How to dry home grown hops?

If you have a hop related question about International Bittering Units or alpha acid, post it here!
Post Reply
User avatar
Cobnut
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 758
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:23 pm
Location: Ipswich
Contact:

How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Cobnut » Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:08 am

I have been offered a friend's allotment hop crop and I know they ought to be dried (as i'm not planning a green hop beer), but unsure as to how best to go about achieving this.

What can the JBK Hive Mind offer?
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
Planning: Dark Mild, Kozel dark (ish), Simmonds Bitter, Bitter, Citra PA and more!

User avatar
mozza
Under the Table
Posts: 1031
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:58 pm
Location: Essex

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by mozza » Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:44 am

I left mine on a baking tray in the airing cupboard for a few days and that did the job
Cheers and gone,

Mozza

User avatar
Meatymc
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 836
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:36 pm
Location: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Meatymc » Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:16 pm

I made one of these with 4 racks:

https://beerandbrewing.com/diy-hops-dryer/

I pinch our large office fan and lay it on it's back on the floor with the racks stacked above on bricks. You have to keep swapping the racks around. I've also used a fan heater set to one side blowing towards the fan which then redirect this low-level heat through the cones and speeds things up but again, be careful of over-heating

I have used an oven in the past but getting it below 50C is difficult - anything above that can drive off oils - particularly as you have to allow air circulation (door open) otherwise they simply bake.

User avatar
Jim
Site Admin
Posts: 10250
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:00 pm
Location: Washington, UK

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Jim » Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:21 pm

I seem to recall David Line described a method involving a hair dryer and a tea chest. Apparently it didn't work too well though.
NURSE!! He's out of bed again!

JBK on Facebook
JBK on Twitter

User avatar
Blackaddler
Under the Table
Posts: 1326
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:28 am
Location: Addlestein, Surrey

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Blackaddler » Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:30 pm

I use stackable "mushroom" trays, which I got from the local green grocer and farm shops, for free. Usually found out back, they're happy to get rid of them. I've accumulated about 50-60 over the years.

I lay a sheet of tabloid newspaper in the bottom of the tray, open it out, add a single layer of hops [about 100gms], and fold the newspaper over.

I stack them in the garage, where it's fairly dark, and leave them for about 10 days, depending on the weather.
Image

ingo
Steady Drinker
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 1:15 pm
Location: Netherlands

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by ingo » Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:48 pm

food dryer at low settings. (Stockli Dehydrator, or Lidl, Aldi etc. have simmilar ones)

Indoor wash drying rack, news paper or thin cloth on it and the hops on that, maybe add a fan below.

Solar food drier:
https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/too ... 0z14jjzmar
https://makezine.com/projects/solar-food-dryer/

Ingo

Robwalkeragain
Hollow Legs
Posts: 374
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:19 am

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Robwalkeragain » Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:01 pm

Hah oh god yeah those things! The back of our pub kitchen looks like a warehouse...other businesses who deliver routinely ask if they can nick our supply for themselves and it’s always a yes!
Blackaddler wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:30 pm
I use stackable "mushroom" trays, which I got from the local green grocer and farm shops, for free. Usually found out back, they're happy to get rid of them. I've accumulated about 50-60 over the years.

I lay a sheet of tabloid newspaper in the bottom of the tray, open it out, add a single layer of hops [about 100gms], and fold the newspaper over.

I stack them in the garage, where it's fairly dark, and leave them for about 10 days, depending on the weather.

User avatar
Meatymc
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 836
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:36 pm
Location: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Meatymc » Wed Sep 11, 2019 12:04 pm

Set up my trays with the fan underneath in the garage and had it running at full blast since Monday night - no heat source whatsoever. As of 7am this morning, down to 25% of original weight. Left it running although not really necessary and will pack tonight. Now have to 'train' my son-in-law on how to select, pick, dry and store the bulk of my crop as I'm off on jollies from tonight.

Anyone else noticed Cascade being a lot later than others? My Styrian Golding, First Gold, Fuggles, Northdown and Santiam are all ready now/over the next couple of days but the Cascade is at least a week behind if not more.

User avatar
Cobnut
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 758
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:23 pm
Location: Ipswich
Contact:

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Cobnut » Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:17 am

Thanks for all the replies.

I took delivery of about a kilo of green hops on Wednesday and initially laid them in single layers of hops between sheets of newspaper (which I hadn't read!!), but then decided I should try to dry them quicker. So I fashioned a "basket" which I rigged up with a couple of fans blowing cold air through and over the hops.

Laying them in newspaper certainly took some moisture out of them (the newspaper was slightly damp after only a few hours), but the fan rig seems to have worked; by 1030 last night they felt sufficiently dry and they have now been bagged up with as much air as possible excluded and they're in the freezer. Time will tell if this has been successful.

Planning to make an English style ale, but it will have to wait until I've completed the next few brews I have on the list.

Will report back in due course!
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
Planning: Dark Mild, Kozel dark (ish), Simmonds Bitter, Bitter, Citra PA and more!

User avatar
Mjr6313
Piss Artist
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: How to dry home grown hops?

Post by Mjr6313 » Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:09 am

I'm going to try using some muslin screens laid flat like cider cheese cloths with a fan blowing from underneith
My wife wanted me to get a hobby now I make beer. She says I'm always in my shed I KEEP TELLING HER IT WAS HER IDEA.

Post Reply