This page is dedicated to hops production and resources. If you have any suggestions of information that you would like to see on this page, please contact me.
There has been a lot of buzz around the production of hops in western North Carolina
The hop plant, Humulus lupulus, is a member of the plant family Cannabaceae, known for its popular family member Cannabis. Hop plants are bines that produce annual stems from perennial root systems known as rhizomes. The bines grow to a length of 18 to 25 feet. Unlike vines, the bines do not produce tendrils, but rather prickly hairs and climb by turning clockwise as they grow up a trellis. Hop plants are herbaceous perennials meaning that the bines die down each year in the Winter, but arise each Spring from hardy crowns. The hops rhizomes may explore the soil to a depth of 15 feet. Hops plants are propagated from cuttings from the rhizomes.
Hops producers typically buy and cultivate female bines only. The female flowers form pale green, cone-like structures that are 1 to 4 inches long. The papery scales of the cone turn yellowish when ripe. Inside the cones are the lupulin glands, small yellow organs that resemble pollen. These glands contain the essential oils, alpha and beta acids, that provide the bitterness and flavoring properties important in crafting beer.
Hops are also produced for herbal and medicinal purposes to aid in the treatment of insomnia and other ailments including nervous stomachs.
Hops Posts from WNC Vegetable and Small Fruits News
- Hops Tour a Success! (August 2009)
- Hops: Downy Mildew (September 2009)
- Hops Informational Meeting (November 2009)
- Building A NC Beer Economy (March 2010)
- Hops Season Has Begun! (April 2010)
- Local Hops Producers Featured in Raleigh N&O (May 2010)
- Hops Pest: Eastern Comma Butterfly (May 2010)
- Downy Mildew on Hops Present in WNC (May 2010)
- Should Organic Beers Contain Organic Hops? (October 2010)
- NC Hops Project Has a New Website (October 2010)
- Organic Hops Growers Score Big (November 2010)
- NC Hops Update: NC Alternative Crops Blog (December 2011)
Hops Posts from NC Alternative Crops and Organics Blog
Information from the Hops Course at AB Tech (April 2010)
Resources from this event were posted on a Google Site. Click here to find information on the following topics and more:
Information from the Hops Course at AB Tech (April 2010)
Resources from this event were posted on a Google Site. Click here to find information on the following topics and more:
- Hop Variety Profiles
- Hops Disease and Insect Notes
- Budget Information
- Trellis Systems
- Nutrient Management
Disease Fact Sheets from Oregon State University
** In February 2011 the OSU Disease Notes web site suffered a catastrophic crash. When the below links become restored, this site will be updated.**
** In February 2011 the OSU Disease Notes web site suffered a catastrophic crash. When the below links become restored, this site will be updated.**
- Downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora humuli)
- Powdery mildew (Podosphaera macularis)
- Cone tip blight (Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium sambucinum)
- Verticillium wilt (Verticllium albo-atrum and Verticillium dahliae)
- Viroid diseases
- Virus diseases
- and more!
Hops Production Resources
- Field Guide for Integrated Pest Management in Hops - Oregon State University, University of Idaho, USDA ARS and Washington State University
- Hops Fertilization Guide - Oregon State University Extension Service
- Growing Hops in New England - University of Vermont Extension Service
- Hops: Organic Production - A SARE publication
- Growing Hops in the Backyard - Rutgers Cooperative Extension
- Small Scale and Organic Hops Production - Rebecca Kneen
- Growing Hops Presentation - From a Colorado State University workshop
More Hops Resources
- NC Hops Project: Hops Research and Variety Trial
- Hop Growers of America
- Hops Research Council
- American Organic Hop Grower Association
- Natural Products Laboratory at AB Tech Enka Campus
- American Hops Museum
- Hop Union
- Gorst Valley Hops
- USA Hops
- USDA Hops Cultivar Descriptions
- Yakima Chief, Inc
Hops Blogs I Like
- North Carolina Hops Project
- NC Alternative Crops and Organics
- Southern Appalachian Hops Guild
- Eastern Hops Guild
- Ocean State Hops - I will never forget where I'm from
- Growing Hops Yourself
- Hop'n Blueberry Farm
- Battleground Brewers Guild Blog
- NC Breweries
- Brewers Association
- NC Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association
- For Organic Hops Farmers in Washington, Obstacles (Kitsap Sun)
- Times-News Article "Hops May Become WNC's next Hot Crop"
- Charlotte Observer's Article "Farmers Jump at Chance to Attempt to Grow Hops"
- NCSU's Perspectives Article "Hopping into a New Crop"
- Battleground Brewers Guild
