Growing hops

[sealfiftysix]

I have been thinking about growing my own hops for making beer and I have some questions.

1. How long does it take after planting till you get hops you can use?

2. What would the best type of hops to grow for making ipas?

3. How much maintenance is needed for growing hops?

 

[neko]

Did you read through the "Hops Growing" section? That would probably answer your questions.

Usually the hops will go through a year of establishing a root system and the second year should give you real hops. It depends on what kind of IPAs you like but generally a hop that starts with C is a good bet. Hops don't require much maintenance at all, but I guess things could mess that up like bugs or climate.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Don't forget Tomahawk and Zues (CTZ).

Read the hop growing section and start small. Seriosuly. If your gut says grow 13 varieties, start with 3.

 

[sealfiftysix]

Alright thank you

 

[microbusbrewery]

Ditto everything neko said. Freshops has a good guide on their site that I'd recommend reading. It has some good info and will answer a lot of basic questions.

I've had some varieties produce in the first year but that was usually with a "jumbo" sized rhizome, but I wouldn't count on any until the second year.

As for varieties, look at some IPA recipes you've brewed or want to brew and see what they call for. Find out which ones will grown well in your area (e.g. some do better in cool/wet regions, some in warm/dry regions) then buy those. The first year I bought some I just went to my LHBS and bought what they had on hand, but you'll be better off if you do some research and planning.

Maintanence-wise, they're generally pretty low maintanence; give them water, some fertilizer, and a decent amount of light and they usually grow like weeds.