Just starting out in Pennsylvania

[Rypcord]

Hello everyone. I'm from Dauphin county Pennsylvania (just outside of Hershey/Harrisburg, right near Troegs) and I am planning on starting up.

A buddy and me are planning on starting to make our own. We're 'knowledgeable' about beer, and a bit about gardening, but that's about it.

So our first question is:

* Where is a good place to buy hops plants? (cheapest/most reliable/best quality) - preferably in the area
* How many hops plants is needed? Specifically what's a good size hops garden for making small amounts for two grown men to grow/produce/drink?
* What variety of hops plants should we get? I know of the different types, but little of what goes well with what, or what variety grows best, or tastes best in what we are wanting to make. We are open to recipes/ideas on what beer to brew, but we are generally going the route of IPA's and the ilk, (basically, think Troegs in a way).

Any and all help would be super appreciated!

Anyone else from Central PA who grows?

 

[beergolf]

There is a hops growing section of the forum here..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/

Generally hop rhizomes are availible in the spring so you are too late for this year. Read up and plan ahead for next year.

 

[Rypcord]

I'm unfamiliar with the name 'rhizomes' all of the different sites I've read about hops hasn't mentioned that.

 

[DrKnow]

Go to scotzin brothers in lemoyne for all of your fermentation needs. Largest "in store" selection in the state. Great knowledgable staff. They even offer classes on brewing/winemaking etc from time to time. You'll be able to support a local business and I guarantee you'll be treated well and find everything you need to get started and progress in the hobby.

 

[beergolf]

I'm unfamiliar with the name 'rhizomes' all of the different sites I've read about hops hasn't mentioned that.

Rhizomes are basically root cuttings that you then plant to grow hops.

 

[Rypcord]

Ok, thanks. How hardy are rhizomes compared to just buying a starter plant?

 

[andy6026]

As you will probably know from reading up on hop growing, you won't get any significant yield until the second year. That's plenty of time for you to learn how to brew. Not only that, but it gives you almost a year to try brewing with various hops to see what you like. One thing you might want to try doing over the next year is to brew a bunch of different SMASH beers to give you a clearer idea of how the various hops taste, and then if there's time, try combining some based on your own tastes and recommendations from here or elsewhere. SMASH stands for Single Malt And Single Hops - I.e. only one type of each in each brew so that you can more easily hone in how it tastes.

I also highly recommend that you also consider your starting equipment carefully and ask for equipment advice here in the forums. It's always a financial and time advantage if you get a size and quality of equipment to suit your needs from the get-go rather than 'upgrade' soon after. From my own experience, since you seem to know already that you are in for the long haul (since you're planning to grow hops) then I would recommend you think ambitiously when selecting the size and quality of equipment. For example, I decided to go with a 15 gallon brew kettle to enable me to very comfortably brew 5-6 gallon batches. However, it only took a dozen batches before I wish I had have gone with a 20 gallon kettle so I could comfortably brew 10 gallon batches of 'large' (high ABV) beers. There's no need, of course, to go nuts, but consider giving yourself the room to grow without having to replace significant pieces of equipment.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[dk21]

Consider stopping in at Halligan Homebrew in E-town. It's a really nice homebrew shop with a really nice selection, good people, and good advice. I'm not sure if they get rhizomes but I believe Lancaster Homebrew (also a good shop) does each year at the appropriate time.

 

[Rypcord]

Thanks dk21. Do you grow your own hops in PA? How are your yields? What are things to look out for? What varieties do you grow?

 

[dk21]

I actually haven't tried growing my own hops, so I can't really provide a whole lot of useful information. I'm not a huge hop head, so growing my own isn't necessarily that beneficial to me.

I do know that the owner of Lancaster Homebrew, Mark, grows a few of the more bitter varieties. If you find yourself in the Lancaster area, they're off of the Lincoln Highway exit on 30. I'd imagine he'd be able to provide a lot of helpful information.

 

[Rypcord]

Thanks DK!