Hop Harvest

After months of watering, and waiting, my cascade hops were ready to harvest on August 29. The total yield was about 3.5 lbs before any drying. I used most of them in a wet-hopped pale ale.

Green Harvest Pale Ale

Grains:
14# US 2-Row
2# Vienna
1# Crystal 40ºL

Mash at 155ºF

Hops:
All weights are for wet, freshly harvested hops.

10 oz First Wort Hop
2 oz 90 min
5 oz 60 min
5 oz 45 min
5 oz 30 min
5 oz 15 min
5 oz 5 min
5 oz 1 min

Aerate chilled wort onto the yeast cake from the last batch of IPA, and pitch in a vial of California V. Rack to secondary after 2 weeks, age 2 weeks, then keg and dry hop with 2 oz dried whole cascade. This is currently in the cellar, waiting for an open tap handle.

Hop garden

Late April, I planted 2 Cascade rhizomes in planter buckets. I staked them with 8 ft redwood poles, and put some chicken wire around them to keep the dogs from eating the (apparently) delicious organic soil/mulch mix.

They've established a nice root system, drink a couple gallons of water a day, and have reached up about 18 ft onto the roof. This week, they started popping up cones.

Not sure what the yield will be, but it should be enough for a batch or 2. I'm currently planning on using them right away in a Harvest ale instead of drying them. I have plenty of dry whole hops anyway.