1st Year Hop Experience

[Leezer]

Glad your hops survived, and hope your power is back. We only lost it for 24 hours, lots of debris too. My hops survived but they’re attached pretty good to the obelisk I grow them on.

 

[Beerisgud]

@Leezer Good to hear! The diagonal design is pretty vulnerable to wind so I anchored the longest bines with some extra twine and clips before the storm. I’m wondering if it had been a little drier and closer to harvest I might have cones all over the ground. Power came back on but is going in and out as they make repairs in the area. I consider us pretty lucky since we are surrounded by a very tall wood line. No shortage of free firewood this season that’s for sure!

 

[LagerLover78]

@Leezer Good to hear! The diagonal design is pretty vulnerable to wind so I anchored the longest bines with some extra twine and clips before the storm. I’m wondering if it had been a little drier and closer to harvest I might have cones all over the ground. Power came back on but is going in and out as they make repairs in the area. I consider us pretty lucky since we are surrounded by a very tall wood line. No shortage of free firewood this season that’s for sure!

Beerisgud - glad your plants made it through unscathed! Ive found that the plants are pretty hearty and strong. Had a wind storm roll through Michigan and watched it whip the hop plants around pretty wildly. Checked the bines and all is good.

I know I'm late to the discussion on fertilizers and plant food, but thoughtbid mention my procedures. Keeping in mind that I grow in 22" planters on an east facing deck. At the beginning of the season I buy a bag of manure/ hummus mix and a bag of potting soil and top dress at the beginning of the season. That usually lasts into the beginning of summer. I watch the leaves and when the lower leaves start looking a bit pale I dilute a 24/8/16 water soluble plant food down to 3/1/2... you'll nottice some yellow leaves in on 9f the pics attached...I was late to the game on feeding. about a week ago I bought a slightly inverse ratio plant food (9-4-12) and dilute it down by 1/3 to roughly 3/1/4. Using these dilution rates I havent had any issues burning the plants and have pretty decent success. However I did buy a soil test kit to try and figure out what NPK deficiencies are and a bag of bone meal to make up the gap in P levels where needed.

I've got 3rd year Chinook and Challlanger plants that should have pretty good yield this year. Also have a 1st year Centennial some cones and a 1st year Sterling that doesn't look like it's going to produce this year.

The first two pics are the Chinook, the third pic is the Challanger and the fourth and fifth pic are the Centennials.

Great thread! Keep the pics coming!

 

[Beerisgud]

@LagerLover78 dude hell yeah love seeing some more pics thanks for the input also. I agree with dilution of ferts I’ve learned it’s always best to start low and slow. I’ll be picking up a soil kit before they start coming up next year. It looks like your plants are happy as can be. Great to be able to grow in pots on the deck for close observation and ease of harvest. I wish I purchased centennial rhizomes in place of cascade since they are “super cascade” and would need less in the boil. I think after a few years of testing out the potency of these hops I will swap them out with something unique. Hopefully some delicious patented ones will be available soon. That’s the beautiful thing about these plants dying back to the crown every year. Loving my new hop garden and looking forward to my first full volume all grain batch with homegrown hops. I did a one gal all grain kettle sour and it was such a tease!

 

[LagerLover78]

Great to have am awesome resource like this available to chat and compare notes on our hobby!

I hear ya! I made a 5 gallon pale ale couple weeks ago with some home grown cascades and magnums. It's still carbing and should be ready for consumption in a few days. I did sample a bit the other night. A bit flat, but tasty tasty! Unfortunately, I tried transplanting those two plants in the yard last year...they didn't even break ground and pretty much discentigrated! Was pretty ticked off...2 years down the drain!

One thing I'm curious about is how to approximate AA levels. I've read a bit on the dilution method and, I want to say I've also heard there are services that will do that for a fee. Worse comes to worse, suppose you could take the average for the strain and adjust up or down for future batches.

 

[Beerisgud]

Taking a closer look at the petunias, marigolds, and other companion plants they have served their duty. I’ve squished about 30 caterpillars on this one pot.

Nuggets are starting to develop some more, noticeably slower and smaller cones than the cascades

Chinooks have shown some more growth

Cascades are looking a full, more open, and duller. No brown tips yet but the crinkle sound is audible. Look at all those cones from just two little rhizomes 5 months ago!

 

[LagerLover78]

Lookin' good and green! Appears you'll have some nice product to play with after harvest and drying is done! Well done sir!

How far apart did you plant the companion plants in relation to the hops? How are the snow peas doing? Do the bees love your hop plants in CT as much as they do here in MI?

