The practical application of scientific principles to the art of hop agriculture and brewing science
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!
We finally arrive at one of our most-asked about topics: hop harvesters. How do they work, what should you look for when buying one and how to troubleshoot. We start off however with Gregg venting about pumpkin(less) beer when it’s still @#$#ing summer outside. Disclaimer: While you might hear us talking about Wolf harvesters as […]
The right tool for the right job. This week we talk about everyday implements that you should have in your hopyard. Tools that change the way you approach farm management and make you ask “why didn’t we do this sooner”?
Ah, the beer festival. All of your potential customers are there at once and ready for you to hit them up for sales, right? So, so wrong. This week we share stories of past beer festivals, including how to make the most of them while keeping your expectations in check. Plus, listener questions!
Tales from the hop yard as we walk through the when, how and why of harvesting. We talk about hand harvesting (here’s a hint: don’t), how to engage local artists in your waste material and why you should make friends with retired machinists.
We tried to stay impartial, we really did, but it’s just not possible anymore. James and Gregg take on the market influx of hazy-milkshake-slushy-juicy and make a case for what “beer” really is vs what it’s marketed to be. We also talk about the responsibility of the tap room in educating the consumer and the […]