What's involved to grow hops?
1. Build the trellis lines
Hops grow exceptionally well on high trellis lines that allow them to stretch out and absorb as much sunlight as possible. When building a yard it's critical to determine the right layout, prepare the ground, source materials and then give yourself lots of time to install the lines before planting.
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2. Plant rhizomes
Everything begins when you plant the rhizomes in hills spaced 3.5 feet apart. Sourcing the varietals you want to grow, preparing the soil structure to guarantee healthy germination and continued growth and organizing where the varietals will be located in the yard are vital steps towards ensuring you can maximize hop production over the 25-year lifespan of this amazing plant.
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4. Train the bines, weed and scout the yardThe goal is to have each hop bine reach the top of the trellis line in time for the summer solstice. This means that hop bines are typically trained clockwise around their lines in late May.
Weeding the yard can be one of the most labour-intense jobs throughout the production year, but is pretty important if you want to find your hops! And let's not forget the requirement to constantly scout the yard to ensure that unwanted pests and diseases are quickly addressed. |
5. Harvest time
Harvest times are both varietal and region specific. We typically harvest early September when we're confident the hops have reach their peak potential to produce great beer. The bines are cut and transported to a harvester before being inserted into the oast (ie hop dryer).
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6. Dry, process and package
Hops are dried in an oast until they reach 8-10% moisture. They can then be sold in whole-leaf or pellet format depending on the brewer's preferences. We press and then seal the hops in vacuum packed bags.
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