome. Yes indeed, they're absolutely fabulous darling. :lol:

Mmmm yeah your probably right, but they were all papery. The hops that grow on the inside of the lattice however do tend to stay soft and have bugger all lupin....... id say its them thats stuffing up the good ones outside in the sun.

I really need to grow them in a better place.

 

[hoppy2B]

When to pick hops is a fine line between too wet resulting in low lupilin levels and lacklustre results in the beer and too dry causing lupilin to dry out and oxidise. I'd err on the too dry side.

I pick mine when they feel papery and the edges start to brown but it does involve a lot of guesswork. 5 years of experience helps but only slightly, I suspect i was very lucky the first year i harvested and have tried to pick at the same stage each year :lol: :icon_cheers:

Yeah my concern is with the actual drying of the hops once they're picked. I reckon if you over dry the little critters they end up losing all they're smell and you can't tell them from a bit of cardboard when you put them to your nose. :mellow:

 

[drsmurto]

Yeah my concern is with the actual drying of the hops once they're picked. I reckon if you over dry the little critters they end up losing all they're smell and you can't tell them from a bit of cardboard when you put them to your nose. :mellow:

I dry mine on flywire screens for a week. Very dry by the end of it but still very pungent smelling. If you used a drying machine then yes, you could over-dry them.

I then vacuum pack them and put them in the freezer. Even a year later they still smell amazing! :icon_drool2: