Hop Process

The majority of our hops come from a grower in Mt Angel Oregon. This farm has been in the hop industry for 125 years.

All season long the hop fields are monitored closely by our professional staff. Soil moisture, pest/beneficial counts, and nutrition balance are observed daily and charted weekly.

Starting the first week in August the yards are checked for dry matter, an industry standard for cone ripeness. Harvest dates are set by the results of these tests giving us an outline for optimal cone ripeness for the different varieties grown. Once harvest begins the whole vine is cut down in the field and transported to our stationary picking machine and processing facility. Picking begins with the vines hung upside down for ease of cone removal. After the cones and leaves are removed from the vine they are cleaned and separated with four different processes to insure clean whole cones. All the vines, leaves, and stems are then chopped and composted to be returned back to the yards. Following the cleaning process the cones are conveyed to the drying kilns and layered anywhere from 22”-36” deep. Warm air (140°F) is forced through the kiln floors for 8-12 hours. Drying time is dependant on several factors: humidity, cone density, outside temperature, and time of day. After the cones are dried down to 8-10% moisture they are cooled on the kiln floor and then piled in the cooling room for up to 24 hours to condition them prior to the baling process. This process insures that storage for the whole cones in bale form is “Brewers Quality."

At this point the staff of Hops 2 You personally hand picks the hops we feel are the best-of-the-best. Once we have selected the hops from the mountain of hops on the cooling floor we take them to our custom built baler. This machine was built for us using specifications we designed. The goal was to have a bale of hops that is convenient and easy to handle for brewers. In coming up with the bale size, weight and density we spoke to many brewers throughout the craft-brew industry. The size and weight of the bale was overwhelmingly the most important issue. We also felt that the bale needed to be the same in density as the more cumbersome 200 pound bale.

After the hops are baled they are put into a custom bag, vacuumed packed, and placed into a heavy duty box constructed of cardboard. At this point your custom bale is ready for delivery to your brewing facility.