2013 Hop Plantations, Show Us Your Hop Garden!

[carniebrew]

Brilliant, might lock this one away for this time next year, hopefully my 2nd year Cascade will provide enough for the brew. Need to roughly double output.

H2B, how many Cascade plants do you have in the ground to produce 20kg+ of cones? Curious to know what the most is you'd expect to harvest off a single bine once the plant's been in the ground a few years.

 

[Mardoo]

IIRC BYO had a recent feature about wet hopping. If I'm correct I can copy it for you.

 

[BlueMutt]

First year Victoria going great guns, grown in a mini wheely bin and at 1550mtrs above sea level.

 

[Lecterfan]

I'm not able to post a pic for some reason, pretty annoying, but I had a pretty good harvest this year, two big w 19L pots full of cascade and columbus and a third equivalent size pot full of EKG and chinook. Pretty happy - going to do my harvest ale brew next weekend, looking forward to it!

 

[carniebrew]

Lecterfan, I recall your wet hop harvest ale from last year (the sodium perc bulk buy), it was a right ripper. The mate of mine you picked up your perc from in Ballarat still reckons it's the best home brew he's ever had.

Actually I'm a bit hazy after a huge day...was it yours we had, or Billygoats? I think yours.

 

[hoppy2B]

H2B, how many Cascade plants do you have in the ground to produce 20kg+ of cones? Curious to know what the most is you'd expect to harvest off a single bine once the plant's been in the ground a few years.

Hey carniebrew,
I have probably harvested around 20% of the Cascade so my yield this year should be approaching the 10 kg mark of wet hops. I have 1 second year plant and 3 first year plants.

Last year I took 1.5 kg wet from my first year plant. I was surprised how much I got off it because it didn't look that big. My rhizome came from Queensland and was very slow to start in its first year.

I couldn't give you a figure for how much to expect from one bine. You need to train as many bines as you can to get big yields. And remember to water your hops well and feed with liquid manure.

 

[nathanvonbeerenstein]

Popped into Vermont bunnings on my way back from Uni and stumbled across a couple of 'Beer Herbs' (AKA american Cascade as confirmed in other threads), despite it being a little late in the season i snagged a couple up and whipped up a pot and something for them to climb up with an old cube that was too stinky to no-chill in.
Whats the worst that could happen i figure anyway.

 

[hoppy2B]

Popped into Vermont bunnings on my way back from Uni and stumbled across a couple of 'Beer Herbs' (AKA american Cascade as confirmed in other threads), despite it being a little late in the season i snagged a couple up and whipped up a pot and something for them to climb up with an old cube that was too stinky to no-chill in.
Whats the worst that could happen i figure anyway.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1394511599.173670.jpg

Should grow a little bit and strengthen the rhizomes up a bit.

If I understand correctly, you have 2 in the one cube? Are you planning to lift them and pot them up in winter for next season? They should give a good crop if you do that.

 

[kahlerisms]

My chinook are just about ready to go

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1392667001.718816.jpg

My Tettnang and Willamette are starting to look a lot like this. Cones are starting to puff out like that and feel light. First year so I'm not exactly sure when to harvest. What's the downside of too early and what's the downside of too late? I plan to harvest Sunday at this stage. Tettnang will be a very late (or even dry) addition into a kolsch. I might donate the Willamette.

 

[hoppy2B]

My Tettnang and Willamette are starting to look a lot like this. Cones are starting to puff out like that and feel light. First year so I'm not exactly sure when to harvest. What's the downside of too early and what's the downside of too late? I plan to harvest Sunday at this stage. Tettnang will be a very late (or even dry) addition into a kolsch. I might donate the Willamette.

The aroma, flavour and bittering potential is at its best when harvest is delayed till the cones are properly ripe.

 

[carniebrew]

My Tettnang and Willamette are starting to look a lot like this. Cones are starting to puff out like that and feel light. First year so I'm not exactly sure when to harvest. What's the downside of too early and what's the downside of too late? I plan to harvest Sunday at this stage. Tettnang will be a very late (or even dry) addition into a kolsch. I might donate the Willamette.

Once you get the first signs of brown on the cones is a good sign. Watch this if you haven't already, it really helped me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlsT-x19III

 

[surly]

Good vid carnie.
My hops looked ripe, but were softer and more moist than his. Maybe I watered too much?

 

[surly]

Bucket o' hops.

Pretty happy with my harvest considering I only let the plant get about 8 ft tall. It also copped a hammering from the hot weather.

EDIT: Having had another look at my hops after watching Carniebrews video, mine DO look too young. This is interesting as there were a few cones at the top of the plant that were fully brown, but these TOO were soft, flexible and a bit moist if squeezed.
None had the crumbly, papery texture.

 

[carniebrew]

If you're using them in a wet hop ale, it won't matter much. But if you're planning to store them, make sure you dry 'em out really well before packing. Do the trick where you weigh a sample every 6 hours or so until that sample stops dropping in weight, and you'll know there's no moisture left in them to evaporate.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

It's funny the different stages in different areas. In Canberra, I had cones forming in early October, harvested at Christmas, and a second lot a few weeks ago. Now my Cascade is already yellowing off. If there were still cones they'd be brown as now.

Yet you guys are at peak harvest time...

 

[hoppy2B]

Had these hops drying in the shed for the last couple of days. In the front is 400 grams of Mt Hood, which is the entire crop from a first year plant. Middle is 700 grams of Chinook which is about a third of my first year plant. And at the back is a further 1400 grams of Cascade. These are wet weights.

Doesn't show that well in the photo but the Mt Hood is the lightest in colour followed by the Chinook, with the Cascade the darkest.

Thanks to Darkman who sent me a nice large Chinook rhizome. :super:

 

[surly]

Anyone have galaxy growing?

I use a bit of galaxy and would like to give this a go next year..

 

[Camo6]

I've got a mate growing Galaxy who says you're welcome to take a cutting or rhizome. Apparently due to their sensitivity it's best to take a cutting after midnight and you have his permission to cut the fence if it gets in the way. His only condition is you send me a rhizome for the heads up. PM for address. h34r:

 

[surly]

I've got a mate growing Galaxy who says you're welcome to take a cutting or rhizome. Apparently due to their sensitivity it's best to take a cutting after midnight and you have his permission to cut the fence if it gets in the way. His only condition is you send me a rhizome for the heads up. PM for address. h34r:

Based on this, I am assuming that galaxy is closely guarded and not avail to the public?
Sounds like that close relative of hops grown down in Tas, though that is probably much easier to get your hands on.

 

[daveHQ]

This is my entire hop harvest! 9g of chinook and 153g of cascade, pretty disappointing, the string of 40+deg days really knocked them about, hopefully next year is better

I threw the whole lot in as a late addition (10 min) into a bright ale (b saaz was used for bittering)