Recent content by hopboy

Spoonta has it right. Dish soap and cooking oil "usually" helps. The was the recommendation from Colorado State U. Research PhD., Dr. Ron Godin, an organic and hop specialist. We brewed with home grown hops 12 yers ago and we called it Aphid Ale as the aphids made it all the way to the...

Warrior, Home brews at 10,000 feet in a shaded, remote camping area with a view...thats us. We stay out of camp grounds unless its early Oct. and between hunting seasons.

If the hops smell "grassy"or like hay they are not ready. They can get brown on the tips and be fine. The smell is VERY noticable. As Sluggo Dave mentioned, place between finger and move around until you a noticeable odor...that good hop smell. Don't smell like hops then they aren't ready.

I can't speak to wild hops in other states. I can tell you that once you've seen them in your yard, at a brew pub or at a commercial grower then you will be able to identify wild ones. They are growing in several places along the front range of the Rockies, here in Colorado. They are wild for I...

CSU had about 20 plants representing about 15 types of hops. All the plants were 3 years old. No funding for the project so very little being done at the research center in Hotchkiss, Co. Down the road in Lazear, Co. Larry Scheer has taken upon himself to do the reserach for free. There he has...

Hops seem to grow best if given twine and they can grow straight up. My main hop bed is twine up to the eves of the house. However, in two other beds I use them as a natural fence and they are growing in and out of chain link and welded wire fencing. I once saw a house in Denver, in a...

get out those tripple beams and weigh them. hopboy

AB was bought because the dollar is cheap. Coors and Molsen merged last year and it looks like Coors is on top. Coors and Miller are merging and the headquarters will be in Chicago and not in beer town or Golden , CO. Coors will brew Miller in Golden BUT Coors "Banquet Brand" can only be...

Leaving tomorrow at 6:30am...many of the hop roots came from Plainview in Jefferson county but some came from the Boulder county foothills. Looking for new fishing/camping areas in Grand Mesa. Oh yeah should be a blast! Hopboy

Well fellow hop growers, Hopboy is off tomorrow, Tuesday, to visit the hop fields of Colorado. Day One: Tour Trumbo Palisade peaches, second stop, Palisade Brewry. Then its off to the Grand Mesa to explore for new fishing and camping areas. Day Two: 9:30am Meet Dr. Ron Godin, PhD of Colorado...

The market seems worried about the "Budification" of the beer world. Since its Inbev buying AB AND NOT AB buying InBev...maybe we will get a better, more German like Bud from the AB...Here's to "Spatenization" of Bud! Hopboy

Growing hops in the Hill Country...will wonders ever cease! Ya'll need to come up and visit in the cool 90 degrees with 9% humidity weather in Colorado. Hopboy

I use the jute twine for my bed that runs by my house since I cut them down at the end of eacg growing season. My outer beds have some 3/8 Sisal rope but mostly "weld wire". My friend uses chains and pulls his off the chains in the fall. Hopboy

I sent some wild plants with buds/flowers to Colorado State University that I dug up at the end of July last year. They are growing well this season. I'll try to remember to dig some up at the end of August this season and see if they will take. Hopboy

As I have stated before, I grow hops and drink beer. My brew buddy brews. Today, I am off to his house, yard, to the Kupferschmidt Biergartens. There we will being enjoying a sampling of his Frambrozen(s) and another Belgian style, The Farmhouse Ale. My delimma: Its 30 blocks away. If I...