Homegrown hops not potent?

Question for the group...I yielded over 1lb (dry weight) of Cascades. I used the entire lb in what was intended to be an 10 gal IPA, but ended up tasting like a regular ale. Virtually no hop presence at all other than a slightly bitter backbone. No citrus that you get from the nose when smelling the cones/lupulin.

The lupulin was developed fairly well when I harvested, to the point I was comfortable harvesting, it was mid August.

My hopping schedule was at 60,45,30,15, and 5. I even roughed them up (squeezed them in the bags) to get the oils flowing because they didnt have much smell to them until i would squeeze them open or bruise them up.

I've got 2x as many plants going in next year, so I'd like to figure out where I'm going wrong here. Maybe I picked too early? They looked pretty good.

Anyone else experience this? Any thoughts?

 

Generally people recommend using a commercial hop of known AA levels for the bittering addition(s), and the homegrown for flavor and aroma. I had a similar problem last year when I attempted a single hop IPA with homegrown hops, and got no detectable bitterness, aroma, or flavor. I tried doctoring with a hops tea and eventually dumped the whole batch.

To answer your question more directly, though, the biggest factor for me has been when I harvest. I try to err on the side of "too late" rather than "too early." Making a tea with a few cones in a cup of water is a good way to test strength, too (especially if you compare side by side with a tea made from an equal weight of commercial hops of similar alpha).

 

are these first year plants?

 

2 nd year plants, and they grew quite lush/well. I could've waited another week or so I'm sure, but I can't figure what justifies literally NO hop aroma/presence after using 1lb of beautiful cascades in a 10 gal batch....it's crazy



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About a week or so (prior to/leading up to) harvest, I usually go out every day and pick 5-6 cones and mash 'em & rub 'em & smell 'em. The pleasant hoppy aroma will intensify up to a point . . . and then begin to deteriorate. The trick is to determine when 'that point' is and then harvest. Peeking under the petals to see the lupulin forming is good visual clue, but you should also use your nose. If you still have some hanging, go out tomorrow and do a rub/sniff test, then wait another week and do the same. This will help show you how they start smelling once they're past their prime.

 

Agreed with Bob and ong...but I'll be more blunt. You harvested to early. When you harvest cascades, the area around the plant should smell citrusy. After you have dried them, they should smell. If you had to crush them to get that smell, then they didn't have enough time to develop all the oils and alpha's.

No worries, you are not alone in this. Almost everyone on this forum has harvested early at least once. Go with Ong's suggestion and wait a bit longer.

Second potential problem, when you say 1 lb dry, are you sure they were dry? How many plants was this harvest from and what year were they. Give me an approximate volume. When properly dried to 10% moisture content, 1 lb of hops uncompressed would take up 3/4 of a cubic foot...or almost 6 gallons. That is A LOT of hops. And if that's the case, I can understand why you would be upset.

 

My homegrown cascades do not pack the wallop that I get from commercial grade. (New England) They tend to be more floral than citrus. However, the smell is very nice - I often hop like an IPA but expect pale ale results. I'm still working on the harvest timing myself.

 

Exactly. My cones completely filled a 6 gallon bucket, overflowing. Over 1lb dry. Had 6 plants in their 2nd year.

Using that massive amount of GPS in a 10 gal bath and to have no aroma? Demoralizing.

Ill take your word I harvested too early, but am still concerned in that there's no real barometer for when they peak. It's still a guessing game?



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Judging the optimal time to pick can be difficult, but is possible. Professionals tend to target the percentage of dry matter. You can also use a microscope to examine the lupulin glands.

Hope this helps.

 

I wonder if you can monitor the plants using a refractometer somehow.

 

The best way for a home-grower to learn what a ripe cone looks, feels and smells like is to leave a couple dozen representative cones on the bine after harvesting. Then check them every couple of days and compare their character against what was harvested...

Cheers!

 

What's your drying method? If heat is used it can damage a lot of the delicate oils that are responsible for flavor/aroma.

 

No heat, just air dry on screens set up in my garage (albeit a hot humid garage). It took 3 days to dry them out, i moved them around on the screens every day and lupulin was falling all over the floor.

 

USE A MICROSCOPE. I didn't mean to yell that but it is important. get a cheap 30x or better in-the-hand style or get a used one from a school or something. The lupulin looks like a red blood cell; that is disc shaped with an indent in the center until it is almost ready to pick. It will swell into a balloon shape when it is ready. I have harvested my hops early almost every year until l read about this. I've also noticed that the lupulin goes from being bright lemony yellow to a dense bright orange when things get close.

 

I thought I had harvested my Chinooks late... I had a dry matter % within optimal range, but slightly higher than target. I sent them to get tested at a lab and they came back within range for the variety, 13% AA & 3.5% for Beta's. The cones had a papery feel and grapefruit tones on the smell. I had been very tempted to harvest near the end of August, but the dry matter calc was too low at that point. I did my dry matter calc. late August, only 40 grams or so of wet hops (20-30 hops I think)- do that next year and wait till you get 23%.

My guess is that you've harvested too early.

 

You intended on brewing an IPA.
Your hopping schedule was: 60,45,30,15,5

Basically, your 15 and 5 additions are your only real "representative" additions in making your IPA, POP! How many ounces could have been left for those additions? 1/4 (2 oz per 5gallons)? No 10 minute addition, no flamout/steep addition, no dry hops.

IMO, you brewed a pale ale, and what you're tasting seems to be a pale ale (not to mention that cascades are not a great IPA hop on their own
.....but they'll make a great pale ale)

With that in mind, how does it stack up against a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? (that's a better comparison)