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Homegrown Hops Harvest 2013

Four years ago, I began growing my own hops. There were no expectations on my part. If they grew and they produced cones, it would be deemed a success. The ultimate goal would be to have enough cones at harvest to brew a beer.

The first plants that I bought were Magnum and Mt. Hood. Magnum is a high alpha hop where a little goes a long way for bittering hops. The cones are large and have a pleasant hop aroma. Because of the size of the cones, the plant is a “quality over quantity” producer. At harvest time, there may not be as many cones, but the ones I pick are beauties.

Last weekend, the Magnum plant was harvested and I weighed all the hops before drying. The scale reading was over 1 pound. Once they are dry, the cones will weigh a third of that total but it was good to see the weight over a pound.

Next year, we have dreams of a wet hop brew but this year we’re drying them out for an Autumn ale.

The second year Cascade plant produced like a champ this summer. The cones on the upper half of the bines have picked and are now drying as well. Mike and I videoed a some thoughts about the Cascade plant a few days ago and we will post it tomorrow. The hops were not weighed before they were placed on the drying screen. From the looks of it, the yield will be between 1.5 and 2 ounces of dried cones. For a second year hops plant, I am happy with the amount I was able to harvest.

The third one, which is also four years old, is the Mt. Hood plant. My brother has been growing it and harvest time should be some time this week. From photos I have seen, we will have a hefty amount of cones and I plan to use them in an Alt or maybe a Yule Lager (recipe to follow).

Happiness is a couple of screens of drying hops.
Homegrown hops harvest 2013

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Hop Harvesting Video

2 Comments

  1. Jim

    I was just wondering how many Magnum and Cascade plants contributed to the harvest you detailed.

    Cheers!

  2. Hi Jim – 1 plant for each variety.

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