Brewing with homegrown hops

[PapaBearJay]

This batch scored a 33.5 at the Upper Mississippi Mashout last weekend. I also entered it in the Saint Paul Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival... I will be sure to post results!

Did you go to Winterfest this past Friday?

 

[Gozie Boy]

Congrats!

And apologies for totally forgetting to follow-up on my own Centennial SMaSH.
It came out excellent - the Centennial character is well represented. It has a nice balance of bitter and residual sweetness - something the spousal unit appreciates as I tend to be heavy-handed with IBUs (this batch on paper was 66 IBUs) - plenty of fruity flavors, and enough aroma to let you know what's going to follow.

I'm definitely going to put this in my brewing rotation as I'm still sitting on a crapload of hops (a high-class problem for sure )

Cheers!

I know it's been 9 years(!) since this was posted, but I know you're still very active. This is my second year in growing hops (first to go into brewing), and it looks like I'll have a nice crop of Centennial, Cascade and Fuggle. I am interested in your Centennial whole hops recipe; I supposed you have refined it during the passing years. Also, how best do you manage all the hop matter? I know I must forego my plate chiller in lieu of immersion, but what other tips can you offer to avoid/minimize a potential mess of a process with the whole hops? (Including dry hopping, if you do that, and transfer into kegs). Many thanks!

 

[DuncB]

Make sure there's no way for the pump in your kettle to suck in whole cones.
Hop spider or some kind of separation plate.
I use mine in a hop rocket from flameout and whirlpool stage.
I haven't used them to dry hop.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Make sure there's no way for the pump in your kettle to suck in whole cones.
Hop spider or some kind of separation plate.
I use mine in a hop rocket from flameout and whirlpool stage.
I haven't used them to dry hop.

Thanks, DB!

 

[whattabrau]

Also, how best do you manage all the hop matter? I know I must forego my plate chiller in lieu of immersion, but what other tips can you offer to avoid/minimize a potential mess of a process with the whole hops? (Including dry hopping, if you do that, and transfer into kegs). Many thanks!

Hop matter is usually *less* of a problem with wet hops, at least if you have a kettle with a pickup tube. They tend to get wedged around it, and self-filter. Unlike with dried whole-cone hops, there are less loose leaves. If you're really unlucky, before the mesh forms, a smaller one will find its way straight onto the pickup tube entrance. I've solved it by blowing into the kettle valve.

If you don't like living on the edge, you can use a BIAB bag or something for whirlpooling (depending a bit on your setup). For dry-hopping I do use a bag, weighed down with some teaspoons.

btw, one of the best beers I make is taking the wet hops from the kettle after the wort is transferred, squeezing the liquid out of them with my hands, pouring that liquid into a big bottle, adding bread yeast, and after a few days pouring the almost-finished beer into a fliptop bottle to carbonate. No, I'm not kidding, but spund a fliptop at your own peril.

 

[redrocker652002]

Just reading thru this, I am in my second season of hops and looking forward to a decent Cascade and Columbus yield. Not pounds but I am hoping for a few ounces of each. I have an ounce or so of each vacuum sealed and frozen that I plan to use as well. Going to watch this thread to see what kinda cool recipes are posted so that I can use my own hops to make a solid beer. Rock On!!!!!!

 

[day_trippr]

I know it's been 9 years(!) since this was posted, but I know you're still very active. This is my second year in growing hops (first to go into brewing), and it looks like I'll have a nice crop of Centennial, Cascade and Fuggle. I am interested in your Centennial whole hops recipe; I supposed you have refined it during the passing years. Also, how best do you manage all the hop matter? I know I must forego my plate chiller in lieu of immersion, but what other tips can you offer to avoid/minimize a potential mess of a process with the whole hops? (Including dry hopping, if you do that, and transfer into kegs). Many thanks!

Man, it has been a long time. I will have to dig deep into some archives for recipe data as those days predate my adoption of BeerSmith. I think I was using QBrew back then.

In any case, I originally used muslin bags for my home grown cones in the boil, then used a false bottom in my boil kettle (still have it, probably should sell it) which made everything easy while allowing the cones to go "commando". Dry hopping was also in muslin bags, which was a bit challenging considering I've always used carboys with skinny necks

I'm on The Cape Of Cod this week but I'll try to remember to take a look for recipe stuff when I return...

