Nomabrew

Recipes 

This is my first season planting hops and I've two plants that are overloaded with buds but I'm really not too sure when to pick them. I've already picked some of my Chinook and they look like this:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Breakyoself/?action=view&current=downsized_0802081456.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Breakyoself/?action=view&current=hopvine.jpg

any opinions on these?

beerthirty

Recipes 

Buds? What do you think you are growing there? I cant grow hops where I'm at but have studied a little on them and since no one with exp has answered here goes. I think they are not ready yet. I don't see any evidence of Lupine and the outer leafs of the cones are still very green without so much as a brown tip. They way I understand it is the aroma changes quite a bit as they are coming to harvest time. It is right before harvest that most of the lupine develops and the tips of the cone leaves start to brown a bit. Pay no attention to what was posted as I have never even seen a live hop plant.

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serving- amber ale hop experiment #6, Roggenbier, apfelwine
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Bombo80

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I have four varieties that are just starting to form cones, and one variety that is almost ready to harvest. I think the type of hop makes as much of a difference as the growing conditions. The one that is almost ready to harvest, is growing on the same trellis as another variety, and the other one is hardly showing any hop development.

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Secondary - Blueberry Mead, Spiced Mead, (2) crabapple wines

Bulk Aging - Brewtopia Barleywine, Sugar Beet Wine, Rhubarb wine

TCHDNSD

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There are a couple of ways to tell. One is to squeeze a cone between your thumb and fore finger and if the cone stays compressed, it's not ready, it should "rebound" to it's basic shape. The other, that has been mentioned is the tips of the cones will start to brown. The "petals" on the cone should also start to feel kind of papery as opposed to how they feel when they are still immature.

Maybe this helps.

cuinrearview

Recipes 

In Europe they flick the cones, and if they come off, the plant is ready to harvest.

david_42

Recipes 

The flick test is probably the easiest. That tells you the stem has dried out & the cone is as mature as it will get.

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Bombo80

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I like the flick test. Never heard of it before, but since I have 5 varieties this year, I think I'm going to try that method, this year.

Thanks for the tip cuinrearview !!!!

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Secondary - Blueberry Mead, Spiced Mead, (2) crabapple wines

Bulk Aging - Brewtopia Barleywine, Sugar Beet Wine, Rhubarb wine

steinsato

Recipes 

So my chinook cones are papery, there is yellow lupulin inside of them when I tear them open, and they are turning brown but they absolutely do not fall off when I flick them. Is it time to harvest?

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"The ordinary world is only the foam on top of the real world." Tom Robbins (B is for Beer)
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Homer

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I'm seeing thee same thing with my cascades and centennial, they are browning, and some even look a little yellow, but they won't flick off. I'm assuming that its not good to have to pull hard to get them off.

I guess what I'm asking is:
Is the flick test, the final test, so if it does flick off dont pick them?

steinsato

Recipes 

Mine never did flick off. I just took a pair of scissors and clipped them off one by one. I've read it's better to pick early than late.

__________________
"The ordinary world is only the foam on top of the real world." Tom Robbins (B is for Beer)
"It's a beautiful day for baseball. Let's play two." Ernie Banks