2011 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hops!

[oaf]

Growing hops is the best, man!
These are my second year hops. Mt. Hood on the left and Saaz on the right:



I gave up trying to stop the Mt.Hood from growing into the Saaz... Also gave up trying to keep bines to 4 on each rhizome...
I read somewhere I should've separated the climbing strings by minimum 600mm - failed there too!
Oh well... gotta leave some room for improvement.



It's awesome seeing all the hop addicts progress out there. You guys rock! It inspired me to be more creative next season. Think I'll get another trampoline frame and give the plants a trellis each...hmmmm.

I'll be on cloud nine when I'm sitting back and sucking down some home-hopped Pilsners, Lagers 'n Wheats's.

Mt. Hood's the one with advanced flowers, but the Saaz has many a buddling now coming along.

The Saaz wasn't given a trellis the first year - too lazy But it did take over about two sq metres of garden. It must've done the rhizome wonders as the main two bines were at least 1/4 inch thick and healthy as!!

The Mt. Hood produced flowers the first year, but amatuer me didn't pick them on time, so wasted the smallish crop.

I'm onto it this year though! Even invested in a vac-sealer for optimum freshness all year round - I only brew about a case a week now. Hopefully I won't need to buy hops this year, but have no idea how far the flowers go, so don't know yet...

Cheers and cheers! Love the topic! Time for a beer... Byee

 

[Philthy79]

Matt! I'm finally a grandad :lol:

Indeed!

Here's some more of yours

 

[keifer33]

Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.

 

[hoppy2B]

Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.

You should be ok if you are planning to freeze them. They don't freeze them commercially, they store them in the fridge so they need to be dried.

 

[DJR]

Jealous. My 1st year Hersbruck (thanks matho) is growing well but it's only just got burrs - we have had a run of about 2 weeks of miserable weather so it hasn't gone to cones yet.

Cascade has grown well but no burrs, Saaz didn't really grow that well, Perle never came out of the ground and neither did my Goldings. All just 1st year though , hopefully it'll be a better run next year. Even if i get 50g i'll be happy though

 

[Yob]

Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.

Personally, I would dry them, sealing wet hops camt be good for them

 

[hoppy2B]

Is there any drama with vac packing the hops without them being dried prior? I only got a very small harvest this year and cant use them right now so was just going to vac pack and use them later and cant be bothered drying like 20 cones.

Try it and let us know how you go. :blink:

 

[jyo]

Indeed!

Here's some more of yours

Good work, Phil, I forgot about those!

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

Try it and let us know how you go. :blink:

I've done half dry and half wet so far. All frozen after vac seal. I'll report back.

 

[kelbygreen]

how long do they take to dry??? I would say alot of mine are ready to pick (will have a look if it ever stops raining) but only being home 4 days a fortnight is a bit hard. Plus this wet weather wont make it easy to dry them, I got a electric fan heater I guess I could use but need a cupboard or something to put them in as wont be any good in my shed that has holes you can walk threw in every side lol

 

[Yob]

You should be ok if you are planning to freeze them. They don't freeze them commercially, they store them in the fridge so they need to be dried.

So what exactly are you saying here? For a fridge they should be dry but he is ok to freeze them wet? I find this a little bit inconsonant,

Stored hops, regardless of fridge or freezer should be dried and I challenge you to find anybody suggesting differently.

how many bags have you stored this way hoppy?

 

[mesa99]

Just thought I'd share a pic of one side of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.


Cascade and Goldings are doing well but not anywhere near as impressive.

Can't say the same for the Hersbrucker.

 

[Yob]

Just thought I'd share a pic of one side of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.
View attachment 52126

Cascade and Goldings are doing well but not anywhere near as impressive.

Can't say the same for the Hersbrucker.

f.f.f.ferk :blink: first year you say? Good sweet lord of hops... ya gunna be fkucked next year :lol:

very well done indeed..

:super:

 

[PhantomEasey]

Just thought I'd share a pic of one side of my POR first year.. Can't believe the flower count for first year. It's just be going off.

So it's twice that off a first year? Kicks the pants of the 13 burrs I just found after work!

 

[booargy]

mine are going nuts. never thought they would do any good. Hersbrucker cones near the size of golf balls.
Goldings

 

[hoppy2B]

So what exactly are you saying here? For a fridge they should be dry but he is ok to freeze them wet? I find this a little bit inconsonant,

Stored hops, regardless of fridge or freezer should be dried and I challenge you to find anybody suggesting differently.

how many bags have you stored this way hoppy?

I'm saying they need to be dried for storage in the fridge otherwise they'll go moldy.
Freezing wet hops shouldn't cause any problems. In fact frozen hops will likely retain flavour components which would otherwise have evaporated during drying. The expansion of water molecules in undried hops may in some way also contribute to the release of alpha acids etc. :chug:

 

[hoppy2B]

It's my first year growing hops. :unsure:

 

[ledgenko]

Its true ... if you grow hops you have a huge dong and the Ladies love YA .... Thats what JYO told me anyhow ... me thinks it was his way of making me buy his hops .... but I already had these credentials ... so what now ????

 

[Yob]

Freezing wet hops shouldn't cause any problems.:

really? you are going to stand by that? :blink:

big fat bollox on that... stored hops should be dry, prove me wrong, provide some evidence or STFU...

evidence to the contrary abounds.

<_<

 

[felten]

I've heard of a bloke in the US brewing wet hopped beers all year round from his frozen hops (can't find a link ATM), I can't think of any reasons why it wouldn't work.

There's an old thread here about it here.