Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[Sandimas]

Right, ordering a 3rd plant (Challenger) from Essentially Hops - thanks!

Crops should get better and better each year, I've actually got too much off the 2020 crop: 7 or 8 x 100g bags off each plant. Doubt I'll get through all those in a year of brewing as also buying other hops for variety.

 

[jMac]

Right, ordering a 3rd plant (Challenger) from Essentially Hops - thanks!

Crops should get better and better each year, I've actually got too much off the 2020 crop: 7 or 8 x 100g bags off each plant. Doubt I'll get through all those in a year of brewing as also buying other hops for variety.

I think 2020 has been an exceptional year on the homegrown hop front - probably a combination of the good weather and, from my perspective, having a bit more time to pay attention to them.

 

[Cwrw666]

I think 2020 has been an exceptional year on the homegrown hop front

I guess it depends where you live. It's been my worst year. Successive gales battered my hops to bits and they never recovered.

 

[jMac]

With the shoots just showing on my Goldings, I thought it was time to finally brew with last year’s harvest!

Gardens Goldings - 5.3%
Classic English-Style
Pale Ale

Fermentables (4.8kg)
3 kg - Pale Ale Finest Maris Otter 5 EBC (62.5%)
1 kg - Pale Ale Low Colour Maris Otter 3 EBC... (20.8%)
500 g - Mild Ale Malt 10 EBC (10.4%)
200 g - Carapils/Carafoam 3.9 EBC (4.2%)
100 g - Crystal 100 135 EBC (2.1%)

Hops (160 g)
60 min - 30 g - East Kent Goldings (EKG) (Whole) - 5%
30 min - 50 g - Mid Beds Goldings (Whole) - 4%
0 min - 50 g - Mid Beds Goldings (Whole) - 4%
Dry hop - 5 days - 30 g - Mid Beds Goldings (Whole) - 4%
^ Estimated Alpha
Yeast
1 pkg - Danstar Nottingham

I made this as a SMASH last year with MO and Goldings, but felt it lacked a little body. This year I’ve included a small Crystal addition to the grain bill as well as subbing some of the MO with 500g of mild ale malt I had left over. Used commercial EKG for the 60 min bittering charge, but used the homegrown hops for a 30min addition and at flameout. Will also be dry hopping with some more Mid-Beds Goldings.

This was meant to be 5.3% but my mash efficiency was better than expected , so should hit 5.6% instead at around 40 IBU (though difficult to say with using some homegrown hops in the boil). Looking forward to this one already!

Anyone else brewing this week?

 

[Sandimas]

I've been brewing with my Styrians all winter but hadn't touched my Cascade until last week, so did a pseudo Sierra Nevada clone with them, some MO and a bit of Munich.

They have kept really well, after drying I sealed them in 100g vacuum bags and stored them in a cool dark cupboard.

My new Challenger is in the ground but no sign of yet nor the other two established hops, still pretty cold here though, got down to -5C the other night.

 

[Didge]

Spring has sprung - 1 centennial and 1 cascade have popped their little heads up

 

[Gobaloon]

Spring has sprung - 1 centennial and 1 cascade have popped their little heads up

View attachment 42859

Cut them back!

 

[Cwrw666]

Cut them back!

I know commercially they only allow a few shoots to grow but does it actually increase the crop? I always let mine just do their own thing and I can see why that could be a problem commercially - my cascade is like an effin' triffid - it'd be a nightmare to harvest if you had a field full of it like that. Just a tangled mess.

 

[Sandimas]

My Cascade and Styrian Goldings have appeared, still waiting for the new Challenger plant: hope it's not dead, hard to tell with a dormant rhizome.

Just done my first brew with last season's Cascade, turned out lovely. The best thing I did last year was buy a vacuum sealer, I sealed all the dried hops in 100g bags and stored them in a cool cupboard, they're still really fresh.

 

[AXW123]

This is my second year of centennial and cascade. I had a great crop last year. I think I am just going to let them do their own thing again this year.

 

[Didge]

I probably will thin out the shoots to a few on each plant, I understand this encourages them to concentrate on putting down good roots in their first year.

 

[oldchap]

Spring has sprung - 1 centennial and 1 cascade have popped their little heads up

View attachment 42859

Looking good!

Just wondering, how big are those planters? I'm about to try this lark myself and they look a bit smaller than the suggestions I've been reading, but maybe it's just a trick of the photo.

 

[Libigage]

1st attempt at cascade hops looking promising

 

[Didge]

Looking good!

Just wondering, how big are those planters? I'm about to try this lark myself and they look a bit smaller than the suggestions I've been reading, but maybe it's just a trick of the photo.

Yes, thats an iphone optical illusion, they are both 18 inch pots, not ideal but hopefully sufficient for a couple of bines for their first season before I transplant them into the ground for next year. Im hoping for a few flowers this year but Im more interested in estabishing a strong root system for after we've finished landscaping our back garden.

The ultimate plan is to build a timber brew shed this summer covered in hops.

 

[Sandimas]

Unfortunately my Challenger bare-root rhizome from Essentially Hops didn't do anything, that could of been me as the ground was frozen when it arrived and I put it in a pot temporarily, but might not have planted it deep enough.

Thankfully I found another place that supplies actual plants, only a small selections but it arrived today well-packaged and has just gone in the ground. I thought it would be too late to buy hops in May but obviously not. Probably won't do much this year as my original hops are already 5ft high, but we'll see. Victoriana Nursery

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

My Target is growing well; probably about 5 ft now. The Northern Brewer and EKG are only just surfacing. Zero from my Brewer's gold which has never grown well in my garden

 

[ksmith91]

I have a cascade and chinook growing pretty well in pots from rhizomes. I built a short term structure for them to grow up last month but they have reached the top already. I need to work out what to fix them to this weekend!!

Pictures to follow!

 

[An Ankoù]

All three of mine are poking their heads through the ground and I've built a new structure around them to support my canes- I've got some very long canes.
Hopstock were offering 20% off so I ordered 3 Calais Goldings out of curiosity. They're said to be like Earlybird, which I've never used either. Anyway, as I had to spent €20 to get the discount I got them to throw in a Fuggle. All safely in the ground and poles bought and ready for a bit more allotment engineering. i think I'll stop with seven- assuming they all take.

 

[Libigage]

My cascade was about 4 ft and then something broke the top of one and the other one has just stopped growing and the top looks like it's dying. I have another 2 shoots about 4 inches high so I'll have to start again. Don't know what went wrong with the other 2, all from the same rhizome.

 

[Cwrw666]

Mine are doing ok though the prima donna and the redsels eastwell are a bit sluggish. The cascade is a beast as usual.