Boy #2 helping to harvest the final crop of our first-year Cascades with me this morning. We got a total of 32 ounces this year, the first year we've grown hops. http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/The-Blog.html?entry=final-hop-harvest-2011
First Year Cascade Final 2011 Harvest
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rniles
Well-Known Member
You are nicer than I. Mine are Thing 1 and Thing 2.
32 oz is darn good for first year. Congrats!
32 oz is darn good for first year. Congrats!
Congrats. 32 ounces of wet hops equates to about 6 ounces of dried. Pretty good teaser for future years. Where are you in Chicago, Pappers?
OP
OP
I'm in southwest suburban Oak Lawn, R.
That is so cool. I am absolutely buying rhysomes this year. Where'd you get yours?
How many hours of direct sunlight do they get each day? When did you plant?
How many hours of direct sunlight do they get each day? When did you plant?
OP
OP
You can see what I did in this hop planting blog post http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/The-Blog.html?entry=planting-the-hops
I bought the rhizomes from Glen Fuller at Rising Sun Farm - Glen is on HBT as Hopfarmer (if memory serves). He's an organic farmer who began growing hops a while ago - I bought some of his cascades last year (the hops, not the rhizomes) and they were outstanding. A link to his farm is on the post.
I planted 3 hills of cascades and 2 hills of willamettes. They all came up just fine, the willamettes never really thrived, always looked spindly and like they needed more water, but I watered them plenty, the same as the cascades. I trust that they were gathering strength this year and will come back better next spring.
The cascades went nuts - up the trellis, good strong growth, healthy looking leaves and bines, and a good number of cones.
Estate du Pappers is shaded with many trees, and finding sunlight is a challenge. So, we grew them along the two-story side of the house, which happens to face west. So, it gets lots of sun in the afternoon and early evening, but not so much sun in the morning. We ran twine from stakes in the hop hills to the 2nd story windows, as our trellis. I have pictures of the set up on the link above.
I had a little Japanese beetle problem, not really an infestation, but I sprayed an organic solution and picked off the little buggers by hand and after a couple of weeks, they went away.
I notice that the first year cascades do not smell as overwhelmingly cascade-like as the hops I buy. A member of my homebrew club told me that was normal, that both the flavor and aroma of first year hops is often muted. I figure I'll use them as late additions and dry hopping, in large quantities.
It was really fun this year, from the planning to the planting, the tending and the harvesting. We harvested twice - the first time on a ladder and the second time we cut the bines down. The picture of Rob above is from when we cut the bines down.
I bought the rhizomes from Glen Fuller at Rising Sun Farm - Glen is on HBT as Hopfarmer (if memory serves). He's an organic farmer who began growing hops a while ago - I bought some of his cascades last year (the hops, not the rhizomes) and they were outstanding. A link to his farm is on the post.
I planted 3 hills of cascades and 2 hills of willamettes. They all came up just fine, the willamettes never really thrived, always looked spindly and like they needed more water, but I watered them plenty, the same as the cascades. I trust that they were gathering strength this year and will come back better next spring.
The cascades went nuts - up the trellis, good strong growth, healthy looking leaves and bines, and a good number of cones.
Estate du Pappers is shaded with many trees, and finding sunlight is a challenge. So, we grew them along the two-story side of the house, which happens to face west. So, it gets lots of sun in the afternoon and early evening, but not so much sun in the morning. We ran twine from stakes in the hop hills to the 2nd story windows, as our trellis. I have pictures of the set up on the link above.
I had a little Japanese beetle problem, not really an infestation, but I sprayed an organic solution and picked off the little buggers by hand and after a couple of weeks, they went away.
I notice that the first year cascades do not smell as overwhelmingly cascade-like as the hops I buy. A member of my homebrew club told me that was normal, that both the flavor and aroma of first year hops is often muted. I figure I'll use them as late additions and dry hopping, in large quantities.
It was really fun this year, from the planning to the planting, the tending and the harvesting. We harvested twice - the first time on a ladder and the second time we cut the bines down. The picture of Rob above is from when we cut the bines down.
solbes
Well-Known Member
Wow, quite a bit for your first year. My first year Cascade and Williamette gave me maybe 1 oz dried combined. Maybe dry hop a pale ale this winter with them. Mine are not real fragrant either, but I expect big things next year. Gives me something else to look forward to over winter.
Nice pictures!
We ended up with (dried) 1.5 ounces centennial (first year), 6 ounces chinook (second year), halleratauer not harvested but there were a TON, and 28 ounces of dried cascades.
I wethopped one ale with the cascades, and will now dryhop a batch with centennial/cascade/chinook, I think!
We ended up with (dried) 1.5 ounces centennial (first year), 6 ounces chinook (second year), halleratauer not harvested but there were a TON, and 28 ounces of dried cascades.
I wethopped one ale with the cascades, and will now dryhop a batch with centennial/cascade/chinook, I think!
OP
OP
Yooper said:
I'm going to use our cascades to dry hop, too.
Pappers, welcome to the unofficial Chicago Land Hop Grower Society. I'm in Aurora IL. Randar has been giving me advice for... three years now? Every tip he gives me has improved me garden and hops. A true Chicago-land resource!
Oh don't say that!!! I stunted about half of my crowns this year so I'll only have about half the crop I should have. Lessons learned. When you hear "trim back the first emerging shoots", don't trim back all 100 shoots per crown that you see!
By the way, if any of you Chicago growers have excess hops, Revolution is looking to trade your hops for a growler of their beer so they can do a local Urban Hop beer. PM me if you're interested and I will send you their contact info (copied from the CBS listserv)
That is pretty sweet. I am a Chicago brewer/grower . However I am sure my first years won't yield enough for me to share . I am harvesting today. Cheers Guys
OP
OP
That is pretty sweet. I am a Chicago brewer/grower . However I am sure my first years won't yield enough for me to share . I am harvesting today. Cheers Guys
Yes, I will jealously use all of my homegrown hops, too! I like Revolution's beers, but I'd rather have my hops
Woodland
Well-Known Member
There's a hop grower on eBay from Zeeland, Mi. He sells crowns, which is a good step beyond a rhizome. It's cut down from a flowering bine, and will supposedly produce a better yield your first year than from a rhizome.
