i'm looking to plant my own hops in my yard (yes i know i'm late. researching for next year). however, i'm trying to figure out roughly how many say cascade rhizomes i would need to make this worth my effort. meaning, if i get 5-8 rhizomes, would that yield enough to make a typical homebrew? i understand the first year or so has a low yield which is ok. at this point, getting ideas and numbers together.
2 Answers
If growing conditions are optimal you'll get plenty of hops. I have 3 varieties growing and my Fuggles is the most dominant. 2nd year I had close to 2 lbs dried and packaged off a single rhizome so 5-8 rhizomes will get you plenty of picking opportunities. I've read on average you can expect a healthy rhizome will produce 1.5 to 2 lbs in a good season.
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so a good year of 1.5-2lbs, i should be able to make plenty of good beer. just so i have an idea or maybe i'm just curious but a small craft beer shop making a single batch are looking at tons needed?– au_stanJun 16, 2014 at 16:43
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1Some quick match and a direct scaling of the recipe I just brewed which called for 8 oz of hops would result in the need for 378 lbs of hops for a 120 bbl tank. Not perfect science there but a ballpark of what a hoppier brew would need on a craft scale.– DHoughJun 17, 2014 at 15:51
It will depend on the variety and your weather. I live in the middle of prime hop growing country. I have one Cascade plant that's about 12 years old now. I get anywhere from 20-27 lb. of wet hops each year from it. Enough that it's a hassle to pick, dry, and vacuum package them.
answered Jun 16, 2014 at 16:40
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yea i figured weather/variety would be important here. just trying to get a general idea. averages. i'm in nj right on the coast. basically between 6-7 on the hardiness.– au_stanJun 16, 2014 at 16:49
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In general, the closer you are to the 45th parallel, the better your yield will be. Jun 16, 2014 at 20:54