The practical application of scientific principles to the art of hop agriculture and brewing science
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We kick off the year with an uplifting discussion of nitrate poisoning in your hopyard. Then let’s spend some time talking about hop variety trends in brewing, followed by a look at just what happened with Ballast Point’s purchase and impending sale.
Finally! Months ago we asked our listeners to give us their hopyard plans so that we could review them on-air, and here they are. It’s great to hear what people are trying and we chime in with our usual opinions and suggestions.
We’ve mentioned it many times: you need a solid business plan to keep you on task and define who you want to be. In this episode we finally break down exactly what that means and how valuable things like SWOT analyses are as you try to convince others – and yourself – that your dream […]
Jumping off of last week’s show with Mark we go much deeper into the photoperiod discussion and ask the question: while we all know that “light is good” for plants, why does no one ever talk about why “dark is good” too? Then we read some harvest statistics from the last year to try and […]
It’s a mixed bag of topics this week. First we’ll touch on some new market trends in beer packaging, specifically smaller cans for the alcohol- and calorie- conscious tasters out there. Then James removes his science filter and we get all down and dirty about biodynamics and sustainability. What does it really mean? Like […]
If you ever think to yourself “I’m so tired of hearing James and Gregg talk”, have we got a treat for you! This week we welcome Mark from Mountain View Hops, a small hop farm in Virginia. Mark is a great example of how to start small, look for the right opportunities and take it […]
Your hops are harvested and dried to perfection. It’s time to Pelletize! In this episode we walk through taking your beautiful, tenderly cared-for crop, then grinding it up and squishing it down into little pellets. Plus we’ll vent for a little bit about smoothie beers (in other words, just like every week). New this week: […]
We had a few unrelated ideas for this episode, neither of which was going to take too long, so we put them together. First we’ll answer the often-asked question of “what hops would grow the best near me”. Or will we? Then we’ll review our observations of questions that consumer ask brewers, and how you […]
Hop yards, just like any business, come with constant decisions to be made. Left or right? Up or down? This week we discuss pivot points as your business grows, shrinks and takes some left turns.
This week we get into cold storage and compression to keep your finished crop ready for sale. Also, more from Lithuania!