Danscade maturity date

[Jozsef B Beverly]

For people who have grown Danscade: What sort of date do Danscade cones mature? Mine were in the middle of the burr stage when I checked them about a week ago. Just trying to plan timing of harvest and a big wet-hop brewday.

[Tilt]

A lot depends on your local conditions but for mine (Auckland, North facing) they'll be ready in a week or so.

[Jozsef B Beverly]

Thanks. Yeah, I gather local conditions play a part in it (day-length is often mentioned. Only 10 minutes extra daylight in Wanganui than Auckland at the moment though). Mine are in full sun. Will be my first crop of Danscade. Looking forward to trying them out and comparing them to regular Cascade. How do you rate them vs. the original?

[Tilt]

Last year was my first crop and I understand they can take a season or two to hit their straps flavour wise. Also a "terroir" issue but mine were not as intense as NZ cascade ( no pepper or grapefruit), herbal and lemony was what I got

[Tilt]

Here's a useful clip to help with deciding when your hops are ready to harvest  Linky

[Jozsef B Beverly]

Cheers for the link. His main points (slight browning of bract tips, paperiness and proper aroma) are what I go by. I'm just trying to predict when these guys will be ripe because my main hop yard is an hour's drive away. I know Cascade is an early variety in Nelson (compared to late varieties like Green Bullet), but I wasn't sure if Danscade was an early, mid or late variety.

[Hamish Jones]

How'd that mystery German go,

I am getting ready to do a harvest shortly on mine I might do a Alt with it and see how it goes, and hope it is what I think it is, will send you a bottle up once I get it done and you can take it for a run and see what you think

[Jozsef B Beverly]

No cones on the mystery hop this first season; hopefully next year. Looking like an OK crop for some of my other varieties though. Would be keen to sample the Alt :-)

[Tom]

I have already picked most of my Dan/Cascades going by the paper feel and browning. My Green Bullets though are a little way off yet.

[Jozsef B Beverly]

That is an early harvest! What part of the country are you in? When you say "Dan/Cascades" do you mean you have both varieties? I did hear a rumour that actual Cascade was floating around. Danscade is a separate variety to Cascade (it's an open pollinated seedling grown by Dan from seed taken from an NZ Cascade cone).

[Tom]

They're Danscades, they smell amazing and am looking forward to using them. Definitely different to normal Cascades. I am in Tuakau just south of the Bombays had heaps of sun as they face north and are exposed from about 10:30 til sundown. I probably could have left them another week or so but had plenty of browning on them and were very papery.

[Jozsef B Beverly]

If they're ripe they're ripe; no sense in leaving them to start smelling like garlic. Looking over my notes from last year, my Goldings were unripe the first week of March, ripe from about the 10th and by the 25th the ones I hadn't picked were mostly passed it. What sort of flavours are you getting from your Danscades?

[Trevor Courtney]

Hi Jozsef

I would be happy to buy a cutting or 2 of your Golding hop. I'm in CHCH and happy to pay for P&P also.