HARVESTING HOPS
By mid-August, there’s no rest for workers at hop farms across North America. Through the middle of September, the farmers who grow beer’s signature ingredient keep a watchful eye to ensure their crop is correctly harvested and readied for pints.
And yet, the other 11 months of the year are just as busy. There are fields to maintain and manage. Hops need to be processed into pellets, which are then packaged and sold to breweries. Breeders must create and run sensory trials on new varieties in hopes they will become the next big thing among brewers and beer drinkers.
“Hops in America and around the world are in a much better and [more] exciting place than they’ve ever been,” says Gayle Goschie, vice president of hops and wine grapes at Goschie Farms in Silverton, Oregon. Her family farm is in its 117th harvest. It will process 425 acres of hops this season.
