Homegrown hops are ripening on my vine. Harvest brews imminent.

August 8, 8:18 AMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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Home grown Cascade hops torn in half to display lupulin glands
containing resins and oils that flavor beer.  Aug 3 photo (© 2008
Charlie Papazian) about 2-3 weeks from harvest.

It's nearing harvest time for hops.   I've been nurturing hops in my gardens for over 30 years.   It's early August and despite their brilliant appearance I know that I'm still about two to three weeks away from personally harvesting my homegrown Cascade hops.

    The origins of my hops are from the Yakima Valley in central Washington where most of America's hops are grown.  Lots of sun. Lots of summer daylight, Volcanically enriched soil and mountain water irrigation provide a nearly perfect setting.  I transplanted cuttings back in the late 1970's to my house garden areas.  I've moved three times, always digging up roots and transplanting with great success.

    For those not familiar with hops and their contribution to beer, they are the symphonic note of beer, especially for hop enhanced craft and homebrewed beer. 

    The yellow lupulin glands (see photo ) provide golden packets of oils and resins that provide bitterness, flavor and aroma.  It's my belief that when whole hops or pelletized hops (pulverized and compressed whole hops) are used in beer the positive attributes of vegetal character contribute complexity and interest in the beer's overall flavor and aroma.  Many mass produced beers (by no means all) use hope extract; the extracted and processed bittering resins from hops.  Extract adds bitterness, but in my opinion minimal if any interesting complexity.

    What will I do with my hops?  I'll wait until the edges of the leafy cones begin to turn slightly brown.  Wearing gloves I'll hand pick them.  Why gloves?  The stems are prickly.  The oils sticky.  In the dry Colorado climate I'll then spread them out on old window screens in a covered warm area.  Two days and the leafy structure will begin to open up and that's when I know they are dry enough to bag.  I can fist-compress one grocery store shopping paper bag of hops into a one gallon zippper plastic freezer bag.  I use a Food-Saver vacuum bagger to further compress and remove air.   Then they go into the deep freeze.  They'll retain beer ready freshness for years packed and stored in this manner.

    I'll report back in late August on my own hop harvest.  Meanwhile the harvest has begun in Yakima.  Some varieties are harvested early, while others harvested at various times through the end of September and sometimes even into early October.

    Hopheads rejoice.   Want to grow your own.  Visit  Freshops website and click through their "rhizome" section.

    For a real taste of hops consider attending the 6th Annual Fresh Hop Ale Festival in Yakima happens October 6.  If you can't make that, come to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, October 9-11, where many of the nation's fresh hop harvest beers are featured either at the festival or at local specialty bars in the city.