Yakima Hop Harvest Started This Morning!

[biertourist]

Centennial hops are being harvested in Yakima starting today.
(I just hope there's still some hops left on the bines when I go to hop school on Sept 11....)



Seems slightly early to me this year.  (We had an insanely hot summer out here.)


Adam

[Garry]

Hop school? What's that?

We used to go "on the hop" at school. I'm guessing it's not the same?

[Will_D]

Centennial hops are being harvested in Yakima starting today.
(I just hope there's still some hops left on the bines when I go to hop school on Sept 11....)
Seems slightly early to me this year.  (We had an insanely hot summer out here.)
Adam

Hey Adam, on one off your wandering through the hop fields (containg the unavailabele pattened varietys) hows about snipping the odd cutting.

After all EVERY SYSTEM LEAKS!

Don't believe me: What about the Manhattan Project?!"

[delzep]

Centennial hops are being harvested in Yakima starting today.
(I just hope there's still some hops left on the bines when I go to hop school on Sept 11....)
Seems slightly early to me this year.  (We had an insanely hot summer out here.)
Adam

Hey Adam, on one off your wandering through the hop fields (containg the unavailabele pattened varietys) hows about snipping the odd cutting.

After all EVERY SYSTEM LEAKS!

Don't believe me: What about the Manhattan Project?!"

Their popcorn was never the same after 

[Rossa]

In August? Bloody hell. I knew fuggles were real earlies but that takes the biscuit.

BTW I saw your hops last week. Decorating the railings very nicely.

[biertourist]

Here's the info on Hop and Brew School -sponsored by Hop Union @ Hop Union in Yakima: https://www.hopunion.com/hop-and-brew-school/


The growers' whose fields we visited were part of the program that initially cross-bred many of those varieties so they were NOT going to put up with someone trying to take a rhizome cutting.  (We visited the experimental hop plots and got to do rubbings of some of the up-and-coming future varieties, too -With none other than Jason Perrault.   

It was pretty incredible walking the hop fields with John Palmer and Gary Glass and getting instructed on rubbing and smelling the hops and cross breading programs by Jason Perrault.  Yakima itself is a dump, but Hop and Brew School makes staying there worth it.  -Plus you get free beer starting at breakfast! (Coffee Stout to go with your bacon and eggs? -Yes please!)


Adam

[biertourist]

My crappy video of the hop harvest @ Loftus Ranches in Yakima: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152792846961929&set=vb.776771928&type=3&theater

Part 2: (Click HD but it won't make up for my lack of video skills): https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152792850731929&set=vb.776771928&type=3&theater


Experimental Hop Breeding with Jason Perrault (Guy behind Simcoe and Equinox -the new 2014 hop) in his experimental field: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152792839236929&set=vb.776771928&type=3&theater

Hop Union Employee's taking "Brewer's Cuts" from a hop bale for distribution to US brewery selection / test batches; the method hasn't changed, EVER: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152792825966929&set=vb.776771928&type=3&theater


Adam

[biertourist]

In August? Bloody hell. I knew fuggles were real earlies but that takes the biscuit.

BTW I saw your hops last week. Decorating the railings very nicely.

Yea it was over 100F (38C) for a couple weeks in Yakima this summer; moved up harvest dates...


Adam

[biertourist]

Some random other pictures from Hop and Brew School: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152788361361929.1073741830.776771928&type=1&l=7da5266b83


My personal favorite; 200lb hop bales as far as the eye can see.  The smell was just incredible in this refridgerated warehouse.  (If you don't refridgerate hops the high density of high oil hops can result in spontaneous combustion and huge explosions and fires that burn for days as Hop Union found out several years ago the hard way...)

[nigel_c]

Nice pics. Any of the experimental ones stand out? I ordered a couple of Kg from Yakima Valley hops last Christmas and was so impressed  with the service they provided and the freshness of hops. I wouldn't mind treating myself to some experimental variety this year.
Have you come across a breed called Buzz Bullets? I got 1/2lb and have still to use them. Very little info about them.

[imark]

I bought their experimental grapefruit last year and it was good. Ordered another batch of pellet today but they're not available yet.

[biertourist]

Equinox formerly HBC366 is awesome.

There was another experimental one that I'd have to go back to my notes to pull up, but it won't be available to purchase for a couple-few more years.


Adam