Are My Hops Ready?

[taylotim]

Hi Guys, Well (much to my wife's dismay) I have been growing a good batch of Cascade HOPS in my backyard over the summer. The cones have really started to grow quickly over the last few weeks and look like they could be ready for the picking! I have taken a couple of photo's and would be interested if any HOP gurus out there think that they a ready. Or if you can't tell from the photo some thoughts on how I will know. I still can't believe they have grown so well. Great Fun. Cheers....

 

[OzBeer_MD]

I'm keen to see the responses to this too as I have some growing for the first year also. All I have heard is that when squeezed on the bine, they feel and sound 'papery' when they are ready. Now i think of it this may have been covered already - off to the search box....

MD

 

[Maple]

Not sure, but geez, nice looking hops bro.

I think once they feel papery to the touch, but there will be other fellas that would know. This is the first year mine are producing (only the cascade though), and I think I'm about a week behind where your hops are at now, so will be keeping an eye out here...

 

[Bizier]

Check the hop growing article here for advice.

To me, that cone you have split still looks like it has too much moisture in the vegetable-y parts of the flower and not enough lupulin.

 

[Pennywise]

Can I just say that is an awesome photo of the bad boy cut in half, top shot

 

[gunbrew]

No Hop guru here, growing my second year harvest now.

What i go on is if they feel papery to touch, meaning they have started to get a little dry.
I also go on how they smell and how much lumpin (yellow stuff) I can see between the leaves.

In my 1st year I picked some a little too early, some just right and left some too long.
All of them made good beer so it seems there is a fair margin for when they can be picked.

Your pics look good, I like how you cut one in half.
It shows that at the tip the leaves still look compact compared to the rest.
That makes me suspect it will grow a little more.
My a guess, without touching or smelling, I would say give them a bit longer.
That said the pick time is forgiving so picking some off and making a brew right now would be totally fine.
Enjoy your fresh hops, they are awesome.

 

[taylotim]

Thanks guys - yep can't hurt to leave them a bit longer. Here's another favorite pic of my little babies!

 

[Lecterfan]

Post #8 in http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=51826 and also check the article.

I am currently spending almost an hour a day standing in my driveway staring at my hops. I have HEAPS of flowers and today I noticed the first batch of fully developed cascade and chinook hop cones...they are still a bit small and green yet...but their time will come.

 

[seemax]

I'd say it needs a little longer. It should feel papery on the outside, also brush your fingers firmly the opposite direction of the petals, you should break a few off. It should smell hoppy and the lupulin should be very small clumps.

Also with big vines you will find that the cones ripen at different times.

Dry them on some fly screen in a dry warm area or pick them and use them wet.

Enjoy!

 

[pingdong]

these where planted this year. how long do you think it will take?

 

[proudscum]

these where planted this year. how long do you think it will take?

they are looking pretty ready ,but from that angle its a little hard to say.
i normally pick off a few cones and feel them for the papery/not green wet feeling then i tear them open and see if there is much yellow resin inside and finally see if there is much aroma going on .if it ticks all the boxes i will sample something a bit smaller and if that ticks the boxes will start the pick.depending on the crop sometimes i wont be to fussy eg picking 4kg of pride of ringwood takes a little time.Anything that i determine is not ready will leave for a time and then pick again.sometimes will do 3 picks.

was looking for a photo of one of the mega harvests that i did and came across an article by Colin Penrose from the old Ausbeer mag and his guidelines for pick are as follows.

1.they should have a paper-like texture and dryness.Carefully squeeze a hop cone.If it sticks it is not ready. If it parts easily go for your life.

2.the very point of the cone leaves start to turn brown.dont leave them too long after this.

These guidelines are quoted from Ausbeer and authored by Colin Penrose.

 

[pingdong]

I dont think they are quite ready yet, but im keeping my eye and nose on them they do have pollen inside but no smell and no pettals fall of when rubbed the wrong way.

Next question is on storage. Will i put them in zip lock bags compress with phone book in 200gm batches and straight into freezer.

Thats what im plannig will it be ok.

 

[felten]

you really have to rub the lupulin between your fingers to get a good appreciation of the smell

 

[pingdong]

you really have to rub the lupulin between your fingers to get a good appreciation of the smell

Is it ok to just put them in a bag and straight into freezer. Im not ready to a brew.

 

[seemax]

I found the regular zip lock bags leak pretty quickly, really need a vacuum sealer.

They will lose their freshness (and AA%?) pretty quickly if left exposed to the freezer.

 

[jonocarroll]

Is it ok to just put them in a bag and straight into freezer. Im not ready to a brew.

I know a lot of people dry them out first, but I'm not 100% sure of the reasoning. Hopefully someone can answer this.

<interested>

 

[adryargument]

IMO Zip locks should be fine, as long as they are then in an smallish airtight container.
The air circulation in the fridge would otherwise be unhealthy.

Planning to grow some next season.

 

[raven19]

I picked 2 full buckets off my chinook last night, and am only halfway thru the plant picking!

Last year I dried mine on flyscreen before ziplocking them and into the freezer. This year my plan is from plastic bucket straight into the kettle this weekend.

(1.5 Buckets last year yielded me only 120gms dry weight too).

 

[Quintrex]

I know a lot of people dry them out first, but I'm not 100% sure of the reasoning. Hopefully someone can answer this.

<interested>

If you freeze cells, the water will expand rupturing the cells. In hops this potentially means that you will extract more grassy/ chlorophylly flavours than just the lupulin/oils etc.

Plus if you've ever frozen something like lettuce and then thawed it... it's not quite so appealing as fresh lettuce, very slimy. (extreme example i know...)

If you want a fresh hop beer, use them fresh... not frozen fresh. Otherwise dry them, speaking to the dude from ellerslie hops he say that it's better to dry them at 60 degrees quicker rather than the alternative of drying them more slowly at RT. I'm planning on testing this out this harvest.

One advantage/disadvantage of lower temperature drying(<50 deg C) is that levels of myrcene are higher, as this is quite a volatile compound and is greatly reduced in commercial drying processes.

Some people say myrcene is bad and others disagree. Again, hopefully my two methods of hop drying this year will hopefully shed some light on MY preferred method.

Cheers
Q

 

[jonocarroll]

If you freeze cells, the water will expand rupturing the cells. In hops this potentially means that you will extract more grassy/ chlorophylly flavours than just the lupulin/oils etc.

Cheers, appreciated. I was planning to build a small oast, and will likely dry mine at RT.