Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Second Year Hops are Sprouting

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Compared to this time last year, the hops are huge! They are now second generation and should yield a lot more cones this fall. These hops have been in the ground for 12 months. They sprouted early because of the warmer winter in Oregon. I noticed ...

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Hops Alpha Acid Table 2009

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Updated for the 2009 harvest.  New varieties added - thanks to everyone who wrote in! Alpha Acids from hops contribute to the bitterness in beer. During the boil alpha acids are isomerized and increase international bittering units (IBUs). This site has an IBU calculator. Hops also contain beta acids, which contribute to ...

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Identifying Hops Techniques

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

It’s the season to harvest, and if you’ve been diligent and foresighted, you have a nice crop of well-labeled hop plants, and have no need for this article. However, if the labels you planted next to the vines have faded & run since you planted them, or if your hop harvest ...

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Fall Hop Harvest Guidelines

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Now that you have spent the entire growing season diligently caring for your vines, it is time to harvest what can turn out to be copious amounts of hops on healthy, mature plants. The following will cover some guidelines for you to follow in order to assure that you ...

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Almost time for the hop harvest

Monday, August 17th, 2009

It is almost that time of year - the hops harvest!   For us, Centennial, Mt. Hood and Hallertau are almost ready. Nugget is not yet ready. Harvesting and storing hops: It is time to pick when the petals on the cones just start fading to brown. The vines ...

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Baby Hops Cones

Monday, July 13th, 2009

The cones are starting to form on the hops plants outside. I just wanted to share a few pictures. This one is hallertau: This is from nugget:

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The Hops Race

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

All six new rhizomes sprouted this year. Some are doing better than others. Nugget is doing the best, while cascade and magum are lagging. They were both hit with excess water during a storm. The gutter overflowed right on top of them for an hour. It was painful ...

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Baby Hops Sprout Pictures

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

After only three weeks of putting hops rhizomes in the ground they are already sprouting!  Check back on the website for regular updates. Growing hops is easy and so much fun! Cascade Hops Sprouts 1 - After 3 Weeks Hallertau Hops Sprouts - After 3 Weeeks (about 5 inches tall) According to ...

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How to Plant Hops for Home Brewing

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Planting hops is a straight forward process. This article will walk you through what to consider when planting your hops. If you have not done so already, see our article on planning out your hops yard. You will need an area that is sunny, has good drainage, ...

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Planning Your Hops Yard for Home Brewing

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

Growing hops at home is a great way to expand the brewing hobby, practice a green thumb, and have fun in general. It is cheap to get started, and also saves money on each batch, though it does take up time like everything else in brewing. Hops is a perennial and ...

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