tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post315504453803264309..comments2024-03-09T00:31:10.190-05:00Comments on Seen Through a Glass: English hop harvest not good?Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-52971533864697818812008-09-05T15:38:00.000-04:002008-09-05T15:38:00.000-04:00I've been growing my own hops for years, and I hav...I've been growing my own hops for years, and I have to say I'm surprised more mid-sized brewers like Rogue and Sierra Nevada were not growing their own already. My ealry micro-brew experiences came from the likes of Weeping Radish, where they now grow their own everything for the most part. Rogue bought a hop farm, and even Weyerbacher is trying it out. Maybe I should be selling my harvest instead of just doing it for fun.MyBeer Buzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02436048358894627645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-42424896284487147452008-09-05T08:23:00.000-04:002008-09-05T08:23:00.000-04:00Yup, I'm amazed by the number of people and brewer...Yup, I'm amazed by the number of people and breweries who are thinking of growing hops on a small commercial scale. I wonder if they have a true understanding of the costs and labor needed to do it properly.<BR/><BR/>When people ask me if I'm planning to grow hops for One Guy, I smile and say "I'm a brewer, not a farmer".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-26824822524067679342008-09-04T14:05:00.000-04:002008-09-04T14:05:00.000-04:00I hear ya. Last year it took the better part of a...I hear ya. Last year it took the better part of a day to get two 6.5 gal buckets mostly full. The yield was about 22 oz of dried whole leaf. That was enough to split between two people and do a few batches.<BR/><BR/>It really depends on how you view your brewing. I was very happy to have homegrown hops with no pesticides. <BR/><BR/>Will I grow enough to brew all my beer. No. For one thing I don't grow enough varieties.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08522250477305289784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-7261453531538917722008-09-04T08:49:00.000-04:002008-09-04T08:49:00.000-04:00As an aside, I went picking wild hops with a frien...As an aside, I went picking wild hops with a friend two weeks ago, and it brought to mind the various breweries that are growing their own to offset current market conditions.<BR/><BR/>My friend and I spent two hours picking from a massive group of vines that have taken control of a cyclone fence, with hop cones hanging everywhere. Two hours, two men. Four man-hours, and all we managed to pick was one paper grocery bag of (low grade) hops for some homebrew. Good luck to all those brewers hoping to make a dent in their hops costs...you'll have to pick for days just to make a 15 barrel batch of commercial brew.<BR/><BR/>Way too much effort spent outside the brewery, IMHO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-6643609621488256022008-09-03T18:09:00.000-04:002008-09-03T18:09:00.000-04:00George Orwell describes hop picking on his blog*. ...George Orwell describes hop picking on his blog*. He goes into more detail in this essay^.<BR/><BR/>This goes to show that hops have always been a difficult business and that everyone both living and dead will eventually have a beer blog.<BR/><BR/><BR/>*http://orwelldiaries.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/august-25-preston-hall/<BR/>^http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/works/orwellessayhoppicking.aspxIamreddavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02768287658329807075noreply@blogger.com