Hop Harvest Time August 25 2017, 0 Comments

Hops are taking over your yard and you may be seeing lots of big hop cones and fantasizing about your next homebrew. Typically hop harvest begins in late August and continues through the beginning of October, but varieties reach maturity at different times.

It is time to harvest your home-grown hops when you see:

1. Hop cones are looser with the leaves of the cone opening and loosening.
2. Bright yellow-orange lupulin is showing at the base of the leaves (this smells strongly and is sticky).
3. When you squeeze a cone, it smells like fresh hops.
4. Cone feels papery and resilient, but not hard.
5. Cone is not entirely bright green, leaves at the base of the stem are dry with browning tips.

Keep monitoring your hops, harvest them when you see the signs listed above, store them properly or use them right away! Let us know if you have any questions or want help with a recipe to use your fresh hops!