 

[Beerisgud]

@LagerLover78 Flowers in planters in front of cascades, pot near the Chinook arbor and near the nugget. My rose bush in the front of the garage had been annihilated by Japanese beetles and aphids. Then in all four corners of the hop boxes I put single French marigold plantings. The peas did great into early summer but can’t handle the heat. When I removed them those nugget side arms had a space to climb into. It worked out nicely. I can’t tell if they are eating any bugs or just the honeydew from all the plant hoppers but the bees sure do love hanging around my hops!

 

[LagerLover78]

Sounds like you have hop lovin' bees too! I found 4 bees nests about thr size of golf balls right under the mature plants (Chinnook and Challanger).

Keep those pictures coming! Great job!

 

[Beerisgud]

I harvested my cascade hops! I did the top half 4 days ago on Friday and then the bottom half on Monday waiting for them to dry a little more on the vine. I dried the top half in the garage, side door open w/ one low powered fan and one high powered away from hops circulating air. It dried slower due to humidity. By day 3 they were dry but still bendy. I took them along with fresh picked bottom half inside in a closed spare bedroom to finish drying with two fans on low. By this morning the bottom half felt as dry in half the time. Another day or so... Anyways, I took 5 oz dry from the upper trays and jumped straight into my first all grain with my homegrown hops! I’ll weigh the remainder as I vacuum package to see my total weight of the cascades. I planned on just doing a smash but I had some fun getting familiar with my new brew day. I did 10lbs 2 row, 8oz steel cut quick oats, 1.25oz cascade and a handful of wet chinook/nuggets @ 60 min, .5oz continuous cascade @ 30-20 min, 1.5oz cascade @ 10 min, Whirlpool 170F 2oz cascade. SafAle US-05. 5 gallons in the fermentor last night. Bubbling away this morning!

 

[Beerisgud]

 

[LagerLover78]

I harvested my cascade hops! I did the top half 4 days ago on Friday and then the bottom half on Monday waiting for them to dry a little more on the vine. I dried the top half in the garage, side door open w/ one low powered fan and one high powered away from hops circulating air. It dried slower due to humidity. By day 3 they were dry but still bendy. I took them along with fresh picked bottom half inside in a closed spare bedroom to finish drying with two fans on low. By this morning the bottom half felt as dry in half the time. Another day or so... Anyways, I took 5 oz dry from the upper trays and jumped straight into my first all grain with my homegrown hops! I’ll weigh the remainder as I vacuum package to see my total weight of the cascades. I planned on just doing a smash but I had some fun getting familiar with my new brew day. I did 10lbs 2 row, 8oz steel cut quick oats, 1.25oz cascade and a handful of wet chinook/nuggets @ 60 min, .5oz continuous cascade @ 30-20 min, 1.5oz cascade @ 10 min, Whirlpool 170F 2oz cascade. SafAle US-05. 5 gallons in the fermentor last night. Bubbling away this morning!

Thats awesome!

 

[LagerLover78]

What was your pre boil volume?

 

[Beerisgud]

As a disclaimer: I’m sort of a haphazard brewer. I do my best to make good beers with the knowledge I have so far. I know I have a lot to learn about brewing still. Even after making a ton of kits and ciders over the last couple years. I haven’t begun to look closer at recipe making, yeast, and water profile. In order to make this brew fit my 8 gallon kettle I added 5.5 gallons and mashed in at 166F mashing at 154 for 60 min. After, fired up the burner, removed the grain bag/fryer basket, placed in another narrow pot where it sat at the top and rinsed 2 gals thru it for a total pre boil of around 7 gal. It was tight and had to watch for boil overs but I wanted to see if i could make 5 gallons of acceptable beer with current equipment.

 

[Beerisgud]

After all that I didn’t even remember to take a gravity reading!

 

[LagerLover78]

I totally understand the haphazardness. I try to make it as simple as possible and focus on cleaning and sanitizing. Once you get a couple AG batches under your belt and get comfortable with the process, it feels less haphazard. I totally get it though, I've been out of the brewing game for a couple years and I'm trying to relearn my process and equipment. I found that going old school and keeping a physical log book to keep notes in has helped. I've had the book since I started brewing back in 2007. Helps to be able to go back and look at recipes and brewhouse processes and notes. That way I can relearn and make adjustments from batch to batch.

I'll be kicking off a batch of Czech Psudo Pilsner in the next day or two...had to delay due to priorities. On that same note I'm trying to make a yeast starter for the 1st time and trying a new yeast.

That's part of the fun of the hobby!

 

[LagerLover78]

Btw, sounds like a winner recipe! Looking forward to hearing how it turns out!

