Today in 1940, US Patent 2222767 A was issued, an invention of John Gray Charles, assigned to the Guinness Son & Co. Ltd., for his “Hop Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention relates to hop picking machines of the kind in which the bine, after having been cut from the plant, is attached to a conveyor which draws it past one or more series of transverse rows of moving projections or picking fingers carried upon rotating drums, chains, or the like, and which are designed to engage the hops and pull them from the short stalks or stems by which they are attached to the bine, the arrangement being such that the effective portions of the paths of movement of the projections or picking fingers is parallel or substantially parallel to the effective portion of the path of movement of the conveyor.

Today in 1915, US Patent 1161272 A was issued, an invention of Henning Wennersten, for his “Method of Preserving Hops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention is particularly designed to preserve the fresh or prime hops, or similar flowers or substances, in their best condition, so to prevent the escape of the valuable volatile elements, such as lupulin, and the deterioration of the hops by reason of the air coming more or less in contact therewith. It is also designed to produce a new product, which will add greatly to the convenience of handling and shipping the hops, which will also preserve them an indefinite length of time in any climate, and which in its nature may readily be employed in the manufacture of beer and other products where hops are essential, insuring accuracy in the use of the valuable chemical elements, or the ingredients employed, and dependability upon the grade or quality of such ingredients.

Today in 2012, US Patent 20120297512 P1 was issued, an invention of Eugene G. Probasco and Jason Perrault, assigned to the Hop Breeding Company, L.L.C., for his “Hop Plant Named ‘HBC 369.'” Here’s the Abstract:

A new hop plant named ‘HBC 369’ is disclosed. The cones of ‘HBC 369’ mature in mid September, and yield a crop of 1600 to 2000 pounds per acre. ‘HBC 369’ is used for its unique aromatic quality, resistance to powdery mildew, high alpha acid content and exceptional yield.

If you don’t recognize that number, they quickly gave 369 a name, and it’s one you probably will know: Mosaic. The Hop Breeding Company has more info about Mosaic at their website, and co-inventor Gene Probasco gave a presentation at an MBAA meeting in 2012. This how Yakima Chief describes it. “Mosaic™ Brand HBC 369 cv is a daughter of the YCR 14 cv hop variety and a Nugget derived male. It has high alpha acids and tropical, blueberry, tangerine, floral, and earthy aromas.” And you can see it’s listing at HopUnion, and although the two merged to become YCH Hops, their hop varieties page is blank. It’s become a fairly popular hop variety in a very short time.

Today in 1966, US Patent 3285365 A was issued, an invention of Le Roy T. Longton, for his “Apparatus Particularly for Use in Harvesting Hops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to an apparatus particularly for use in the harvesting of hop vines.

Conventionally, the harvesters of hops stand on a platform of fixed height behind a truck which may move slowly down the rows of hops in a field. The height of the overhead hop trellises varies considerably from field-to-field and may also vary within one field because of ground irregularities and variations in the length of the trellis poles upon which the overhead wires are supported. The result has been that the worker-supporting platform is frequently too high or too low with respect to the vines to be cut by the workers therefore making it difficult for the workers to reach the vines, and generally rendering the operation inefficient. Another problem is the necessity for packing the bulky hop vines in the harvesting truck. conventionally, this has been done by the workers descending from the platform and walking around on the hop vines in the truck to pack or consolidate the vines. This is obviously an inefficient and time-wasting procedure.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a simplified mobile apparatus which will greatly increase the efficiency of the hops harvesting operation by the provision of worker supporting means which is quickly adjustable vertically and also the provision of an adjustable power-operated means for packing the vines down in the body or box of a truck or wagon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above-mentioned character which is constructed as an attachment unit for a farm tractor and readily mountable thereon.

Another object is to provide a hop vine harvesting attachment for tractors which is hydraulically powered and operated from a hydraulic pump on the tractor and a simple control device in a convenient location to be used by the tractor driver.

Today in 2000, US Patent PP11615 P was issued, an invention of Gene Probasco, assigned to John I. Haas, Inc., for his “Hop Plant Named ‘H900325-5.'” Here’s the Abstract:

A new and distinct variety of hop, Humulus lupulus L., characterized by a semi-dwarf stature and named `H900323-5`, has an unusually high percentage of alpha-acids in its resin, early maturity and a resonable projected cone yield on low trellis. The new variety was cultivated as a result of a cross at a greenhouse in Yakima, Wash., United States, and has been asexually reproduced in Yakima, Wash., United States.