Hops

Note: We have discontinued our Organic Hop growing operation but still have plants, rhizomes, contacts and supplies for new growers. Feel free to contact us to inquire.

(Humulus Lupulus)

The flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant; a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants.

The plants (Bines) grow rapidly in May and you want them to be 18 feet tall and at the top of the trellis by the end of June. It’s NOT uncommon for a hops plant to grow 12″ in a 24 hour period.

The cones are either fresh or pelletized and used as a stability agent in beer with the oils in the cones adding a bitterness and often imparting a floral, fruity, citrus flavor and aromas.

The hop plant is a vigorous, climbing, herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up coir strings in a field called a hop yard in the United States.

WATERING HOPS

It was NOT uncommon for our (3) acre hop yard to use 30,000 to 50,000 gallons of irrigation water per week. Hops have a very thirsty demand for water. As a rule the running joke in the industry was; “You really can’t over water hops”!

The bines and cones like to be in full sun and relatively dry. They are also very susceptible to mildews, insects and pests. It’s common for hop yards in New York State to constantly spray the rows with a fungicide and an orchard sprayer.

For this reason it is unusual for hop growers in NY to grow “Organic” hops.

Harvesting Hops

Hops are usually harvested in August in Central New York.

The coir strings are cut at the bottom leaving 6″ to a foot of bine. They are either cut from the top of the 18′ trellis or many row harvesters pull them down and snap the strings as they go.

They are then immediately brought to a complex hops processing machine to strip the cones from the bine.

DRYING HOPS

After stripping the cones from the plant the cones need to be dried down to between 8-10% moisture content. The rule is the faster they are dried, the better. 16-24hrs is typical.

We never heat the hops to 130°f using a kiln to dry like most growers. We use mechanical refrigeration (dehumidification) at 35° with a reheat furnace and fans to keep our hops below 75°f throughout the entire 24 hour dry time.

Hop lupulin will break down extremely fast the warmer the temperature!

Whole Cone Hops

(as opposed to pelletized hops)

· Whole cone hops retain more of their essential oils due to the fact they haven’t been processed in a pelletizer.

· Whole cone hops incorporate into the wort much more easily than pellet hops and do not stick to the kettle.

· Whole cone hops are usually easier to remove from your beer after dry-hopping.

· There can be a greater aromatic impact from whole cone hops due to their retaining more intact essential oils.

How much hops to add?

***Some (5) gallon home brew recipes call for as much as (7) oz of whole cone Chinook hops per 5 gallons of brew. Other recipes call for as little as (1) oz for the same 5 gallons of brew. Chinook hops are a high bittering variety that are often used in American ales, featuring some of the highest alpha acids of all hop varieties. A good rule is : LESS IS MORE!

Origin: America – Developed by a USDA breeding program and released to the public in 1985. It’s a cross between Petham Golding and a USDA-selected male.

Aroma: Herbal, Smoky, Piney, Floral Some sources said similar to Cascade.

Alpha Acid: 12.5 to 14.0%

HOP STORAGE

ALWAYS store your hops in heat sealed Mylar bags with an Oxygen removal packet. Keep them in the freezer at -10°f until you use. Even if that’s (3) years down the road!

You’ll have the best quality hops around and the best beer money can buy!