Hops are not only what makes beer smell and taste like beer, but they are an awesome plant. The hops in the picture are Cascade hops, a native American variety. There are many varieties of hops, each one gives different qualities to the beer. Some are more aeromatic, giving good aroma to the beer, while others give better flavor. I started growing hops about 4-5 years ago, the plant pictured here is in it's third season and is doing very well. Hops are a vine plant and like to have lots of direct sunlight, but also require a lot of water. In the peak growing season, mid to late June in Ohio, they will actually grow 3 inches or more in a single day! The flowers, or cones, are what are harvested for use in brewing.
3 comments:
Ah, that's better!
So where abouts in Missouri and Kansas did you stomp around? And I hope you point your dear wife toward Roundrock Journal.
I'm looking forward to many, many posts on Thunder and Lightnin'.
Hooray!
Good first post...I didn't know you could grow stuff.
So are you using your own hops in your home brewing?
Pablo,
I was born in KCMO, but raised in Overland Park KS. While growing up we spent most of the summer at the lake, camping and boating. I had (have) a few relatives in the Ozarks around Camdenton (sp?), and still have some good friends in Warsaw.
FC - Thanks, I have to admit if the hops weren't such a hearty plant they probably wouldn't do so well under my care. Yes, I've used them in my brew before, and they made a very good pale ale. The difficulty is that I don't have anyway of telling how bittering they will be from one year to the next. The store bought varieties have been analyzed and are tagged with the bitterness units to help determine how much to use, but it's fun to experiment with the home grown ones.
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