Moving To Cedar Rapids....

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:32 pm

BS Brewery & HOP FARM? How long you been growing hops. I have been harvesting two Cascades for this will be the fifth season. I am curious about drying them. I let them air dry and they seem to have an above average grassy flavor. Do you add any heat with a space heater or use a dehydrator?

Schlenkerla · Post by **Schlenkerla** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:52 am

I have been growing hops about as long as you. I dry mine in my hop oast. I don't use heat. I dry them in the basement where its dehumidified and cool. I use a fan to blow air through the back of an old dresser and up and out the drawers. I takes about 3 days until they are dry, sometimes less. I line the drawers with reusable furnace filters that are cut to size.

[albumimg]102[/albumimg] [albumimg]100[/albumimg] [albumimg]101[/albumimg]

You can tell if they dry enough, by bending the stems to see if they snap. If they do they are done drying if they don't give them another day.

I have never noticed a grassy flavor with my hops. How long do you dry hop and where? I only do so in my 2ndary and no longer than 14 days. If you let them sit longer they supposedly get grassy.

Here's a real beauty. My fall amber... ~ 4 oz of cascade.

[albumimg]106[/albumimg]

bkanderson · Post by **bkanderson** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 am

Thats an awesome setup. So are you transplanting your hops to CR when you move? I hope you staked out a good place to grow them. My front yard is the only place that gets full Sun. However, my wife has not yet agreed to make it a hops habitat.

Look forward to meeting you and sharing some beers.

Schlenkerla · Post by **Schlenkerla** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:33 am

bkanderson wrote:Thats an awesome setup. So are you transplanting your hops to CR when you move? I hope you staked out a good place to grow them. My front yard is the only place that gets full Sun. However, my wife has not yet agreed to make it a hops habitat.

Look forward to meeting you and sharing some beers.

I don't know about the transplant thing. Too many unknowns about when the house will sell, when will I have a new home, can I dig them up once I know and so on...

I have moved them once. They were originally on the easement. The lot next to me was vacant, got sold, and the guy started doing dirt work. It was a rescue operation. Lost two plants to a bulldozer.

I tried to get SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) to buy into the garden-pergula set-up but she wasn't buying it at all. SWMBO has no imagination!!!! She tolerates the hops, but gets jealous... says I give them more attention than what she gets.

Mine are on the south side of the house. Last few years they grew on 25' teepee poles. This year, the poles broke twice because of 8-9 bines per line and strong winds. They ended up growing horizontal on a series tomato cages. Makes for easy pickin'

Look forward to meeting you guys too!

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:42 pm

I let mine air dry on a screen in my garage. I think my problem is it is too humid in there. I have heard I should try a space heater to blow dry heat through. I really like your hop drying system. Last year I got 2.5 lbs. dried off my vines I grow in my Mom's garden.

DaveCo · Post by **DaveCo** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:19 pm

Has anyone started harvesting their hops yet? Mine are in their first year.

Dave

Schlenkerla · Post by **Schlenkerla** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:30 pm

Yes! - Yours are probably a little past due. Usually around the state fair time you will have some ready to pick. Sometimes a little earlier or later. Over the whole course of August & September you can harvest.

Look at your cones, are they light green color? Do they have brown spots or are they all brown? Think of bananas with black spots. Its the same thing. You want them ripe but without any brown spots. A few spots are OK.

When you grab a cone, pluck it off the bine and squeeze it looking for pollen (lupilin) and smell. You'll know if they are ready when you do this once. If they smell like hops you're good to go. If they are brown and smell like cheetos, they are spoiled.

Let me know if you have more questions!

John

Post by **JimPotts** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:15 pm

Schlenkerla wrote:If they smell like hops you're good to go. If they are brown and smell like cheetos, they are spoiled.

Mmmmm. Cheetos beer.

Schlenkerla · Post by **Schlenkerla** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:20 pm

JimPotts wrote:
Schlenkerla wrote:If they smell like hops you're good to go. If they are brown and smell like cheetos, they are spoiled.
Mmmmm. Cheetos beer.

I'd prefer Spicy Pork Rind Beer over the Cheetobier!!!

BrewHound · Post by **BrewHound** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm

Either of you know how they make the pellets. Like using those much better.

Sent from Jeremy Orchuk's iPhone!

On Sep 3, 2009, at 1:42 PM, "Matt F" <brew-news@crbeernuts.org (brew-news@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

I let mine air dry on a screen in my garage. I think my problem is it is too humid in there. I have heard I should try a space heater to blow dry heat through. I really like your hop drying system. Last year I got 2.5 lbs. dried off my vines I grow in my Mom's garden.

Matt Franklin
Slappy Brewing

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Mark R · Post by **Mark R** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:39 am

high pressure compressive extrusion

(think play-dough machine that squeezes out the long tube of shapes....)

On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 9:54 PM, BrewHound <brew-news@crbeernuts.org (brew-news@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

Either of you know how they make the pellets. Like using those much better.

Sent from Jeremy Orchuk's iPhone!

On Sep 3, 2009, at 1:42 PM, "Matt F" brew-news@crbeernuts.org (brew-news@crbeernuts.org))> wrote:

: I let mine air dry on a screen in my garage. I think my problem is it is too humid in there. I have heard I should try a space heater to blow dry heat through. I really like your hop drying system. Last year I got 2.5 lbs. dried off my vines I grow in my Mom's garden.

Matt Franklin
Slappy Brewing

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Schlenkerla · Post by **Schlenkerla** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:32 am

[quote="BrewHound"]Either of you know how they make the pellets. Like using those much better.

[quote]

You might change you mind if you had one of these. Makes using them a whole lot easier. See the you tube link.

[albumimg]105[/albumimg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFxuooOKe4o

BrewHound · Post by **BrewHound** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:10 am

Pretty snazzy gizmo, might try it, however, the main reason I like the pellets is that they seem to impart flavor better then the whole hops do. Don't see the bag helping that much. But I am willing to try it. Will have to go through what I have in pellets first though.

Lower Case T · Post by **Lower Case T** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:17 am

Well I'm brewing! But I had my first stuck sparge today! Boo!

Hey Tom, you still got any of those rice hulls? I could use twenty pounds tomorrow :)

I also prefer pellets. But maybe I'm just saying that because I have 600 pounds in the freezer?

On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 12:10 PM, BrewHound <brew-news@crbeernuts.org (brew-news@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

Pretty snazzy gizmo, might try it, however, the main reason I like the pellets is that they seem to impart flavor better then the whole hops do. Don't see the bag helping that much. But I am willing to try it. Will have to go through what I have in pellets first though.

--
Prost!
Travis Scheidecker
Head Brewer
Third Base Brewery
500 Blairs Ferry Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Tel. 319-378-9090 Fax: 319-378-9697
www.thirdbasebrewery.com

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tompb · Post by **tompb** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:20 pm

Dropped off the rice hulls. Good luck tomorrow.

Cedar Rapids Brewing Society