In lupulin we trust

[bellebouche]

No easy way to say this but today, I won the lottery.

The Hop Lottery.

ha ha!

Pics an 'ting.


none more green by adrianfoden, on Flickr


lupulin by adrianfoden, on Flickr


brewers assistants by adrianfoden, on Flickr


sacks of goodies by adrianfoden, on Flickr



hop harvest by adrianfoden, on Flickr




oils by adrianfoden, on Flickr

[bellebouche]

I've still got about 400 litres worth of volume of hops to process but did the first batch yesterday.



hop harvest by adrianfoden, on Flickr

That haul is just under 3kg and is about 1/4 of my total bounty from the day. Three varieties in total, mostly Strisselspalt.

[Manx Guy]

Nice!

Looks like a good day out.... Did you get any dermatitis from picking all those hops? I hear it can be a hazard when handling large volumes of fresh hops (not dried)



Guy

[awalker]

Very nice are they all going in lambics?

[bellebouche]

Nice!

Looks like a good day out.... Did you get any dermatitis from picking all those hops? I hear it can be a hazard when handling large volumes of fresh hops (not dried)



Guy

yeah, giant red wheals on my forearms from yanking them out of the hedges. No bother with the oils though on my finger but I have to say...

1) during the day I noticed a marked desensitization to the smell of the hops.
2) I have a COLLOSAL headache that started last night and persists today. I never normally get headaches, ever.

Potent stuff!!

[bellebouche]

Very nice are they all going in lambics?

No, I've got similar (smaller) quantities from 2007/8 for my upcoming lambics - properly aged and in carrier-bag full quantities!

There are for this (and next) years brewing. Strisselspalt and the like are reknown for aroma/finishing hops in belgian ales. I'll be doing a saison, a clone of 'cuvee du troll' and a couple of the westmalle beers before the year is out.

[bellebouche]

I should say that 'Wild' IPA with a mixture of all of the flowers is a bit of a must too. Abundance breeds extravagance and all that but I'd be happy chucking in a bucketfull of these into an imperial IPA style beer and then just sitting on it for a long while.

[EccentricDyslexic]

Im gonna have to have a drive over to your place chap...!

Steve

[Subsonic]

oooh, I have got some competition there! I am picking again on Saturday and will see if I can better that lot lol! Well done. subsonic

[bellebouche]

Well, the area we collected from was used to cultivate hops between the wars but stopped being used like that in the early 1940's. Generations later much of the hedgerows that surround the old Alluvial/watermeadows are teaming with hops and the fields themselves used mostly for cultivating poplars. It was such a pretty spot.

Nowadays the hops go to waste every year and we simply ran out of carspace to carry them all back for processing.

[Subsonic]

Same as the farm I am on, all Goldings and Fuggles. Its such a waste, might be up for a swap if your interested! Subsonic

[adm]

Lovely!

[bellebouche]

Same as the farm I am on, all Goldings and Fuggles. Its such a waste, might be up for a swap if your interested! Subsonic

Cool beans. PM me an address and I'll send a vac-pack of a couple of hundred grams in exchange if you have yours in similar quantities.

They're being dried now and packed in the next day or two. Mme Bellebouche is in charge of the drying/packing process whilst I slave away in the UK - I'll get them off to you midweek next week and I'll ask her not to freeze a set - you can have a crack at a fresh Saison/Kolsch/Hoppy IPA.

[WishboneBrewery]

wow!!!!

[rimski]

Looks like the motherload alright Belle

Those fermenters of yours are going to be busy over the next few weeks me thinks