I doubt I will ever get tired of looking at fresh hop cones, it’s a wonderful assault on your senses because they look fantastic, smell amazing and they even feel great. Sadly technology doesn’t allow you to smell and touch hops here but I can definitely show you lots and lots of hops. Sit back, scroll and enjoy these photos from my day hanging out during hop harvest at Karridale Hop Farm a few weeks ago.
Welcome to Karridate Cottages and Hop FarmTrey, one half of Karridale Hop Farm, inspecting the binesTrey cutting the bottom of the bines, just under where the cones start to grow. A cheeky photobomb by my dog Barley in there too!Trey with a Cascade hop cone, analysis of his Cascade has come back with an Alpha Acid (the stuff that makes beer bitter) reading of 11.5%, huge for a variety that is normally 5-7%Trey cuts the hop bines at the top and then passes them to be loaded onto the uteMore and more hop binesReady to go!
But first, Trey does a little quality controlKen helps unload the bines, Ken comes by to lend a hand, quite fitting since he actually built the original cottages on the propertyTime to get the cones off the bineSlowly, slowlyFresh wet hops that, in this state, have about a 70% water contentSo many hops!Time to get them into a tray, the wire bottom allows air flow. Trey writes the variety on the front.Loading up the hopsIt’s very much a team effort!Quality control
Mould is the biggest concern so you want an even layer of cones to ensure even dryingUp Close: Pemberton ‘Wild Blend’, the variety is their own and grew in Pemberton until the mid to late 70s. Trey went looking for the plant, found some growing wild and brought it back to Karridale.Up Close: PerleFuggles, named after the English noble hop varietyUp Close: Pemberton Wild Blend from the tip of the coneBarley keeping an eye on thingsUp Close: Inside a hop cone, the golden coloured stuff is called lupulin which is where the acids, oils and resins are, basically all the good stuff brewers wantTrays at loaded into the cabinet to dryHeaters are the bottom, extractor fans at the top, pulling hot air through the whole cabinet.As each tray gets filled, each tray is rotated in the cabinet for even drying. The hops in each tray are also shuffled around. These cones will dry overnight, ready for a brewer to use soon!
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