I brew homemade beer.

Sometimes I just like to say it. Below you can see a picture of my
latest brew. An interpretation of a BIPA, Belgian IPA, not that I
know what that is really. It's fitting to have an East End growler
fermenting the overflow. The Ugly American was the first hybrid
Belgian I had tasted...

Open Thread: What's brewin' in your mind? Question I can answer?

From time to time I'll open the blog up for questions.

~Are you thinking about homebrewing, hop growing, etc.?
~Do you need to know how to get started?

Now is the time to ask.

Poll Results: Beer Bits 2 Readers Grow Hops. Or do they?

It seems we're split somewhat evenly between hop growers and those who want to know more. If we were in a room with a keg and some pint glasses, we'd all have something to share or learn eh?

6%, You can grow hops? Tell me more!

10%, Master, I've grown hops for years.

36%, Interested and thinking about growing my own.

45%, Novice, just started growing them.

What do I need to grow hops? (materials, steps)

FYI Brew Dudes just received theirs from Fresh Hops. Always happy to see more people growing hops :-)

Looks like there are plenty of readers here who want to learn more about growing hops. Here where I live in Southeastern PA the soil is workable. Hops can be planted now. What else do you need to grow hops? I'm no expert, but this worked for me. If you have tips, chime in and help us out here :-)

1. rhizome(s)
2. place to plant with lots of sun (southern exposure to the sun)
   
3. loamy dirt (my non-scientific amateur mix is something like; 4 parts soil : 2 parts sand : 4 parts peat moss) This loose well draining moisture holding dirt eases root growth.
   
4. Is there something for them to climb? (or will you build that later)

This is how we planted the thirty plants last year. Many grew to 18 feet.

1. mix up the dirt
   
2. poured it into 2-3 foot wide mount on top of the lawn about 5 inches or so deep *
   
3. used my hand to dig a little hole in the middle
4. lay rhizome in horizontally, if there are whitish buds, point them up
5. cover with an inch of soil
6. I usually water the mound

Planning for the future...

• try to get the location right so you don't need to transplant (not a huge deal, just a bit more work)
• plant far enough apart so two different varieties don't grow together, remember shorter = bushier and wider
• start thinking about your trellis/twine/thing to climb on
  

For instructions from tons of other sources use my hop growing resource page.

NOTE: The ground Gavin and I planted in at his place stays pretty wet, that's why we chose to use mounds. I heard this can keep your the roots from being too wet. If your ground is dry, particularly hard or mostly comprised of clay you should dig a hole about a foot deep fill with your soil mixture and plant the rhizome that way. Bryan and I used this method in the backyard and it worked out very well.

Poll: One day left to show what kinda hops grower you are!

Come take the poll. Right now the masters and newbies are under-represented. What kinda of hops grower are you?

http://beerbits2.blogspot.com

BTW this news just in. The hop yard is not doubling this year. Whew! Now I only have to pick thirty plants worth. I'll wait until a later date to panic about that.

Ordering rhizomes? Northern Brewer sent me this.

Last chance to pre-order rhizomes from Northern Brewer. Order by 3/21. Just passing this along.

Hop sprouts doing their thing...

Calling all readers. Where do you buy hop rhizomes?

I've purchased them from...

• Northern Brewer
• Fresh Hops

Other sources...

• friends
• local homebrew store
• yahoo hops growing group?

Where do you get your hops?

Are you thinking hops? You should be.

As the weather warms in Southeastern PA I can imagine hop plants sprouting under the soil. If you want to grow them this year, you should order them now.

As for me, I'll be splitting the rhizomes up from last years plants. Gavin plans to at least double the hop field plants this year. Yikes!

Go order hop rhizomes now! Anybody want to suggest good places to buy them?

Are Beer Bits 2 readers hop growers? Come take the poll.

So far we have one master, some novices and a bunch of people who want to learn more about growing hops. Take the poll at the top of the site or click through...

http://beerbits2.blogspot.com

Don't forget, I have hop growing resources for those interested learning (Hop Growing Resources).

Poll: What kind of hop growing crowd do we have here at Beer Bits 2?

Come take the poll find out how many readers grow hops or want to learn more about growing hops.

http://beerbits2.blogspot.com

Do you want to grow hops? Now is the time to start planning. Hop rhizomes are now available to purchase online and perhaps at your local homebrew store. Check the sidebar for some more reading material. It includes a quick overview and sixteen hop growing resources for you. Just in case you can't find it in the sidebar here it is for your convenience;

Hops Growing Resources.

Don't hesitate to ask questions in the comments or email me.

Breeze coming through the window...

Sitting in my chair near an open window in Southeastern Pennsylvania on a cool spring evening. Earthy fragrances make me breath deep and close my eyes. More than a few days of doldrums kept me from enjoying myself lately. Fortunate I am to be experiencing this feeling again in my 40th spring. Lunch with friends, daylight savings time changes ahead and some ideas of what I'll brew next bring me to writing this entry and to get a start on the next.

So, I invite you to join me. Take a moment to take in the cold spring breeze. Let it shake you from those dreary winter doldrums. Next up, a mind map related to extract brewing.

Extract Brewing Tools: Thermometer

Why do you need a thermometer when you brew? In truth you don't. If you're extract brewing you could just...

• heat water to a boil
• add malt extract
• add hops periodically
• cool your wort
• pitch yeast when the temperature is cooler than lukewarm

I'm sure many people have made beer in a similar way and enjoyed it immensely. I doubt my grandfather used a thermometer when brewing for the fourth of July parties back in the day. So, no you don't need a thermometer.

I've made a few batches like this, but, like many people I use steeping grains to improve the flavor and color of my beer. In order to extract the sugar from the cracked specialty grains you would typically use hot water. Not too hot or too long or you might release too many tannins into your beer giving it an off taste. Read more in this detailed article at BeerSmith. So, steeping grains can be aided by using a thermometer to monitor temperature. It will also benefit cooling your wort and preparing to pitch yeast. Depending on the yeast strain and the pitch temp you can affect the flavor profile, kill the yeast or increase the time before active fermentation or lag time.

For years I used a dial thermometer like this one from Northern Brewer (dial thermometer). People enjoyed the beer I brewed with it and it is probably sufficient. On the other hand you might consider purchasing a thermometer that does more than just take temperature readings. I wasn't shopping for a new thermometer, but, last year I happened to see a deal on this digital thermometer at Amazon, Taylor Digital Cooking Thermometer/Timer. In addition to providing temperature measurements it includes a three foot probe, magnets on the back for mounting on a metal surface like the back of the stove, a timer and even a temperature alarm. For around $15 I couldn't resist. I even use it as my main cooking thermometer now.

So while you don't "need" a thermometer most homebrewers would probably say it is essential to making good beer.

Look, hop rhizomes budding already...

Dreaming of hop shoots and spring weather...

On such a dreary day it helps me to remember such images. Can't you just smell the earthiness in the air?








Photo by Gavin Adams