Expert: Ed Westemeier - 8/21/2002

Question
Hi Ed, I've been homebrewing for about a year. I want to look into growing my own hops.  Do you know where I could go to purchase them either from seed or a living plant?  Also, do you know what is involved in harvesting and using homegrown hops?

Thanks!
Matt

Answer
First, it depends on where you live. Hops do best north of about 40 degrees latitude, so if you're much south of (for example) St. Louis, they won't grow as well.

Second, the way to get them is as pieces of the roots of existing hop plants. These are called rhizomes, and you're looking for a piece of root about 4-6 inches long with bumps on it. You simply plant these rhizomes in the Spring, and give them plenty of water and sunlight.

The good news is that you have plenty of time to plan your hop garden, since the time to plant is generally March or early April.

Some homebrew suppliers carry rhizomes in the Spring, or you can order them directly from Freshops in Oregon (www.freshops.com).

You'll do best with native North American varieties like Cascade, but some European hops will also grow here (just not as well).

If you want to use them in brewing, go ahead, but you won't know the alpha acid percentage (that's a fairly expensive test). I recommend just using them as finishing hops, so you can get the aroma and flavor without worrying about how much bitterness they're giving you.

Select a planting site that gets plenty of sun, usually on the south side of your house. They can grow straight up as much as 20 feet, so you want to have some rough twine tied to the roof or a high pole and anchored to a stake in the ground next to the plant.  When the shoots come up a few inches, cut off all but a few strong ones, and just let them grow. Use the ones you cut off in a salad, or steam them like asparagus, or gently fry them in butter. Delicious!

At harvest (August or September), just cut them off at the ground, pick off the cones, and dry them out of the sun (you can spread them out on some screen material to dry).

The shoots will come up year after year, spreading underground.

Good luck!

Ed