I am currently harvesting hops and find that because not all of the bines of a variety flowered at the same time, not all of the hops are at the same stage of ripeness. It has been explained to me that on commercial hop yards, they cut the entire bine and feed it through a machine that plucks all the cones off. So does this mean that some of the hops are over-ripe, some are under-ripe, and what we get is an average? I’ve been leaving the under-ripe hops for a later harvest day, but I just wonder what the range of hops look like in a commercial situation. Any ideas? I also wonder if my lack of experience causes me to have these wide range of ripeness on my bines. Maybe if I had a better set up and management, the ripeness of my hops would be more uniform?
Also, I want your opinions on some of these hop cones pictured here. Keep them or toss them? These are dried Amalia hop cones that seemed to turn brown on one or more sides way before they were dry enough to pick. This variety wasn't the only one doing that this year. I think the brachioles were damaged by Japanese beetles, too much rain, and possibly some mildew that I am starting to see on a few leaves. The beetles wreaked havoc on the hop leaves which I suspect stressed out the plants reducing their resistance to mildew. I think the beetles brought some mildew spores along with them too. They even attacked some of the cones. Whole chunks are missing out of the affected ones (one of the pictures shows this and the exposed lupulin glands). Next year, I think I am going to use Seven to control the beetles. I hate to start spraying, but the product has only a 3 to 10 day pre-harvest wait time on fruits and vegetables. I would only need to spray them once or twice in early and mid summer. I also started spraying an organic fungicide this year containing potassium bicarbonate that apparently has been proven successful by a researcher at Cornell University. I only had time to use it once (should have used it every 2 to 4 weeks), but I think it did help. Thanks in advance for any questions / comments.
Some browning is actually a good sign that it’s time to pick. I wouldn’t want to pick when they’re all green yet. Some of those brown ones have the best aroma of all. Keep all of them. They’re all good. The only exception might be if you see any mold on them. Personally I’ve never had mold but I bet it is a slight possibility. But assuming nothing like that, then all your hops are good.
It would be wise to dry them before storage. I put mine in an oven as low as it will go, 140 F if possible, on a wide pan about 1 inch depth for a couple of hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until they are very dry. They puff up and get sort of “crispy” when done but not burnt – if you burn them then they are wasted and you didn’t stir well enough. They do need to be stirred well periodically. Alternatively, if you have a food dehydrator you could use that, again on a low setting if you have different settings. You will lose a lot of aroma from heat but they will still be great for bittering and flavor. If you want to use some for aroma, use them while still fresh and undried, but use 5 times as much as normal since they are actually 80% water.
As always, thanks, Dave, for the advice. I was just worried as to how much brown some of them had. They smell great. So I’ll keep em!
I have 2 dehydrators friends have given me. I set them at around 100 degrees, and my hops are usually dry in 12-16 hours. As the harvests get heavier, I might crank it up to 110 to save time. Thanks again.
[quote=“brewdvm”]As always, thanks, Dave, for the advice. I was just worried as to how much brown some of them had. They smell great. So I’ll keep em!
I have 2 dehydrators friends have given me. I set them at around 100 degrees, and my hops are usually dry in 12-16 hours. As the harvests get heavier, I might crank it up to 110 to save time. Thanks again.[/quote]
I just returned from the hop harvest in Yakima. Commercial growers dry at about 130F. Hops start to compost themselves within an hour of picking, so you want to dry them as quickly as possible.
Thanks for the information. How long does it take the hops to dry at 130F? I always thought the commercial guys dried hotter because they had so much hops to dry, and time is money. I guess I figured a lower temperature would preserve more flavor and aroma. I usually do throw them in the dehydrator right away. I’ll try the higher temperature and see what happens. Thanks again.
Thanks for the information. How long does it take the hops to dry at 130F? I always thought the commercial guys dried hotter because they had so much hops to dry, and time is money. I guess I figured a lower temperature would preserve more flavor and aroma. I usually do throw them in the dehydrator right away. I’ll try the higher temperature and see what happens. Thanks again.[/quote]
Takes anywhere from 2-9 hours. I use a food dehydrator and rotate the position of the trays every few hours to promote even drying.
Thanks for the information. How long does it take the hops to dry at 130F? I always thought the commercial guys dried hotter because they had so much hops to dry, and time is money. I guess I figured a lower temperature would preserve more flavor and aroma. I usually do throw them in the dehydrator right away. I’ll try the higher temperature and see what happens. Thanks again.[/quote]
Takes anywhere from 2-9 hours. I use a food dehydrator and rotate the position of the trays every few hours to promote even drying.[/quote]
Oh yeah, I never thought of rotating trays. Makes a lot of sense.
I have yet another question. Another observation I have made with my own hops is that the high alpha varieties are not turning brown at all yet. They seem like they are getting papery and crinkly but still green as ever. Are they just really late varieties or is there a correlation with high alpha and prevention of browning? Thank you.
[quote=“brewdvm”]
Oh yeah, I never thought of rotating trays. Makes a lot of sense.
I have yet another question. Another observation I have made with my own hops is that the high alpha varieties are not turning brown at all yet. They seem like they are getting papery and crinkly but still green as ever. Are they just really late varieties or is there a correlation with high alpha and prevention of browning? Thank you.[/quote]
AFAIK, there is no correlation between alaha and maturation. Some varieties just mature later than others. The farms around Yakima harvest a single variety at a time. The overall harvest lasts about a month, although a single variety may be done in less than a week.
