Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[Northern_Brewer]

Do you know if this mildew is now systemic in the plant and if @Hanglow really needs to go so far as to totally destroy the whole plant as he is threatening?
Or is it only a temporary infection encouraged by this year's weather that can hopefully be eliminated by cutting back the bine and treating with a 'mildewicide"?

Yep - powdery mildew is primarily airborne so there's not much you can do to prevent new infections other than practising good hygiene and not letting old infected leaves over winter, and then treat with fungicides on an annual basis as required. Whereas verticilium is primarily soilborne so that's where you need to be paranoid about soil movements and disposing of old crowns. And downy overwinters primarily on plant material, both debris and in dormant buds, but can also be in the soil.

googling the various hop diseases doesn't seem to help an amateur like me much, a lot of the pictures of the cones are similar!

Once they've got to that stage, they all tend to look alike, it's like diagnosing a human death when the corpse is a month old. Diseases are most characteristic in the early stages, before all the secondary infections set in, and on the leaves rather than cones. But as I say, 90+% of the time if you've got a disease (as opposed to feeding damage) then it will be one of the big three of downy, powdery and verticilium, and they're reasonably distinctive if you look closely.

 

[Hanglow]

I'll take a closer look next time im in the allotment for any other signs, now though I get to choose a new plant or two from aplus for next year. Perle, phoenix, prima donna and chinook are early favourites to choose from. Prima donna might suit the site a bit more now I think about it

 

[Sandimas]

Been watching mine like a hawk and picked my first crop of Styrian Goldings yesterday, ran out of light so part 2 of picking tonight if it stays dry. Based on what I've got so far it's way more than last year, and that was enough to see me through the whole year. The Cascade aren't quite ready yet.

 

[Libigage]

I think I left my cascade on the bine too long, cones were quite open. Picked a out 900g and put them in the dehydrator for about 12 hours. They were very brittle and left a lot of orange powder in the dehydrator. I've bagged and vacuum packed 195g. As I think I lost alot of the powder should I use them all in one brew or split them?

 

[Sandimas]

My Styrians have dried after 3 days in the house so now packaging them up, I bought one of these vacuum sealers last year which is really useful for compressing them and bagging them up. Last year I left them out and they went mouldy even when vacuum packed so guess they weren't dry enough, I'm freezing them all this year.

 

[Fatcontro11er]

I dry on the lowest or next to lowest temp it’s s vonchef!
Incidently I had a silver followed two years later with a gold medal at the national brewing ch’ships With freshly harvested cascade hops straight in at the flame out the fla our is incomparable!

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I’ve just harvested my Fuggles. Well, I’ve cut the plant down and it’s all laying over the clothes line in the garden. I’m planning on putting them on trays and drying in the oven on defrost setting (fan only no heat). Question is, will they be ok if I leave them like this until the morning or do I need to go out now and pick them all?

 

[531Man]

I’ve just harvested my Fuggles. Well, I’ve cut the plant down and it’s all laying over the clothes line in the garden. I’m planning on putting them on trays and drying in the oven on defrost setting (fan only no heat). Question is, will they be ok if I leave them like this until the morning or do I need to go out now and pick them all?

View attachment 54962View attachment 54961

The advice I always see is, "the sooner the better" once harvested, to prevent deterioration of the cones i.e. go mouldy.
Also preserves the aroma oils better.
Sorry!

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

The advice I always see is, "the sooner the better" once harvested, to prevent deterioration of the cones i.e. go mouldy.
Also preserves the aroma oils better.
Sorry!

I thought someone was going to say that
ok ok, just spent nearly two hours hop picking

 

[531Man]

I thought someone was going to say that
ok ok, just spent nearly two hours hop picking

Well done, it is worth it.
Did the same Sunday late afternoon gathering in, and all evening till late picking off before the threatened rain.
Glad I did though.

To all you hop heads:
Is this year's harvest late?
I blame the cold 'Summer'
Also poorer condition and reduced crop of cones?
Mine are obs.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Well done, it is worth it.
Did the same Sunday late afternoon gathering in, and all evening till late picking off before the threatened rain.
Glad I did though.

To all you hop heads:
Is this year's harvest late?
I blame the cold 'Summer'
Also poorer condition and reduced crop of cones?
Mine are obs.

Mine is later than last year but I’ve a much bigger crop this year.

 

[user 18729]

View attachment 54191View attachment 54192
The challenger (right hand bucket) did well again this year, with my Goldings about the same yield as last year

Once dried and vac packed I managed 460g challenger and 140g Goldings

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Probably not the best drying method but hey Ho

 

[jayk34]

I spent about an hour picking the golden hop off the bines and put on a metal rack to dry. I know that this is an ornamental hop that is not used for brewing but have a large supply from work and thought I would give it a go. Will do a small batch SMASH brew as an experiment to see what it tastes like.

Anyone ever try a brew with this hop ?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I suppose the fact a full 2 litre jug of hops only weighed 50g means they’ve dried out pretty well?, I should have weighed them before drying them first I suppose

 

[531Man]

I spent about an hour picking the golden hop off the bines and put on a metal rack to dry. I know that this is an ornamental hop that is not used for brewing but have a large supply from work and thought I would give it a go. Will do a small batch SMASH brew as an experiment to see what it tastes like.

Anyone ever try a brew with this hop ?

I would try them as late and aroma if you have a limited amount to assess them.
Use something neutral to bitter in the boil.

 

[Libigage]

Hi every one I managed to get 195g of dried cascade from my first year. So today I am brewing, this is my plan, any recommendations would be great.
4kg extra pale MO
400g carapils
20g magnum at 60 minutes 10.7 alpha giving 25 ibu's.
Now as I don't know the alpha of my cascade and I like my beers at about 40 ibu's how should I add my cascade and how much to appreciate them in aroma and taste. I have 4 packs vacuum sealed 3 x 50g and 1 x 45g. Should I use them all in one brew

 

[531Man]

Hi every one I managed to get 195g of dried cascade from my first year. So today I am brewing, this is my plan, any recommendations would be great.
4kg extra pale MO
400g carapils
20g magnum at 60 minutes 10.7 alpha giving 25 ibu's.
Now as I don't know the alpha of my cascade and I like my beers at about 40 ibu's how should I add my cascade and how much to appreciate them in aroma and taste. I have 4 packs vacuum sealed 3 x 50g and 1 x 45g. Should I use them all in one brew

Can't believe the knowledgeables haven't chipped in,
but this is from Charles Faram Hop database (a useful resource) ,
Cascade UK
Use in brewing
Dual purpose hop.
Primarily used as an aroma hop, UK Cascade has intense but rounded citrus, lychee and floral characteristics and delivers a smooth integrated bitterness. It delivers the same aroma notes as US Cascade but is slightly less intense.

So I would suggest late boil addition and whirlpool after flameout.
Most of your bitterness will come from your Magnum with the late use of your Cascade. I would guesstimate AA's of 7%. Average for the range given by Faram.
Overall, sounds like 2 brews to me.

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

Hi Peeps
I'm in Kent and planted one Fuggles and one EKG last year and wasn't expecting much from the first crop. Harvested three weeks ago and got 120g EKG and 60g Fuggles after drying so quite pleased I've got something to play with. Just wondering what to make with them. Wanted to green hop something but kit was tied up with a elderfolower ale so dried/froze them.

I like the idea of a new Cascade plant in December but are there any other less traditional English hops that would grow well in Kent and add an extra dimension to the brewing options that you would recommend?

Cheers

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

Probably not the best drying method but hey Ho

View attachment 55022

Lol did something very similar with my Fuggles