Cheers!

 

[acrowe]

I ended up getting a fairly good amount of fresh hops - but I was out of town for several weeks so I just asked my wife to freeze them - just like that fresh cones in a zip lock into the freezer.
It was a couple months before I actually tried them. Chinook and Goldings
I made a basic pale ale 10lbs light, 1 lb 30L crystal, nottingham yeast (20L)
I had no idea at al how much to use. I used 4 cups at 50min 4 cups at 3-4 min - it was not very hoppy, not enough for me, but what was there was very tasty.
Same recipe again 8 cups at 50min, 8 cups at 3-4min. Turned out very nice, I love the hop flavour (I used same yeast) But could be hoppier
I did a similar recipe except 120 L crystal (1lb) but 10 cups at each, and it smells really nice and before carbonation tatstes a bit hoppier. I haven't tasted finished beer yet.
One thing I'd say about using the homegrown wet hops like that - the flavour is amazing, I really like the flavour from using those hops like that. Maybe 8its just unconscious bias , but I am really enjoying it.

 

[redrocker652002]

Wow, that is a lot of hops. I won't get that much in 2 or even 3 seasons I don't think. Great stuff.

 

[DuncB]

I've read that you should use 10x weight of wet hops as equivalent. That assumes your hops have same AA as the commercial dried hops. This is an unknown for most homegrowers.

 

[acrowe]

It was a large volume of hops, but I don't think its actually much weight, and I have no idea what the alpha acid levels are at all. Thats why it was experimental increase. I didn't grow these, my wife got them from an older woman in town who was asking if anyone wanted them and would use them.
I really like the flavour, and I am not generally somebody who likes very hoppy beer.

 

[day_trippr]

Wet hops vs dried hops: as one dries wet hops to 1/5th the wet weight the wet usage vs dry ratio should be close to 5x...

Cheers!

 

[Saunassa]

Picture from fall 2022 hop harvest beer. I used 1 oz Willamette pellets to insure bittering. Picked 24 oz nugget while mashing and all used for the 5.5 gallon batch.
Pouches for reference. Water heater pan worked great for measuring.

 

[JAReeves]

Last year's crop for me was light, so I just dried and froze for this year.

This year, the hops again started off slow because of wacky weather in SoCal, but the NeoMex I planted is going to be more productive in year 1 than any other hop I have ever had, period. These things are putting out burrs and sidearms as they climb, it's truly amazing to see.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I haven't used them to dry hop.

You should - that's where you get the best advantage of wet/green hops over dried hops - for dry hopping you want all the volatile aroma compounds that are normally driven off in the oasthouse. In general with limited supplies of wet/green hops, you want to start at the end of the brewing process and work backwards - use them for dy hopping if at all possible but only use them for bittering if you have more than you know what to do with.

I've read that you should use 10x weight of wet hops as equivalent. That assumes your hops have same AA as the commercial dried hops. This is an unknown for most homegrowers.

The alpha acids aren't really relevant, it's all about the moisture content. The usual ratio suggested in the UK is 7:1, USians seem to suggest either 5:1 or 6:1, presumably it depends depending on how drying the weather is whilst they are on the bine.

 

[DuncB]

You should - that's where you get the best advantage of wet/green hops over dried hops - for dry hopping you want all the volatile aroma compounds that are normally driven off in the oasthouse. In general with limited supplies of wet/green hops, you want to start at the end of the brewing process and work backwards - use them for dy hopping if at all possible but only use them for bittering if you have more than you know what to do with.


The alpha acids aren't really relevant, it's all about the moisture content. The usual ratio suggested in the UK is 7:1, USians seem to suggest either 5:1 or 6:1, presumably it depends depending on how drying the weather is whilst they are on the bine.

Thanks, I don't normally dry hop my bitters so I just put the hops in the hop back which worked okay.

This year I hope the tangerine dream does better and then I will use that as a dry hop in something for sure. I'll probably just put them into the fermentersaurus and then drain out of the bottom to transfer which should filter on the way to the cask.

Just got hold of a pin cask so proper potential for real real ale.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I found the recipe for my "house homegrown IPA" from years back, using Chinook Cascade and Centennial.
Nothing fancy about it, it's a testimony to the hops that it always came out so good

Cheers!