2012 Hop Plantations

[tricache]

Mine are starting to bush out a bit...only planted last year around August and they got hit pretty bad with a bout of Red Spider Mites and even got turned into floaty toys with the floods but still going super strong!

 

[DarkFaerytale]

what size are those pots triache?

 

[Aussiedrifter]

I've already taken 3 20l buckets full of cones off of my cascade's and I'm sure there is another 2 buckets full, at least up there.

 

[tricache]

what size are those pots triache?

I will give them a quick measure when I get home from work, roughly 450mm x 450mm square but not sure on depth. The trellis is about 180cm tall as well

 

[punkin]

I've already taken 3 20l buckets full of cones off of my cascade's and I'm sure there is another 2 buckets full, at least up there.

Definately not dwarves then?

 

[Aussiedrifter]

No but I can't grow them as high as they would like to go. I have ropes about 20 feet tall after that they are left to their own devises or I try to get them to grow across.

 

[punkin]

Punkin.. if you actually do this I would be keen to hear your results..Ive been quite skeptical to date, reinforcement/feedback from such as yourself may go a few yards to adding to this discussion about freezing wet hops.

Yob

I have a Red wheat beer that is very underwhelming on the hop front, sweet and malty. I just now added 45 gms of wet frozen Cascade flowers in a giant tea ball to the keg.

I'll post back tonight or tommorow with an opinion, but i have to say they smelt quite grassy when i opened the vaccuum bag. Preserved beautifully and lovely green, but a decided 'lawn clippings' note.



AllInTheNameOfSciencePunkin

 

[Yob]

Ha! Cheers mate, I suspected as much, thanks for taking one for the team...

 

[punkin]

It's weird. Yesterday with only a few hours in the keg was vegetal.

Today, it's like taking a bite of rockmelon. Bit of cabbage in the aftertaste, but very strong rockmelon flavour.


Final verdict tommorow


IHateRockMelonPunkin

Edit; Yippee i can edit

first sip was rockmelon, subsequent sips are like licking the bin out the back of the fruit shop. i havedefinately taken one for the team here.

I do have another keg of it, so will pick some fresh hops and do the same thing with unfrozen. i may have non dwarf crap bin tasting variety.


TimeWillTellPunkin

 

[hoppy2B]

Mmmmmm I love rockmelon. h34r:

 

[Yob]

you have rockmelons in ya head...

 

[hyjak71]

Harvest time tomorrow!
Chinook has been going hell for leather, only let down by my lack of time to erect more suitable stringing arrangements. Topped out at 14ft then left to do its own thing.
Next year will see improved stringing arrangements and a more stringent watering schedule.

 

[Phillo]

I harvested some last night which were nice and papery and seemed to have a lot of yellow gunk, but I'm still not sure how ready they were. They certainly smelled more grassy than hoppy.

Think I'm going to leave some of them on the bine until they completely over ripen just to see the whole cycle and work out where my picking is in the scheme of things.

 

[Aussiedrifter]

That's a good idea phillo. I deffinently picked to early my first year, you just see those buds up there and your all excited. This year I've had different parts of the bine mature at different times which is great as a home brewer because you can pick over a month or 2. But it makes you wonder what the farms do when some are ready, some are green and some are old. I guess we just get a mix.

 

[Danwood]

Lots of crop from the Cascade. I'm very happy considering it's only a first year plant and I'm having to restrict the growing height due to space/renting.



Cacade foreground, Goldings ( just a few cones so far ) next to it and sickly looking Fuggles in the back, which is not at all happy that I've made it go sideways due to lack of space. Should have a good root system for next year though when I've found a more suitable home for it.

Many thanks go to Wakkatoo and Yob, who gave me these last year. I too will pass on any surplus rhizomes I have when the time comes.

Pay it forward..... :icon_cheers:

 

[Aussiedrifter]

Wow. That is a nice well established first year plant. What are you going to do next year? I can tell you know it will take over that side of the house next year. Are you drying them or using them wet?

 

[lukiferj]

Man these all look awesome. Can't wait to get on these this Winter.

 

[Danwood]

Wow. That is a nice well established first year plant. What are you going to do next year? I can tell you know it will take over that side of the house next year. Are you drying them or using them wet?

We're looking a buying a place in the near future.

Somewhere with at least space to build a deck with the hops climbing a (preferably) north facing side to provide shade for us when we're outside.

I've used sheep manure and worm farm juice on all mine...seems to please them.

I'm thinking of doing a SMASH batch. Might freeze some wet, dry the rest and use the two together with pale malt for a 10min Pale Ale. I really want the hops to sing...that Lupulin smells incredible !!

Good times :icon_cheers:

 

[Aussiedrifter]

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=60580
Here's a pic of my cascade.

 

[punkin]

I have put an equal amount (45 grams wet) in the sister keg of the brew i used wet frozen hops in today.

Please await results in the next couple of days before commiting wet hops to the freezer.

I'm hopeful that the difference will be severe. Because i hate the wet frozen ones. Wish i had a third keg i could introduce dried hops too, but i will brew another of the same recipe and do it, picked enough of them today to do it.

edit; the hops that went in today were freshpicked, green and unfrozen