Let there be Hops

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:28 pm

I've shared these with those that have Google+ so it is a repeat for some ... for others ... well let me just say that there is a wonderful aroma at my house ...

Dan

A bowlful from one leg of my hops trellis.

Monsters ... that is a quarter if you cannot see it clearly.

Brewfoo · Post by **Brewfoo** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:24 pm

Wow.

Nice. Did you grow them yourself?

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:46 am

Yep ...

Post by **brahn** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:45 am

I forgot to ask earlier, how long have you been growing hops? Is this the first year?

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:23 am

I think this is the 3rd or 4th year ... but I transplanted the plants when I put up the new trellises so this is the second year in this location. I have several varieties .. Liberty, Tetnanger, Sterling, EKG, and Cascades .. by far and away the Cascades are the most prolific ... and the EKGs have done almost nothing .... they never even reach up to the trellis. I'm going to put them into a pot and move them to a different locale ... these were giant rhizomes too.

I'll have to go look but I think I have a few cones on the Sterlings and Liberties but nothing more than a "sniffing" amount. I'll give 'em another year to see if they've gotten enough roots to get big. The cascades just grow like crazy ... they would go higher than the 14' easily ... in fact, they drape over the top and reach out and grab unused twine. I usually "start" 2 vines per string ... then leave 'em alone ... (not on purpose .. just laziness I suppose) and there are usually 6 or so vines tangled up ...
I need a good recipe to use these up ... I'm not a Hophead .. and I prefer darker beers ... But I'm going to seek out a lager recipe for these. In the past, I've used them with good success in my Honey Brown ... and I think they'd be good in a nice balanced pale ale.

I have the hops on drip and start them on 15-15-15 in spring and then give them some bloom fertilizer (6-24-24) while the vines are growing up the string and getting ready to start flowering. Nothing too scientific ... just kind of when I think about it and I just throw a handful or two near the drippers. I will hand water it in some too.

If I remember and do some digging early next year, I will see if I can get some rhizomes for folks ... especially the Cascades.

Dan

Post by **JonW** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:01 am

Dan,

Here's a nice APA that uses all Cascade. I've done this and really liked it.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/da-yoop ... le-100304/
(note the recipe is only for 5 gals).

- Jon

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:05 pm

Hey Jon ... Thanks!

lexuschris · Post by **lexuschris** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:40 pm

Dude.. nice cones!

--LexusChris

ArrogantDan · Post by **ArrogantDan** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:12 pm

When brewing with fresh hops do you use the same weight amounts and get the same IBU's? And do you have it tested for Alpha Acids? Just curious...

lexuschris · Post by **lexuschris** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:54 pm

Unless you have acres that you are planning on selling, most home-growers skip the alpha acid testing.... its just too costly for the few half-pounds you might get.

Some homebrewers will use store-bought hops of known AA% for bittering addtiions, and then just use their own for flavor & aroma additions... where the unknown AA% is not a huge factor. However, I've used my homegrown Nugget hops as a bittering addition, and just guestimated... what's a few extra IBU plus or minus anyways!

I have noticed that in Beersmith, the same weight of leaf hops gives you less IBU than pellet... so I would guess a small increase in flower/leaf hops is needed to get he same bitterness... but it is not a big difference ... like 10%...
--LexusChris

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Wed Aug 24, 2011 8:43 am

10% increase (whole versus pellet) is the number I use as well ... pretty sure I derived that from Promash ...

I haven't bothered testing ... I just use whatever is in the software database.

Dan

Post by **brahn** » Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:54 am

Do you dry them out first or brew wet hop beers, or both?

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:56 am

I have an Excaliber dehydrator ... so I dry, then vacuum seal and freeze. Never brewed with wet hops ... will have to do a better job planning for that.

Dan

lexuschris · Post by **lexuschris** » Sun Aug 28, 2011 11:34 pm

Just finished our hop harvest too.

: Cascades ready for harvest; SedonaHarvest2011_17_Cascade_close_s.jpg (219.76 KiB) Viewed 7614 times

Last year we used an Excaliber dehydrator to dry them, but we had a huge crop this year!

: Plenty of hops!; SedonaHarvest2011_23_harvestyield_s.jpg (199.5 KiB) Viewed 7614 times

Instead, we air-dried them in large screen frames.

: Drying hops .. ended up with 8 lbs; SedonaHarvest2011_27_drying2_s.jpg (178.27 KiB) Viewed 7614 times

Ended up with 8 lbs of dried hops!

Lots of hops!
--LexusChris

dhempy · Post by **dhempy** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:30 am

Nice ...

Brewcommune

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