Hop plants/rhizomes - growing report

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Just had a look at my hops - cascade (2nd year) and prima donna (1st year) - and they look ready to pick.
Does anyone just pick the and freeze them rather than drying them?
If so what weight do you use substituting for dried ones in recipes?

Yes I thought about freezing straight from picking.....? I will do a Green hopped ESB......5.5%.....with E.K.G and First Gold next week.

 

[jceg316]

I haven't posted here for a while! My fuggles was ready last week so I harvested the flowers, a small crop this year of only 141g dried. My saaz should be ready next week and my cascade within the month. On my wife's farm there are a few first year plants doing ok, but the second year bramling X will be ready in a couple of weeks, it has a lot of flowers.

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• jceg316
• Sep 1, 2018

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• jceg316
• Sep 1, 2018

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• jceg316
• Sep 1, 2018

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

How did you check they were ready.

 

[jceg316]

How did you check they were ready.

I felt the cones, they were papery and if I squeezed them they sprang back to shape immediately. Also there was a lot of lupulin on the cones and they smelt more 'citrussy' than grassy. I find unripe hops have a faint smell and it's usually quite grassy.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Great stuff ... my ones are not quite ready.

 

[Gunge]

Was going to harvest my First Gold today but it's chucking it down. Oh well, I'd rather pull them slightly late than too soon. Definitely this week tho'.

 

[dan125]

I'd rather pull them slightly late than too soon. Definitely this week tho'.

That's what I keep thinking on my daily inspection - maybe tomorrow (like the list of DIY jobs that need doing)

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Will brew Saturday.... with my ones... 5200k of Belgium Pale ... 250gram of Caragold and 150grams of dark Crystal malt and WLP002. Plus homegrown lovely,s E.K.G and First Gold. Looking for 5.4abv....

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

How would like to do hopping schedule ....??

 

[Gerryjo]

I have a.dwarf Prima Donna which I.was not even expecting cones from this year as it was rescued from a pot earlier this year after getting eaten by our rabbits last year.
There is some small cones on one side whilst the other side is still flowering.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Great stuff ... look at the big cones on my Instagram page... but I did water them well this year. Checked tonight and they smell stronger and more sticky so looking forward to Saturday.

 

[jceg316]

Today and yesterday I'm harvesting the hops on my wife's farm. I've got 2 Chinook and a fuggles in first year (a bird had violent dihorrea down one rendering some cones unusable), centennial in second year but it hasn't done too well, and a branding X which has down fantastic for a second year.

 

[Gerryjo]

Great stuff ... look at the big cones on my Instagram page... but I did water them well this year. Checked tonight and they smell stronger and more sticky so looking forward to Saturday.

Well now I know it's surviving I have the great advantage of having rabbit manure which is a cold manure and can be directly applied to the roots,so when I split the rhizone this year it will be sure to get plenty of fertilizer and as for water there is certainly no shortage here.

 

[Bigjas]

Here is my Fuggle, its done really well this year. Its in its second year and seems to have a lot more cones than last year. I always struggle with deciding when to harvest them. This year I am going to leave it a little later than last year, so will be picking them next week. I also have a progress hop plant climbing along my fence (bottom right of the picture), this too has done really well and has a lot of cones on it. The cones this year are much larger than last year. I need to be brewing more often, I still have some hops left over from last years harvest in the freezer!

 

[dan125]

Just stumbled upon this video on youtube which seems pretty good - quite pleased I haven't got round to harvesting yet, but some of my cones are defo ready now.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Good old bobby does it again he has some great vids on stainless steel parts too... I think am good to go at least at the top of plant....will use 5 oz wet to equal 1 oz dry ......! Or is 5 oz to high..... 3 oz wet hops ?.

 

[prog99]

Reckon these are good to start picking? Only concern is they don't smell desperately hoppy(I have the cold so cant smell much anyway) and theres no pollen.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Look ok , my First Gold pulled off the Bine quite easily and had the precious yellow lupulin at the Base.

 

[Gerryjo]

I have still a mixture of cone and flowers.

 

[prog99]

Look ok , my First Gold pulled off the Bine quite easily and had the precious yellow lupulin at the Base.

Thanks, picked enough to fill a tray in the dehydrator today. Hands sticky and looked to be plenty of pollen at the base.