Page 49 - Beverage Master December January 2020

Craft Ag Production

Post-Harvest on the Hop Farm:

Jobs Change, But Work Continues

By: Gerald Dlubala

A fter all the time and energy spent on vine too late can degrade quickly in storage, be more
susceptible to oxidation, and become more vulner-
training, pest-free growth and meticulous
able to disease and pest contamination. Timing is
care that hop farmers put into raising the
best possible crop, the harvest can feel everything, and sampling is critical to make sure
like a whirlwind that’s over in a flash. Depending on hops are at peak ripeness.
the types of hops grown and the climate in which
they are farmed, hop harvest can run anywhere “It’s not that you can’t harvest and get good
from early August to late September. But the actual hops after that peak ripening period,” said Sean
timeframe to get hops picked during peak ripeness Trowbridge, co-owner of Top Hops Farm, LLC in
and quality is a short, week to 10-day span. Goodrich, Michigan. “It’s just that after peak ripen-
ing, the hop integrity comes into question and can
Hop ripeness and quality are directly related to result in product shatter during the picking process.
the moisture content and alpha acid levels of the Then you’re talking about the potential of consider-
hop cones. Hops too high in moisture aren’t con- able product loss.”
sidered at peak alpha acid content. Hops harvested
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