Hops Update - August

I started out the season growing five different kinds of hops. While all of them are sending out bines, the best of the bunch is definitely the Zeus. You may have seen some brewers using CTZ hops. CTZ stands for Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus, since I guess they're all pretty much the same kind of hop with the same level of alpha acid. You can click on the photo there and see the hop cones, or flowers starting to form. They haven't become "papery" yet, so they still have a few weeks to go.

I was told not to expect much from the first year harvest, but I still thought that with the way these things are growing, I would get something from each one. Unless things start picking up these last couple of weeks, though, it looks as though I'll only have enough hops from the Zeus for a couple of batches of beer. The recipe I've created for the Magic Hat Jinx clone should only require half an ounce, total, of CTZ hops. They've got the bittering units (IBU) set at 20, which is pretty low for using such a high alpha acid hop.

Please leave your recipe suggestions for Zeus hops in the comments section.

Growing Some Hops

I have planted a total of five different kinds of hops in buckets. I plan to transplant them into the ground a little later this spring. I just planted 2 more that I got last Thursday (Zeus, Magnum) and am going on a week with three others (Willamette, Mt. Hood and Cascade). This photo was taken before I mowed. The grass has grown really well on this side of the yard. I'm hoping the hops will do the same. I think I may need to raise the soil level to get them maximum exposure.

The Willamette came with a shooter on it already. It was white from being in the fridge for 2 weeks, but as you can see, it's really starting to take off. That thing was sticking out only an inch and was white when I planted it.

I wish I could say the same about the Cascade and Mt. Hood. I need to get on Northern Brewer's forums and start asking questions. I planted all of these in fertilized potting soil and mixed in some organic hummus I had lying around to boot, then watered them with some Miracle Grow.