 

[Beerisgud]

Keeping notes is great advice. I save my recipes and all my notes. Looking back is what made me choose to add a little oats and do a whirlpool. Being from CT, the first beer I made was a NEIPA in my tiny one bedroom apartment. Still the favorite one amongst my then girlfriend and friends although it was far from the style with a steeping/extract kit and lots of beginner mistakes. To brew my first all grain, something like my first brew, with first year homegrown hops was a cool “full circle” moment for me. Sittin there in the backyard at our new home with my now wife flickin hop flowers into the kettle. I’ve come a long way and the beers will only get better from here. Soon as it’s kegged and carbed I’ll post the on first pour!

 

[Immocles]

I love this thread. I subbed to it awhile back and love when I see I have a new alert for it. I've yet to grow any hops but my wife is really pressuring me to give it a shot next year. I'm afraid that our yard might not be the happiest place for hops, but this thread makes me think I need to give it a shot!

 

[LagerLover78]

I'm afraid that our yard might not be the happiest place for hops

Why is that? Soil drainage? Hop devouring animals?

 

[Immocles]

Small, small yard with large walnut trees. I haves the most logical spot picked out, just have to dig up the vine that’s currently living there this fall. Nothing gets a ton of sun in that area and the overly sunny area is off limits to pretty flowers only.

 

[LagerLover78]

Ugh. I'm sorry. Digging up vines and roots is no fun.

 

[LagerLover78]

At least the wife is into the idea! Thats a plus!

 

[toadie]

Hey all I have been drying my hops on a screen in the attic. A pain to get up there but dry in a day (or sooner). I have also been drying mint. I plan on trying some tomatoes and some cannabis (which I also might try to brew with).

 

[Beerisgud]

@Immocles one way to make it work in the off limits area is an obelisk like @Leezer they look attractive in a garden when grown that way. Tell them but hey hops ARE pretty flowers! Show them his photos and you may convince them to make use of vertical space with something truly unique and a conversation piece. You will need to inlay a bottomless wooden box into the planting area to contain its spread. If that is not an option, just go for it in the less sunny area. Worst comes to worst you tossed a few bucks on rhizomes. Post a photo of your potential planting areas and maybe we can help you come up with a game plan.

@toadie awesome idea, I have a walk up attic and I never even thought about drying up there. I’ll try it with the nuggets and chinooks! My family grows lots of cannabis both CBD and THC and wants to collab on a brew. I think all IPA styles and maybe fruited sours? would be great infused with cannabis.

 

[Immocles]

@Immocles one way to make it work in the off limits area is an obelisk like @Leezer they look attractive in a garden when grown that way. Tell them but hey hops ARE pretty flowers! Show them his photos and you may convince them to make use of vertical space with something truly unique and a conversation piece. You will need to inlay a bottomless wooden box into the planting area to contain its spread. If that is not an option, just go for it in the less sunny area. Worst comes to worst you tossed a few bucks on rhizomes. Post a photo of your potential planting areas and maybe we can help you come up with a game plan.

I debated going that route with an obelisk, but Im just not too into that at the moment. It would be smack in the middle of her little enchanted garden, so Id rather not die on that hill haha. I do think the less sunny spot going up the garage might suffice, but I worry it'll get choked out when the trees are in full bloom. But I do plan on trimming those up this fall, so who knows. I figured I would probably give it a shot anyway. We hate the vine that grows and I keep hacking it off at the ground, so I just need to dig that baby up and basically plan a rhizome on top of it. If it grows, it grows. If not, then I find a better plan the following year.

 

[toadie]

@Beerisgud Yeah I haven't actually checked out the temp but when the sun is shining...wow. I'm in southwestern Ontario (Canada) and the humidity is crazy which affects drying. On a side note my hops don't seem to be as potent as similar hops from the drier west coast (also at a higher latitude). This also seems to be an issue with growing grapes for wine.

 

[Beerisgud]

Just kegged the first harvest ale. I’m really excited for this beer! The cascade hops just smell so damn good I couldn’t help but sip the beer drippin out the dry hop bag lmao. In total I used 5 oz in the boil and 2 oz dry hopped. I still have another 6 oz dry in the freezer so a total of 13 oz dry from my two cascades. Not bad for the first year!

 

[LagerLover78]

13 oz...Thats an awesome harvest!

Looking forward to hearing how the brew turns out after carbing

 

[Ridenour64]

I got 3 oz from my chinook and roughly 3 oz from my cascade. Both first year plants, so you doubled mine! Hoping to brew a harvest ale in the next week or two.