Yield questions.

[Retrofit]

I know there are a lot of variables that will determine yield and people often talk about pounds of hops produced.

As a home brewer, I feel what it comes down to is 'dried hops', rather than the weight of the hops gathered. This is what I use, it's what I understand.

I'm trying to get a better understanding of what sort of yield in DRIED HOPS a home brewer can expect.

I know it's a vauge question, but I need to figure this out.

Last year I planted 4 types of hops and they produced between one and six ounces of dried hops.

This year I planted 14 more plants.

So I will have 4) 2nd year plants, and 14) first year plants.

With 18 different plants in the ground I think it's safe to say I'll produce 18 ounces of hops.

I would like to better understanding what I might produce not only this year, but potentially in years to come.

I've got to harvest this stuff and I've got to dry it and I know my table top dehydrator will not keep up. I need to prepare now and I feel I lack the knowledge to get prepared.

I have no ambitions of even thinking I'm commerical, or large scale, but I could still see myself leaving hops on the bine if I can't find a way to harvest and dry my back yard yield.

(I have a SMALL vacuum sealer system if it matters).

Any comments/advice are welcome.

 

[B-Hoppy]

you and most of the new growers (1-2 yrs) have not yet seen what these plants are capable of. once established and growing in a suitable environment, things begin to change from year 1 or 2. if you have decent growing conditions (in the ground - not in pots, adequate soil, room to grow upwards etc.) you will have more hops than you know what to do with. i grow mostly cascades (at least 2 lbs/plant), chinook (2-3lbs/plant), volunteer (.5lb/plant), zeus (TBA but it looks like 2-3lb range), and the others i don't even pick. i dry as much as i can with a space heater blowing into a makeshift chimney with drying trays stacked above. the problem is that once harvest is on, you have to work quickly. unfortunately, the hops take time to properly dry to an acceptable moisture level. so, if you have 6 or 8 lbs (dried) cascades to process, you can only dry a certain amount at any one time. i can only do about a pound and a half at a time. about a day and a half for each lot. unfortunately, most people have lives to live and don't have enough time to spend tending to their kilns to be able to properly dry that amount of hops once they are all harvested. after 25 or so years doing this stuff, i've scaled back quite a bit such that i'm not stressing about getting everything picked and dried and then sealed up. you have to figure all the time and energy spent to produce a crop, and then think about the fact that you can purchase a pound of hops (nowadays) for around $15.00. is it all worth it? time is something not everyone has, not to say that the whole idea of growing and processing your own hops is not an admirable quest, but life dictates what becomes reality. GROW ON - LEARN - AND MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN!

 

[Retrofit]

Thanks B-Hoppy, you sort of confirmed what I suspected/feared. I was thinking if I develop strong plants and produce 3 lbs of hops per plant I may be generating 50-60 pounds of hops a year. Then I got thinking, how am I going to harvest that? How am I going to store that? What am I going to do with it all?

I'm having a lot of fun growing my hops, I get to spend a lot of time in my yard and I love that part all by itself. I just got to thinking, even if I could provide hops for my entire community, can I harvest all of it?

Thanks for the answer, I've got to figure out what I'm going to do with my future hops.

 

[B-Hoppy]

hey man, have FUN! just don't let them put you in the NUT-HOUSE. about every couple years, dig them up and WHACK them back to a manageable existence. it took me probably 15 years to realize this. now it's all cool. it's just nice to have a 'new start' to keep the system alive. i generally dig and cut back about every 5 years. at that time, they're usually becoming out of control. all you have to do is lop off a rhizome in the spring and start it. next year you have an established plant and can get rid of the monster, or piece it out to your friends. it's a great system because you know that if the ones you give to your friends 'crap out', you'll have plenty more to give them next year. have fun with it, it's all a learning experience and the more you do it, the more you learn. take your choice, HOP ON or B-HOPPPY! it's up to you.