Can't Brew/Drink, Alternative Use For My Hops This Year

Because of health issues, I can't drink beer right now but want to put my hops which are getting ripe to good use. I've read about putting them in a muslim bag under your pillow as a sleep aid. Has anyone on here done this? I've got muslim bags but have never harvested and utilized the hops I've grown before. Do I need to dry them for a certain amount of time? How do I store them long-term, can they be put in the freezer? Thanks for the help/suggestions!

psst... That's a muslin bag, not "muslim"... Don't want your hops going all jihad on you while you're sleeping, do you??

Use just a normal pillow case. The scent will still come through well, but you won't get little bits of dried hop dust all over.

Stuff a normal cotton pillowcase very very full and sew it shut, and enjoy.

dry the hops, and put them in food saver bag and vacuum seal them

-=Jason=-

Make hop candy, freeze them, or donate them to a buddy.

Flomaster said:

dry the hops, and put them in food saver bag and vacuum seal them

-=Jason=-

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How long do they have to dry upon being harvested?

You mentioned no drinking - how bout smokin'? I saw a guy that was rolling custom cigars infused with hops and he sure wasn't givin' them away! Met another lady making scented candles - her husband was cutting beer bottles in half and she filled 'em with hop scented soywax- used the top half as a snuffer to boot! Another guy was making "hop soap"! Some people leave them on the bine and make decorative scented wreathes out of them. Personally I am waiting on DR Scholl's to come out with hop scented shoe inserts! Gone plumb crazy . . .

No, I can't smoke either. I just harvested my first-year Fuggles and have them spread out on a door screen suspended by two sawhorses in my toolshed. They were already pretty brown and starting to flake apart. How long do you guys suggest I leave them dry?

If the core of the cone feels wet compared to the dry edges of the cone, it's not dry. When the entire cone feels uniformly dry, it's dry.

If you vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer, they will stay good for a LONG time.

Homercidal said:

If you vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer, they will stay good for a LONG time.

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I don't have a vacuum sealer. Can I put them it ziplock bags and make sure most of the air is out of them and then freeze?

Hop tea.

Non-alcoholic beers.

If you really enjoy the flavor/aroma of hops then making hop tea is probably the best use. Plenty of anti-oxidants to be gleamed and its (virtually) zero calorie. Makes the most sense from a health perspective.

From there it's just a matter of what you want to do with them. I'm sure you could always find a local homebrewer that would give you some cash to take them off your hands.

Polkahero said:

I don't have a vacuum sealer. Can I put them it ziplock bags and make sure most of the air is out of them and then freeze?

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How long are you going to be out of action?

I'd get the thickest bags you can find in that case and see what happens. I don't think it would be a problem, but I had an opened and rolled up bag of hops one time and had it in the freezer for 2 months and I swear they smelled cheesy to me when I went to use them later.

Homercidal said:

How long are you going to be out of action?

I'd get the thickest bags you can find in that case and see what happens. I don't think it would be a problem, but I had an opened and rolled up bag of hops one time and had it in the freezer for 2 months and I swear they smelled cheesy to me when I went to use them later.

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Probably for a while. How long do they keep unfrozen?

I would say for a few months if they are vacuum sealed. But you really should get the oxygen out of there if you can't freeze.

I'd switch to rootbeers and soda pops. Rootbeer recipes can include just about anything, and I'm pretty certain I've seen hops listed as an ingredient in one or two recipes.

I would imagine it would compliment the flavor of a ginger ale really well too.

Make some hop candy.

I have to limit my intake of sugar, no candy or soda pop for me!

An alternative to a vacuum sealer is to put the hops in a regular ziplock back and get a big pot of cold water and a straw. Stuff the bag full of +dried+ hops, stick a straw into the bag like a snorkel and then dunk the bag in the water up to the zipper being careful to not let the water make it into the bag. The water pressure will push most of the air out of the bag so you can zip it up largely air-free.

Note: It doesn't work as good as a vacuum sealer but most people have the materials needed to do this around the house anyway. And it works way better than manually squeezing (hence crushing your hops).

I make hop-iced-tea, too: Brew some black or green tea, let is cool a bit, add a couple whole hops (dried or not, doesn't matter) to the bottom of a cocktail shaker, fill with ice, add tea, and shake away. Add a little sweetener if you so desire but either way it's really good.

Send them to me, I'll pay shipping.

I have to limit my intake of sugar, no candy or soda pop for me!

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Oof! I think at that point I'd just turn them into cash by selling them to a nearby homebrewer.