Got 18lbs Free Hops

[dustinboyd]

So I just picked 18ish pounds of cascade hops for free from someone in town that was giving them away.

First of all, I'll only use 1/3 of that at the most in the next year, how cost efficient would it be for the *recipient* for me to give the extras away for free on this fourm, charging for postage only? This would be fresh hops, before drying.

Second, how do I dry/process this many hops? Yes I've read and searched, my options are a dehydrator or screens but 6lbs (the 6 I'm keeping) is a lot... A full garbage bag full...so do I just go buy a huge screen and hang it up and dry them out? Or is there a better method of drying mass quantitys?

Thanks all!

 

[cannman]

OMG! WOW!

Please put me first in line. I will return the favor with a few beer from the batch they are used in.

88888888888888888

You have to act quick because of the mold issue. I'd take down all the screen from the windows in the house and sandwich the hops between them and run a fan over the screens... someone on here should have the best answer, but this will beging a drying process used for herbs.

Are they individually coned or are they still attached to the vine?

 

[jekeane]

Hop Oast. Basically a box fan under some screens. there is an instructable somewhere on the interwebs

 

[Transamguy77]

Wow man what a score! I use roll screen screwed to 2 2x4's and spread across some milk crates. All you have to do is have them spread thin so they dry out.

 

[willemg007]

I put the screens in my attic where it is super dry and quite warm now (in Alabama.) In a single layer, completely dry in 2-3 days. Any well insulated attic anywhere during the summer should do though.

 

[Singletrack]

Whoa now. Before you start begging me to take some... Now stop! I simply cannot accept. I mean it. I'm not worthy. Enjoy them!

 

[kh54s10]

I put the screens in my attic where it is super dry and quite warm now (in Alabama.) In a single layer, completely dry in 2-3 days. Any well insulated attic anywhere during the summer should do though.

Super dry in Alabama in the summer??? I lived on the Gulf Coast. West Florida and I would not say it was ever dry during the summer...

It is even quite humid here in Rhode Island this time of year....

 

[willemg007]

Super dry in Alabama in the summer??? I lived on the Gulf Coast. West Florida and I would not say it was ever dry during the summer...



It is even quite humid here in Rhode Island this time of year....

It is in the attic, not outside.

 

[thaymond]

I built an oast (instructions here) and I and drying 10 lbs of hops as we speak, with 2 open trays, enough for an additional 5-6 lbs of cones. I have layers 1 cone deep, so I could probably stack another layer of cones on top of that and get similar results in the same time. I can probably get a maximum of 30 lbs drying at one time.

 

[Calder]

Why not make a wet hopped beer with about 3 lbs. That is 3 left to dry. If you can't do it immediatly, I believe fresh hops keep OK for a couple of months in the freezer.

You do know that 15 lbs wet will equal only 3 lbs dry.

 

[Yooper]

Why not make a wet hopped beer with about 3 lbs. That is 3 left to dry. If you can't do it immediatly, I believe fresh hops keep OK for a couple of months in the freezer.

You do know that 15 lbs wet will equal only 3 lbs dry.

If they aren't used immediately, they need to be dried before freezing. Otherwise, it's a vegetal mess if they are frozen while wet.

 

[Calder]

If they aren't used immediately, they need to be dried before freezing. Otherwise, it's a vegetal mess if they are frozen while wet.

They are not going to fare well in the kettle either. I see no reason why fresh hops cannot be frozen for short periods.

Do you speak from experience?

 

[dustinboyd]

I'll go the huge screen route. Thanks all for your responses. If I do decide to give them away (my brother knew the grower and picked them for me, so he has first shot, but he doesn't brew beer) I'll post in the for sale fourm and here first. Not that they're "for sale" but the buyer will pay USPS priority shipping.

Thanks again all

 

[dustinboyd]

OK so my 18lbs turned out to be 2.5 lbs after drying (and my brother loosing a bunch in a mud pit....long story). Anyway I vacuum sealed them all and froze them. Thanks again everyone!

 

[wyowolf]

I put the screens in my attic where it is super dry and quite warm now (in Alabama.) In a single layer, completely dry in 2-3 days. Any well insulated attic anywhere during the summer should do though.

Dry??? Here in Ga is humid as he'll!