Hop Harvest?

[Jim Ballantyne]

Kia ora koutou

I have been a long time lurker, but now I am wondering, and I don't have anyone else to ask, Is anyone near making their hop harvest. I grew a plant this year and the cones are formed, but still green. There are also a lot of juveniles/flowers on the bines. Upon cutting a cone in half I can see the glands beginning to form, but still small and greenish. Am I looking at two weeks before my first harvest?

PS, bought the hop from a local nursery with the description - ex commercial variety!! It was quite a large rhizome, about 150mm x 100mm x 100mm.

[Doublehoppy]

Welcome Jim

Yes it's probably a matter of weeks, maybe a month?. My bine - a smoothcone has a fair few formed cones but they are virtually tasteless at the moment. They will eventually have a very pronounced bitter lemon taste. At that point I'll harvest. But I've only harvested once so maybe someone with a bit more experience can add to this.

[Jim Ballantyne]

Thanks!
My cones are also tasteless, so I will monitor this. My concern is that I have a few trips away scheduled in the coming month or so. I don't want to miss that window of harvesting. How big is it I wonder?

[denimglen]

Sounds like you've got Smoothcone there mate.

As well as what Doublehoppy mentioned -

Look for the cones starting to brown on the tips slightly.

Keep an eye on the lupulin glands, they'll start off small and yellow, and are ready when they're plump and golden - almost orange.

Have you used your Smoothcone Doublehoppy? Thoughts on the hop? I've got some still from last season but haven't used it yet - slack, I know haha.

[Doublehoppy]

Yes I used them in two brews. As I don't know the alpha I only used them for late hopping, I think 15 & 1 min. Problem was that I put them in a plastic seal bag and froze them for a few months - big mistake! The beer tasted like mud and I suppose that the hops oxidized.

John Golics of the Auckland guild did a brew using only green cones picked straight off the bine (my plant is a cutting from his). It was very good. The hop seems to have very European Saaz like character.

I'll certainly use them again this season, fresh off the bine, in conjunction with some pellets early in boil. I've heard that with green hops you need 3 times the weight as dried

[jamis]

Doublehoppy how did u prepare your hops that oxidized?

[Doublehoppy]

I didn't dry them or have access to a vacuum sealer, so just put the green hops in small plastic "sandwich" type sealer bags and froze - not recommended.

[Jim Ballantyne]

Thank You for the feedback.
It looks like a waiting game for the moment.
I anticipate that there will be three harvests, the first two picking out the cones that have ripened, and a final one taking out the bines and removing the remaining cones.
I am concerned by Doublehoppy's experience, as I intended freezing the cones in brew sized bags (after drying). But I wouldn't want to lose the harvest to oxidation.
Any thoughts to the best process here?

[James P]

If you have access to CO2, (or argon would be better) fill the bags with that, then fill the bags with dried hops, squeeze bag and seal. That would help minimise oxidation.

[Jim Ballantyne]

technology way above that which I have access to, or for that matter wish to have access to.
My operation is the lowest of low tech, and I am proud of that.
The only CO2 I have comes out my mouth or from the brewing barrel.

I guess that thorough drying and packaging may assist.

[Pilgrim]

Harvested my Cascade yesterday. Looked like a lot, but only got 414g which after drying came out to around 75g. I used a dehydrater to dry them gently, about 4 hours at 50C. I have vacuum sealed some and will use some undried in a Harvest Ale tonight. Picture attached.

 

[Tilt]

That looks a healthy bunch 'o'  buds Pilgim - well done. 

Seeing pics like yours makes me very curious about growing my own.  I hope the harvest ale captures the freshness of these babies!

[Jim Ballantyne]

Yes I have been keeping a wary eye on mine, I used most of mine green last year and was very impressed by the results. This year I seem to have two distinct groups to harvest, the more ready ones are starting to show quite a good yellow deposit, they will come off in the weekend - weather permitting.