How Are Your Hops Going?

[Gulf Brewery]

Does anyone know when you are supposed to harvest them?

[post="46270"][/post]​

Johnno

There is a very good article on hops on the OCB website by Brad.


Cheers
Pedro

 

[johnno]

Does anyone know when you are supposed to harvest them?

Well done Johnno (or is it your old man ?)

When you squeeze them and they have a papery texture and they are STARTING to turn brown it is time to harvest.

Beers,
Doc

[post="46274"][/post]​

Doc,
They are at my dads place. He loves his gardening so I thought I would leave them with him. I have a very small area in the front where I can grow stuff but everything I have tried to grow has been ripped to shreds by all the little gardeners around here.
Thanks for the tip on harvesting.

cheers
johnno

 

[johnno]

Does anyone know when you are supposed to harvest them?

[post="46270"][/post]​

Johnno

There is a very good article on hops on the OCB website by Brad.


Cheers
Pedro

[post="46277"][/post]​

Pedro,
Thanks for the article. Very informative and expains the time and conditions to harvest quite well.
One thing I find interesting is that Brad says in the first year you will not get any flowers. I have heard this before on a number of occasions. This is the first year for me. I got the hop root at the Grain and Grape last year. Some brewer had dug up his POR coz it was taking over the backyard etc.
Anyway, I'm glad this plant will yield something.

cheers
johnno

 

[Jovial_Monk]

I got 500g green weight from 3 year-one bines last year!

JM

 

[big d]

hi johnno
reckon you must have some special soil.my uncle lives in melbourne and in his suburb he reckons the soils that good you can plant a dead stick and it will grow.

cheers
big d

 

[sosman]

My Hallertau is going fine. Can't see 150 cones though <_< more like 40.

I have managed to propagate a 1/2 dozen or more shoots which I will be looking to trade next year. In the end, the easiest method was to cut off some new bines and toss them in a cup of water and leave them on the kitchen window sill. After a few weeks, nearly all of them developed roots. There was some browning at the tip but I just snipped that off.

Johhno - how about getting some POR shoots happening?

 

[BigAl]

Hi All,

Does anybody out there have Cascade hops growing?
Ive never heard of anyone growing Cascade hops. Is it harder to get hands on cascade rhizomes than say hallertau? Do they not grow well in Australia? :huh:

I realise the flavour profile might be completely different to the oregon grown goodies, but id be interested in hearing from peoples experiences who have grown or tried to grow them here.

Cheers
Al.

 

[NRB]

Isn't there some urban myth about Cascade varieties harbouring nasties hence none available to grow?

 

[Gulf Brewery]

in the first year you will not get any flowers. I have heard this before on a number of occasions.

johhno

I know a lot of people that got nothing and some that got plenty. I think it just depends on how long it takes them to get established. Once they are established, they are like a weed.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[sosman]

Isn't there some urban myth about Cascade varieties harbouring nasties hence none available to grow?

[post="46294"][/post]​

Cascade, released in 1972, matures later than Fuggle. It is resistant to downy mildew, but very susceptible to Verticillium wilt and to Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV).

I have no idea whether that is the virus referred to but two different professional hop growers in Australia have mentioned cascade in relation to a virus.

 

[johnno]

Johhno - how about getting some POR shoots happening?

[post="46287"][/post]​

OK sosman,
I will have a chat to my old man and see if he can get some going.

cheers
johnno

 

[BigAl]

Right guys,
Been hunting around on the net to try and find out more about Cascade hops and their ability to grow or not in Oz. Couldnt find anyone in Au that grows cascade hops, but found nzhops.co.nz and they grow and sell Organic Cascade hops.

See http://www.nzhops.co.nz/products/organichops.htm

Now, am i remembering rightly that NZ grown Saaz B could be imported as whole hop cones into Australia? Im sure i have bought some of these from the HBS before.

And then if yes, does that mean whole Cascade Cones can be imported from NZ too?
They wont have exactly the same flavour as Oregon grown cascades, but maybe my quest for replicating LCPA may be one step closer...... :beerbang: B)

 

[deebee]

I have bought NZ Cascade pellets. Not the same aroma as the Oregon hops. I seem to remember they were higher AA% too.

 

[Guest Lurker]

Grumpys sell Cascade rhyzomes from Tasmania. Last year I ordered one but they ran out and I got a chinook instead.

There is a post from Goliath Dave on here somewhere dispelling the cascade virus myth.

Getting cones from NZ you would have to worry about Mr Postie as well as Aquis.

 

[BigAl]

Deebee i was thinking for the late additions to the boil, so being a higher AA is not so important. To get that intense flavour they need to be super fresh, hence the cones.
The Nz site specifically says: spicy passionfruit flavour, with seems to fit the bill.
Cheers.
Al

 

[Goat]

yes - it would be worth a try BigAl.

I dry hopped with 2 cascade plugs last weekend into secondary and I can only just detect it. I reckon they were from the 1973 crop.

GL - I got exactly the same problem from Grumpys but fortunately got a good healthy Hersbruker (picking this weekend )

 

[BigAl]

Thanks for that info GL.

I got a response from Australian hop marketers overnight:

"Yes Cascade hops are grown by Australian Hop Marketers at our Bushy Park
farm in Southern Tasmania. Are you interested in purchasing some?"

I'll ask for more info, see if they a) sell whole fresh cones B) and in what minimum quantities.

Will try and get some rhizomes later to grow in the years to come.

Cheers.

 

[johnno]

After doing the big sweaty hop harvest about an hour ago (all of 5 mins) I have ended up with the grand total of 57 gms. This is not dried so I dont think there will be too much after they are dried out.
The tips were not really turning brown yet but the cones were starting to go a lighter colour. I dont know what that was but I thought I would harvest now as they didn't look like they were getting any healthier with the colour change. The plant is going out of the pot and into the ground this year so hopefully I will get more next time.
cheers
johnno

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Those look bloody nice!

You got 57g more than I got this year Yet I got 500g from 3 new vines last year??? Guess I better relocate the plants in July!

Jovial Monk

 

[johnno]

Update on my POR hops.
I stored them in a cornflakes box with holes in it in the cupboard. Came out with 15 gms dried.
They havent come out looking the best, slightly yellow and the flowers have opended up. There is a hop smell there if you slightly squeeze them a bit. There is also another smell there as well that I just cant figure out what. Also a bit od grassines as well.
I dont think I would use them in a brew. I may make a small experimental brew using DME just to see what they are like.
I will put them in the ground this year and see what happens.

cheers
johnno