i wanna start growing my own hops. can anyone help me out with info on where to get them so i can get my hop garden started? i love a decently hoppy beer, and it gets expensive to buy the hops...
They are only available around April. More Beer, Midwest and Northern Brewer typically have several varieties. also check out hopsdirect.com buy by the pound. foodsaver them in 4oz packs and store in the freezer.
hops must be planted in the spring time. the harvest for them is just now starting. the first year you plant them you should not expect to get much in the way of cones. you are mostly looking for growth. in the winter you cut them back and the following spring they will take off. one thing about home grown hops is you really can't use them for bittering as you have no idea what the alpha acid levels in them are unless you spend lots of money to get them tested. they are best used for aroma additions and/or dry hopping.
as for growing hops in texas our climate is really not suited for them. there are a few people around that grow them and pretty much all you can get to grow decently is cascades. i have tried a few different varieties and they just burned up in the texas heat.
MightyCow9 is growing some at the moment. Kyle any update on your hop plants and what variety did you plant?
Kelly at Homebrew Hdqtrs. also gets a shipment each spring and takes advanced orders for varieties. Darkwing has had good success this year with
two types growing in his garden area.
Glacier and Mt. Hood. I will post pics in the gallery area later - The Glacier is really going crazy.
I harvested a few cones about two months ago. Totaled about 3/4 ounce. Then I harvested some last weekend totaling about 1 ounce. I have probably three more ounces worth that should be ready in a couple weeks.
This year was very tough. I had two plants with great sunshine that took off early and sprouted early do to the great weather. Then the great weather turned into hundred days of hundred degrees and I ended up losing most of the crop to the sun and some caterpillars (I paid less attention to them do to the move).
The slow growing plant in the corner with partial shade just loved the hot long sun days and it is the sole producer for me now. I will get about 5-6 ounces off of it for sure.
I did cascade hops. It was kind of a fun experience but think about the hopdirect thing. I just bought 3 pounds and at 18 bucks or so a pound it really is hard to beat. Texas summers are hell on hops and you really need about 6 plants or so in various locations to ensure a good enough yield.
I will try and transplant the hops to the new house, but I am not sure how that is going to go....
We grow hops as a hobby, not to produce all the hops we use in brewing.
Your 1st and last posts are quite funny, as you realize it's cheaper to buy lbs. of hops than to grow them. Don't give up your dream of growing hops, just don't depend on them for all your hop needs. Carry on.
looking for hops rhizomes
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