Local hops

[jMac]

How long left on the bine do they stay fresh for? I was hoping to get back the week after for a big pick and then dry.

Ooh, now that’s a question! Hop harvesting is definitely an art! The cones will mature at different rates, but each will remain at the peak time for picking for only a few days. Pick them too early and they’ll impart grassy flavours in your beer, leave them too late and the lupulin (the yellow sticky powder that contains all the flavour) will overripen and spoil.

You’re looking for cones which are papery, a lighter green, just browning at the edge of petals. They should feel dry and papery, not wet and leaflike between your fingers and should bounce back to shape when squeezed. They should make a rustly sound if you rub them gently between your fingers and pull apart easily, almost crumbly.

Told you it was an art

 

[terrym]

Thanks for all the info guys, I'd have never known timing was so important. I'm hoping to let them grow a few weeks then book a day off and devote it to brewing a green hop smash.

I think I will get the mash going then run out and do the pick. Any I pick but don't use I'll dry. The area is massive, we are talking 10 car park spaces wide, so lots to be had.

How long left on the bine do they stay fresh for? I was hoping to get back the week after for a big pick and then dry.

I will try to grab some more photos whilst passing.

Unfortunately I won't have much to compare them to in a hop tea, most hops I buy are pellets.

Cheers all

@NPi
Irrespective of whether you dry your wild hops or not, your problem, as for anyone who grows their own hops or harvests them wild is knowing the %AA. So if you are brewing a single hop beer using your hops of unknown variety its a bit of guess really. But you can use them all as late hops, and use something else for bittering.
As for picking there appears to be a window of a few days when the hops are ready to pick. The cones should be just going brown and have a slight papery feel if you roll the cones in your fingers. If they are still green and spongy, they aren't ready, or they are beginning to dry out and have gone 'beige' they are too far gone. And of course they are not all perfect and ready to pick on the same day, so picking might be staggered. If you want to know more about the best times to pick there are plenty of videos on Youtube which will help you on that.
And be aware that if you go for drying of your hops it can be very time consuming. It took me about three days last year to dry 200g dry weight of First Gold Hops out in the sun, in the oven on trays, or in a fan driven drying box I made. Was it worth it? Not sure, although I will be repeating the exercise again this year, starting in about 2 weeks time looking at how my hop cones are progressing.

 

[jMac]

I have something like this:

It’s a net flower dryer. I hang it from the ceiling of my garage attic where it’s dark and warm. All dried naturally in 2-3 days (admittedly I didn’t have a big harvest last year).

 

[NPi]

Thanks both. Serious question, has anyone ever dried in a tumble dryer? Other than covering the inside with resin I can't see why this would not work? Low heat low spin?

 

[terrym]

Thanks both. Serious question, has anyone ever dried in a tumble dryer? Other than covering the inside with resin I can't see why this would not work? Low heat low spin?

I would not advise using a high temperature or you will drive off some of the hop volatile oils. I put my hops in our fan oven but only use the defrost setting which seems to be about 28-30*C. Be aware that if you intend to store your hops long term the original weight of green hops needs to be reduced by about 80% which at lowish drying temperatures can be time consuming. I weigh batches of my hops and when there is no further weight loss from a batch after drying I assume they are as dry as I will be able to get them. This approach seems to work. And if you are storing large quantities of dried hop cones in the freezer they do take up a lot more space then the equivalent weight of pellets.

 

[Henders]

I have something like this that I used for beef jerky a few times. Used it last year on wild and home-hops.

Irritatingly the local wild hops I discovered grow among the stinging stabby stuff, which makes getting to them quite laborious. Am thinking I'll take a long hooked pole this time, or possibly fly the drone full speed into it and see what comes down :P.

I tried to grow my home ones (bought, Prima Dona and Fuggles I think) in large containers. Second year they both look quite upset so I may have to give up and plants them properly.

 

[jMac]

Thanks both. Serious question, has anyone ever dried in a tumble dryer? Other than covering the inside with resin I can't see why this would not work? Low heat low spin?

I wouldn’t want to try it - even on a low heat in a mesh bag. Ripe hop cones are very delicate and fall apart very easily - if you put them in loose they’d just clog your dryer filters. I think you’d also lose too much resin due to the agitation. Can you put them in an airing cupboard? Or use v low heat oven?

 

[NPi]

Hopefully the weather will be good at harvest time and I can make the most of drying them in the garage, if not its the airing cupboard. I'll have to tip off the local brewing bunch to make sure we make the most of it!

Cheers all

 

[Henders]

I think moving air will be important too if airing cupboard (i.e. a small fan) as warm air can carry more moisture so if it's just sitting in a then humid (or at least not dry air) environment it will take longer. At least that's the principle of the food dehydrator.

 

[Sandimas]

+1 on the small window for picking them: mine are looking very mature now but have no aroma yet, that seems to come right at the end of growth. Early/middle Sept seems to be the sweet spot.

I air dry mine on large garden trays in the garage. Only takes a few days, you can dry them out too much.

Can't wait to harvest now, I used the last of the 2019 hops in a brew that's finishing off in the FV.