[boostindoubles]

We are 3-4 weeks into hop harvest currently, with another 2 weeks left. It's been a busy season but not more than normal. We had some early heat this summer and it stunted the bine growth in a lot of fields. Yields are down across the board, but the aromas were hit harder than the alpha varieties.

I visited a farm today and picked up 30 lbs of wet hops for a local brewery. I snapped a few photo's to give the monkey brethren a view into the scene for this particular farm.


on the bine

not on the bine

Into the machine

laying kilns

laying kilns

Kilns

Cooling piles, post kilns, pre-bales.

 

[ICEBALL585]

Wow, that's pretty cool

 

[jonKranked]

this is so freaking cool. i've always wondered how automated hop pickers work. thanks for sharing man!

 

[boostindoubles]

Thanks, hop harvest is quite a scene these days.

Around Yakima, hop picking machines are big buildings filled with Rube Goldberg style systems that spit out clean hop cones one way and everything else another way. Each machine is unique and it takes a small army to keep it going. It's a good thing they only run a little over a month per year.

I visited another farm today with the guys from No-Li up in Spokane. They were looking for wet hops to make a single hop IPA. Here's what we found..

out of the field

Into the machine

Laying kilns

Mark from No-Li checking out the goods.

 

[jonKranked]

i can only imagine how awesome it smells in there.

 

[boostindoubles]

Imagine being in a room of dank, hot, moist air that reaks of hops. Like a big hop infused sauna.