Hops Production

Lindsay Overmyer Author

05/11/2021 Added

23 Plays

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Hops production provides a general overview of the hops growing season from planting to harvesting. After harvest the hops are taken to a hops processing facility to separate cones from leaf material, dried in a kiln, and assembled into bales.

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[00:00:10.300]Hops production.
[00:00:12.980]In the United States, hops, Humulus lupulus,
[00:00:16.620]have been grown since the early colonial days.
[00:00:19.690]The first commercial production was 45 acres
[00:00:22.660]in Massachusetts in 1648.
[00:00:25.680]Currently, most hop production occurs
[00:00:27.890]in the Pacific Northwest.
[00:00:29.790]In 2019, there were nearly 60,000 acres of hops grown
[00:00:34.900]in the US with Washington State leading in production
[00:00:38.240]with 41,000 acres.
[00:00:40.520]Hops are a dioecious perennial plant.
[00:00:43.600]This means the male and female sexual organs
[00:00:46.680]are on separate plants.
[00:00:48.440]A perennial plant is one that lives for more than two years.
[00:00:52.710]Thus, hops grow back from the crown.
[00:00:55.360]Hop yards can be productive for many years,
[00:00:58.470]depending on management, before needing to be replanted.
[00:01:02.670]Hop yards have trellis systems that support vertical growth
[00:01:06.150]of the hop bines.
[00:01:08.070]Commercial trellis systems are 18 feet tall
[00:01:11.110]and they have top wires attached to a series of poles.
[00:01:15.640]The bines climb an 18-foot twine attached to the top wire.
[00:01:21.300]Hops are planted in rows with plants spaced three
[00:01:25.140]to three and a half feet apart and 14 feet
[00:01:28.430]between the trellis rows.
[00:01:31.230]Established hops resume growing in the spring from the crown
[00:01:35.470]and new hop yards are established
[00:01:37.840]by underground stems called rhizomes.
[00:01:42.350]As hops begin growing each year,
[00:01:45.110]the bines are wrapped clockwise around the trellis.
[00:01:49.000]This is called training.
[00:01:51.130]In the hop, bines climb clockwise on the trellis system.
[00:01:56.240]Bines are different from vines because they lack tendrils.
[00:02:01.730]The rough surface of the stem allows the bine
[00:02:05.100]to grip the trellis system.
[00:02:08.360]On the main bine, lateral sidearms develop,
[00:02:12.330]extending horizontally.
[00:02:14.400]Female hop plants produce flowers that develop into cones
[00:02:19.160]on the sidearms shortly after the hops reach
[00:02:23.260]the top wire of the trellis system.
[00:02:27.000]Commercial hop yards are only female hop plants
[00:02:30.390]because they produce cones, which are desired for brewing.
[00:02:33.830]If male plants are not removed from hop yards,
[00:02:37.120]the pollen from the inflorescence
[00:02:39.320]can fertilize the cones and seeds can develop,
[00:02:42.730]reducing the brewing values of the cones.
[00:02:45.770]Hops are grown primarily for the resins of lupulin,
[00:02:49.840]which contain alpha and beta acids
[00:02:52.460]that contribute to the flavor of beer.
[00:02:55.020]Breeders continue to develop new hop varieties
[00:02:58.230]for creating new craft beers.
[00:03:00.740]The production of hops has continued to evolve
[00:03:03.920]to produce top quality cones.
[00:03:07.340]In Washington, after cones are fully developed,
[00:03:10.540]harvest occurs in mid-August into September.
[00:03:14.190]In preparation for harvest, the bines are cut
[00:03:17.420]near the ground.
[00:03:18.670]Then the bines are cut at the top wire
[00:03:21.170]and drop into a trailer.
[00:03:23.600]The bines are taken to a hop processing facility
[00:03:26.500]where the picking machine strips the cones from the bine.
[00:03:29.920]A combination of fans and conveyors
[00:03:32.220]separates the leaves from the cones.
[00:03:35.010]The cones are dried in a kiln to a consistent moisture
[00:03:38.530]between eight and 10%.
[00:03:40.500]Temperature and time in the kiln depend on the variety.
[00:03:44.050]After drying, the cones are compressed
[00:03:46.150]into 200-pound bales.
[00:03:48.260]These bales are shipped to a brewery for use in making beer.
[00:03:52.720]The industry has made significant improvements
[00:03:55.123]from the colonial days and will continue
[00:03:57.670]to meet customer demands for new craft beers.

Hops Production

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Hops Production

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