Harvested my hops the other day, now it’s time to get them dancing.
American Brown
8# Washington Select
1.5# crystal 40
1/2# chocolate
2 oz HG Centennial FWH
2 oz HG Cascade at 60
2 oz HG Cascade at 15
1056 at 67°
Seems like too much hops, but I have no idea the alpha content. I’m assuming by smell only that it’s about 50% of normal. So I should come in at about 45-50 IBUs
How fun is this?
I actually got two regular zip lock bags worth of cascades from my first yr plant. It was fun watching them grow…literally watching them grow! The smell isn’t as strong as I normally get from other cascades, so I’m not sure if I’ll use them at all. Really looking forward to next year’s harvest!
Brewing a wet hopped IPA.
13# great western 2 row
1# light munich
.5# crystal 20
.25# crystal 40
Anticipated OG 1.068
5 handfuls homegrown Cascades in mash
1 oz Chinook at 60
And as many Cascades as I can continuously stuff into the pot during the last 15 minutes.
Ah! A mash hopper! I’ve never tried it.
I like your thinking at flame out though. I know cascade is too run of the mill for many folks, but I’ll admit I’m a fan. Boring or not, good is good…
I’m very jealous - love me some wet-hopped beers ! I need to grow some next year. I planted a couple rhizomes many years ago with mixed results, not giving it my full attention. Need to give it another go. These stories of fresh hops are killing me !
My cascade is over 15 years old. I’ve tried others with poor results-got 3 cones on my 3 year old magnum and the 4 year old hallertau died this year. But the cascades are berserk. More than I care to use. I only wet hop one or 2 batches a year with them and give the rest away.
Never mash hopped before today but with a 7.5 gallon bucket of hops in front of me…
I thought one of the best wet-hopped beers of last year was ThreeFloyd’s Broo Doo. I got it very fresh (the whole point obviously). Hop aroma and flavor were intense and amazing.
Got a Belgian Pale Ale in the fermenter as we speak. Bittered with 20 IBUs of Magnum, then tossed in about 3.5oz of dried hops at flameout (Cascade and Willamette) that represented me and my buddy’s full harvest for the year. This is the first year we have enough of a harvest to brew a decently hopped beer. Can’t wait to try it out.
I’m chuckling at that cuz I was thinking how much my almost pound cost me in labor…
Brewing’s done. Time for a beer!
3 points short of my target og and 2 pints short of my target volume. Used 5 gallons of hops! All those hops soak up a lot of wort! Hope it’s not a no-no to sqeeze 'em! 
You’ll have to post your tasting notes. Sounds great !
+1
Tasting notes are my latest favorite thing. Especially if they have that over the top beer snob air about them.
I expect some anti-shnob tasting notes on yours!
The wort sample tasted nice. Smooth, fresh sweet hop tea and not nearly as bitter as expected. I usually just take a sip or 2 but I drank the whole 100 ml cuz it tasted so freakin good.
All accomplished beer snobs use the word friggen at least twice.
Pre-fermentation you can squeeze all you want. I wouldn’t squeeze dry hops, though. That really runs the risk of oxidation.
I would think that fresh hops would take up less of the wort then dried hops.
I too had a fresh hop brewing this past weekend. Picked them right off and right into the kettle. My regular Pale Ale. 2 oz fresh at 30 and 45 min. add. It is going to be a long wait on this batch to finish.
Just finished up drying all from this year. Don’t have a total yet but as was stated up the line, had a bumper crop on the Cascades. I even lost out on half of one plant because I didn’t get to it fast enough and they went brown on me.
Next year will be year two for the three new plants. Should be fun.
My second year Centennials yielded 5.50 ounces dried and the Hallertau yielded 1.00 ounces dried. Harvested and dried 09-08-2013, brewed 09-21-2013, my first time using whole hops as well as homegrown!
6.75# Pale Ale Malt
5.00$ Maris Otter
.50# C-40
.50 oz HG Centennial at 60
2.00 oz HG Centennial at 15
1.00 oz HG Centennial at 10
1.00 oz HG Centennial at 5
1.00 oz HG Centennial at 0
1.00 oz HG Hallertaua at 0
Beersmith calculated 73.90 IBU and O.G. 1.065. I can’t believe the aroma coming off the fermenter, like fresh picked hops. I cannot wait to see how it tastes.
I’m on my second attempt with hops. 15 years ago I planted on the wrong side of the house. Now theyre in full sun, cascade produces far more than I can brew with (2nd year vines). Columbus and Willamette are far less productive and may be culled.
It’s very fun! That recipe looks tasty.
But as you noted, when you add up your time and the investment to grow them, financially it’s more silly than trying to justify brewing your own beer to save money. I just do it for fun.
I have first year Columbus, Chinook, Horizon, and Centennial. All three did well with the Chinook and Columbus giving great yields considering their early development. Water regularly is key!
I’ve followed the same recipe formulation guideline - 50% alpha estimated. I like to use them 20 minutes and later though and I ramp up my recipe by 1.5 gallons and use a lot of them. I use pellets from my LHBS for bittering.
I just brewed Jamil’s “West Coast Blaster” at 7.00 gallons and added 3oz of home grown Horizon at flame out. There were other hop additions earlier but my estimate of loss was spot-on and I ended up with 5.5gal in the carboy. The aroma from the Horizon is very mild and rather disappointing however.
I expect different results from the Chinook and Columbus just based on smell when I vacuum bagged them and put them in the freezer. I still plan on bombing the heck out of an IPA with them using massive amounts late and steeping for max effect next brew.
I don’t know about others here but I find dry hopping with whole cones a PITA because of both racking difficulties afterwards and getting them in my glass carboy to begin with. I dry hop in the keg instead sometimes.
GYOH!
My homegrown is due to be racked next week. I might bottle it for sharing purposes.