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A gem for breweries
Johannes Kuffer has been building hop gardens on a larger scale for his own agricultural hop farm for some time, but now he is also offering this for breweries. For those who want to grow their own hops for a very special beer.
Johannes Kuffer grew up with hops, working on his parents' farm since childhood. "Once the hops scratch you, they won't let you go," says an old proverb - and so it is, agrees hop grower Kuffer.
Using tree tongs on the tractor, the wooden poles are inserted into the ground so that they have a better footingRequirements for a brewery hop garden
First of all, a suitable location must be available that is 100 m2 or larger and not too close to a road or similar. This is because recent projects have shown that the building authorities usually have to be involved and make these demands. Such a hop garden is about five metres high, so there should be no power or telephone lines above the planned location.
Basically, the hop field can be planted with any common German or Hallertau hop variety. These varieties are very easy to care for and the brewery hop gardeners would not be angry if they did not receive any care for a few weeks. Otherwise, the hops require a lot of care and it is not for nothing that they say: "He wants to see his master every day.
Use of materials in the hop garden
Depending on the size and requirements of the brewery, such a hop yard can be created from different materials. For a brewery whose hop garden is to fit visually into the landscape and have a beautiful external appearance, wooden poles with steel foundations are almost exclusively used. With the steel foundations, the timbers are not stuck directly in the ground and cannot rot away. Metal anchors made of structural steel are used as external fastenings, which are screwed into the ground or concreted in, depending on the soil conditions. This can then be used to tighten the ropes and barbed wires a little.
Once the hop trellis is in place, the wires are attached to the barbed wire so that the hops can grow upwards and flourish.
The wooden poles are set and dug in; then the ropes and barbed wires are fixed at the top, the fixing height is marked by means of the poleMaintenance and workload
In terms of care, the hops are basically quite easy to look after. In early to mid-March, the old parts of the plant are cut back a little with a sharp knife - similar to a rose bush - so that the old, woody parts are removed, which could interfere with budding in the spring. Another reason is that the hops will then sprout again more vigorously and last for many years, because the hop bine only needs to be planted once and will then sprout again and again until you remove it completely.
In mid-May, when the hop shoots are 30 cm or longer, they can be twisted on to the 1 mm thick wire.
Two to three hop shoots are attached to each wire, depending on the variety. If too many shoots are twisted onto one wire, the hop plant will only produce leaves and no valuable hop cones and you will not harvest many hops at the end of the year.
In the period between the end of May and the middle of June, you can turn the shoots once or twice more, because if the wind blows a little, a few shoots can fall off the wire.
The hops no longer need external water from the second year of standing in the ground, as by then they have developed very long roots - up to six metres - and draw water deep from the soil.
The tensioned ropes outwards to the ground anchors give the hop frame stabilityFertilisation and plant protection
The plants need a little fertiliser in mid-March: about 100 g per plant with ingredients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Depending on the soil type, trace nutrients such as zinc, boron, manganese and sulphur can also be useful.
The hop plants can then be treated sustainably and biologically against diseases and pests. This should be done five times between mid-May and the end of July. Similar to many other fruit and vegetable varieties, peronospra and powdery mildew are among the diseases of hops. The aphid and the common red spider, which extract the sap from untreated hop plants and then cause the leaves to wither, are among the pests of hops. As a biological remedy, copper powder is used for peronospra and sulphur powder or also baking powder for meltoid. Whey, a waste product from cheese or butter production, can be used against the red spider and the hop aphid. The hops are ready for harvesting in mid-September.
The planting holes for the hop plants are dug to a depth of about 20 cmPreliminary planning and construction time
Preliminary planning or lead time takes about 8 - 16 weeks, depending on how the materials are currently available. The biggest hurdle is usually the building authority, with whom it must be clarified whether such a hop garden may be built.
In terms of construction time, about three days are calculated for the preparations, for preparing the poles and staking out the available space, as well as for determining how and where the individual components will be positioned. The better the preparations have been made, the faster the construction will go.
The hop garden is also set up over three days, with two to three people setting up the poles, placing tension anchors in the ground and installing the steel cables and barbed wires at the top, to which the guiding wires are then attached so that the hops can grow towards the sun and shine magnificently.
Finally, dig the hop plants into the soil with fresh soil and cover them with a little mulch so that the weeds do not grow so quickly. Sprinkle some mineral fertiliser or natural manure around the hop plants and the hops will grow well if the soil moisture is right. If there is too little water, the hop plants will dry out, if there is too much water they will rot, so a healthy balance is needed.
With the help of a lifting platform on the tractor, the guide wires can be attached to the top of the barbed wireSuggestions around the hop garden
To beautify the hop garden, a small flower or insect meadow can be planted in or around it with various flowers and herbs that bloom in bright colours during the summer months. To the outside, this makes a very beautiful picture.
If a public accessible hop garden for visitors is planned, then a meadow or lawn can also be sown, which is mown regularly. A seating area in the hop garden would then look good, because a nice after-work beer in the middle of a hop garden is certainly a lot of fun. In addition, a path could be paved, which can be used in bad weather.
When the hops are ready to be harvested, it is a good idea to organise a small hop-picking festival (Hopfenzupferfest), which is great fun for young and old and brings many a new and curious customer to the brewery.
There are many other ways to "embed" the hop garden in the brewery's concept, depending on the customer's wishes, there are no limits to the imagination.
In the soil, the upward wires are inserted deep with the help of a plugging iron so that they are well anchored - then the hop growth can begin upwardsYield quantity and uses
An approx. 100 m2 hop garden can be planted with 20 - 50 plants, depending on how much hop yield you are aiming for. You can expect 250 - 500 g of dried or approx. 1.5 kg of wet hops per plant.
If you want to use your own hops for beer production over a longer period of time, they must be dried so that they can be kept for longer.
As green hops in the undried state, the hops are used very fresh and can only be stored in the refrigerator for a short time, otherwise they lose their diverse aromas and the alpha acid quickly degrades if stored for too long.
In addition to hops as a beer ingredient, the hop bines are also suitable for beautiful decorations such as hop wreaths, as decorative hop bines for the brewery pub or as part of flower wreaths.
With its special scent, hops induce a very peaceful and restful sleep, which is why dried hops can be used for hop pillows. But a hop bath with fresh hops is also a very good idea, because the hops develop their many aromas in the warm bath water; then add a warm hop tea and you can relax wonderfully.
So if you have a bit of space around your brewery, want to score points with an eye-catcher and a wonderful exterior view, and also want to grow your own hops for a particularly tasty beer, a hop garden like this is just the thing for you.
