Anyone ever try to grow their own HOPS?

Title says it all......anyone?

Not yet, but after we've moved into the new house I plan to plant some. There's a couple of varieties that are supposed to do quite well in my part of the country. The hops themselves aren't useful for brewing until the third year.

ElBarto said:

Not yet, but after we've moved into the new house I plan to plant some. There's a couple of varieties that are supposed to do quite well in my part of the country. The hops themselves aren't useful for brewing until the third year.

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Oh thats good info thanks...prob jus buy em then!!!

I was given a Hops plant by a friend. It was in pretty bad shape when I get it, so I'm still not sure if its going to pull through. Would be nice though.

I've always been interested in brewing my own beer and making my own wine.

Schmidty said:

I was given a Hops plant by a friend. It was in pretty bad shape when I get it, so I'm still not sure if its going to pull through. Would be nice though.

I've always been interested in brewing my own beer and making my own wine.

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Yeh I hear ya!!! They sell a little set up called Mr. Beer, if you google it you'll see. Its like a liitle micro-brew thing...kinda cool just to start and get ya feet wet!!

I havent looked into it yet, but I've heard from a few friends that there is a brewery here in Seattle that will actually provide you with the gear and a basic recipe. You take the basic, get your feet wet, and then start tweaking it to your likings. The only catch is that you share any new recipe you find with the brewery.

Definitely sounds like something worth looking into, so if I get around to it I'll post up some info.

Sounds very interesting!! Sneaky tho.... give me your recipe!! I guess if they name it after us that wouldnt be so bad right?? LOL

Northern Brewer is an EXCELLENT supplier, including of kits. My favorite brew kit is their peach hefeweizen. Oh man, when it's hot, that shit is positively QUAFFABLE. I don't care for the bitterness of hops, so my husband cuts way down on it when he's brewing. It's been too many years since he's brewed, too.

A side note, I believe that hops require some sort of trellis or support system, at least as they're grown for breweries. There used to be a huge hops farm down in Sloughhouse (near Sacramento) that supplied all the breweries that supplied the miners (I live in Cali gold country), but now they grow sod.

don't hops take a long long time? i've heard something like 6 years before they're usable. that true?

Yeah unfortuantely I just found out you hafta grow em at least 3 years before theyre good to use, and they do need a support of sorts i believe they're climbers...
Didnt get too into it, since i found out you hafta grow em for so long.. Still seems fun tho...
Have a whole little micro brew station right next to the grow cabinet!!!
Plus...id save so much damn money between brew & bud! LOL

There are other fruits and vegetables like that. I can think of apples, citrus, and artichokes off the top of my head. Good things are worth waiting for, wouldn't you agree?

Seamaiden said:

There are other fruits and vegetables like that. I can think of apples, citrus, and artichokes off the top of my head. Good things are worth waiting for, wouldn't you agree?

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I def agree on that... i mean look at bud...worth the wait!!!! if i owned my place id go for it, but i rent, and it would break my heart to grow em, and then hafta leave em....lol.

I love your signature. I recently confessed a lifelong fondness for tapes of all sorts, as long as they're sticky.

I'm having a difficult time waiting for my own bud to mature. Oy!

Seamaiden said:

I love your signature. I recently confessed a lifelong fondness for tapes of all sorts, as long as they're sticky.

I'm having a difficult time waiting for my own bud to mature. Oy!

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Oh man..its like torture waiting!!! And i DO <3 duct tape...lol. my cabinet is full of it cause i dont have any "real tools". The stuff works amazing!!!!
what can i say...i believe duct tape is a girls best friend!! HAHA!

I have to be honest tho...since venturing into growing my own bud...I've really picked up a huge interest in gardening.... im all about it now!! LOVE IT!