Wow, can’t believe it’s been so long since we last posted… Been keeping busy, for sure.

Drought

This past summer saw unseasonably dry conditions. We’re fortunate that our farm is on the Lake Erie Watershed, and gets plenty of hillside runoff. We installed our drip irrigation system just in time, and were able to water our plants with this fresh water source without having to bring in weekly tanker trucks to water the fields.

Early season photo, some browning of grass due to drought conditions in the large field

New Projects

Last year everything was sold as wet-hops, but this year we had enough to properly dry and pelletize. This means we needed an oast.

After doing our research and considering our options, we decided to take an old shed and add airflow and heat to create an oast. It worked out perfect; we were able to keep the heat below the temperature that would otherwise drive off volatile oils, while still drying off enough moisture over a few days for proper pelletizing.

What is old is new again, with some 2×4’s

In the future, a dehumidification system would be ideal, but this will work for now.

The irrigation system also went in pretty easily, and just in time. We chose to hang the drip tape a few inches above the ground for access.

Catching Frogs

It wouldn’t be fair to keep this adventure to ourselves, so we share with family and friends. Some good friends drove a good distance to help with harvest this year, and we look forward to having them back again more frequently. The hard work is enjoyable when it’s hops for beer, right?

As far as frogs, there’s always a healthy supply of guttural croaks in an irrigation ditch that runs alongside the small field. Although they keep us company, some of us are honing our skills and finding the right tools to catch them.

We haven’t fallen in yet, either. Yet, but eventually.

Harvest

The actual harvest went well. Our first year using a contract harvester, and happy to have their help! Ended up with a good lot of wet-hops for our customer’s special seasonal harvest ales again.

The rest, a good chunk of Chinook, made it to the oast and pelletizer, and was tested and sold into local brews. Pearl Street made an excellent All-NY Rye Pale Ale that I really enjoyed! One of the first beer on tap at the new Riverworks, the first brewery every built inside a grain silo!

359 Ganson Street, Buffalo, NY 14203