Picking Hops
| September 9, 2007 |
Sunday was picking day at Moonlight Brewery in Windsor, California. Having recently returned from Hop School in Yakima, Washington, I was eager to see once more the old-fashioned, slow way of picking hops. Brian Hunt invited me to help him and several friends and neighbors to help with this year’s harvest.
Cascade hops on the vine at Moonlight Brewing’s hopyards.
From the hopyard looking at the circle of pickers.
That’s Brian Hunt in black directing the hop pickers.
People sat in a circle with piles of hops in the center, picking them and dropping the cones into buckets.
Moonlight Brewing’s Brian Hunt holds up a recently cut vine of hops.
Tim Clifford, another volunteer, cuts the bottom of the vines.
Brian Hunt does likewise, along each row. Following behind him another person, in this case Troy Casey cuts the twine at the top of the trellis allowing the vine to drop to the ground.
When cutting the top, it’s a good idea for someone to hold the bottom taut, which makes it much easier to cut.
Troy Casey (center) and friends holding a particularly big vine they just harvested.
More hop cones on the vine, still in the yard.
Even I got into the act, here cutting down vine with the help of Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment Brewery.
Brian Hunt showing off another nice-looking, freshly cut vine.
Then it’s back to picking around the circle until all the hops are picked.
Freshly filled buckets of wet hops, containing between 70-80% water. These hops will be used later the same day in the boil that will create Moonlight Brewing’s fresh hop beer.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I love your pictures; it sure makes me jealous. I have a small hop yard (planted 12 plants last year — first year — and only 9 survived, although 6 Fuggles did _exceptionally_ well); am planning to plant perhaps 15 more this spring. Part of what makes me jealous is seeing you all sitting outside in the nice fall weather with jackets or long-sleeves — just what I had imagined when I planted my hops. Instead, harvesting here in Arkansas in early August with daytime temps up around 100F and high humidity, the sweat just rolled off of me as I picked cones from the first bine. After that, each bine was cut, folded into a large tub, and then carried inside where I could pick the cones in the air conditioning.
Anyway, just thought I’d invite you to visit my Yahoo Grow-Hops group that now has about 750 members and lots of hop growing info, although we can always use more experienced growers like yourself for some sage advice. If interested, please visit us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grow-Hops
Cheers.
Bill Velek