Picking The Hops : 8.4.09

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Photo By Heidi Crandall : ©2009 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Brewmaster, Jason Oliver of Devils Backbone Brewing smells one of the freshly picked Cascade Hops.
Photo By Heidi Crandall : ©2009 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Brewmaster, Jason Oliver of Devils Backbone Brewing smells one of the freshly picked Cascade Hops.

Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia

There still lots of summer left, but the crops are coming in for many folks. Over at Devils Backbone Brewing much of their Monday was spent picking Cascade Hops in their garden just outside the brewery. Nope, they don’t grow most of their own hops on site, but the ones picked Monday are part of several pounds they were able to harvest in their first year of operation. ” We picked our first harvest of Cascade hops yesterday morning. I was surprised by the yield of these first year vines, usually you do not get a good yield on year one,” says Jason Oliver the Brewmaster at DBBC. “Pierre from Edible Landscaping did a great job planting these,” Jason adds.

Cascade hops are a cross between Fuggles with a Ruskie hop variety.
Cascade hops are a cross between Fuggles with a Ruskie hop variety.

“Cascade hops are the most popular hops in craft brewing. They were made popular by beers such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor’s Liberty Ale,” Jason continues.

According to the folks over at BrewDudes.com the Cascades are typically used for flavoring and aroma, primarily in American beers.

Hops in the bucket!
Hops in the bucket!

“Already a portion of these hops are “dry hopping” a special blend. Dry hoping is when you soak hops in a beer apposed to boiling with them. The soaking of hops in a maturing beer provides fresh intense hop flavor,” Jason says.

A closeup of a Cascade Hop.
A closeup of a Cascade Hop.

Can’t wait to see what Jason will do with these!

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