The Brew Kettle and the my Future Beer Tree

Today's post is beverage and backyard related. I've brewed beer 3 times now. 4 times now. Once with a buddy from a past job at my house, once at a place called the Brew Kettle, and twice with Jerry. I used to work with Jerry and figured I'd better keep in touch if I was going to get any better at this gig.

So I was trading notes with Jerry yesterday about an unrelated matter and Good Eats was on - the beer brewing episode. He got to talking about hops and barley (words that make me take notice). And I started thinking of the herb garden I started last year (the prices at the grocery being too high for my taste) and decided to expand things a bit this spring.

My folks got me a Chia Herb Garden for Christmas (yes, I requested it) and the set up to do a huge garden in the backyard. The starters are already sprouted pretty good - I just hope I get enough sunlight to keep it going. So then I start thinking about combining the two. What if I grow all of the things (or most at least) that I'd need to do my own beer. "Great Idea!" I say to myself. To which I reply, "I know!"

Here's an excerpt from Jerry's mail - I like to quote sources whenever possible:

"Last summer I planted a beer tree - so far nothing has grown...is the garden going to be in full sun? if so, then ANY hops will grow. now, in order to grow hops correctly, you'll need FULL sun and southern exposure. also, you'll need something for the vines to grow up. I've seen people plant them along houses, with trellises going up to the second floor of the house. Other people will use cable strung from poles...here's a pretty good link on how to grow them:

http://www.freshops.com/garden.html

now, any variety of hop can be grown. what you'll need to do is buy some rhizomes of whatever variety you want (I can make some suggestions if you'd like) in MARCH. they sell out fast! you'll probably have to plant them in a pot and transplant them after last frost (May 1, I think). remember, rhizomes are "runners" and are a [PAIN] to remove if you ever want to get rid of them. from what I read, you won't get much at all the first year, but after that, they'll be fine. good timing too, because I don't know if you know it, but there is a SERIOUS hop shortage. six months ago, 1 oz of hops used to cost about $1. now it's about $6!

my recommendations:Cascade, Magnum, Centennial, Chinook and maybe Nugget. last year they cost about $5 each, and many places had minimums of 2 of each variety.

now, barley is tougher. it can be grown, but remember, after it's harvested it has to be malted. that is a ton of work! but, if you REALLY want to do it, we can give it the old college try!"

I'm all for it Jerry. Thanks for the Knowledge Drop!