2018 hop numbers

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by BBThunderbolt, Nov 30, 2018.

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  1. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,282) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    The same issue has the barley report, I'll check it later, and get back to you.
     
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  2. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I have already read the Barley report.
     
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  3. NickSMpls

    NickSMpls Pooh-Bah (2,692) Nov 11, 2012 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Thanks for the info on Germany's hop growing areas. I agree the Willamette Valley climate is similar, but it does get warm in the summer.
     
  4. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    They had something around 4 hot summers in a row in Germany. I was in Bavaria in August, it was about 98F for days.

    Edit They don't drip irrigate much in Germany. The average farm is about 30 acres. Many in Yakima are 1000 acres or more, which is a difference.
     
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  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    Dale, you are so out of touch!:grin:

    Me too by the way.:flushed:

    Cheers!
     
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  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Lots of interesting discussion about hop farm history/geography. I figured some folks would be interested in reading this article from 1902 that is on the @jesskidden website.

    Some interesting snippets from the article:

    “Of the 55,000 acres which grow hops in the country 7.500 are in California…”

    That value of 55,000 in 1902 is not too far from today’s figure of just under 58,000 acres although I suspect that the productivity of today’s hop farms are greater with a larger yield of hops (i.e., as measured by pounds).

    Also:

    “California has the doubtful distinction of owning the largest single hop farm of 365 acres at Pleasanton…”

    I wonder if all of those acres are now covered by tract homes?

    Cheers!
     
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  7. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    No shit right, lol. Is it still cool to make brownies? I'd like some gummies , I could eat them at work and no one would ever know.
     
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    They might pick up on things when they see you scarf down three burritos in a row!?!:stuck_out_tongue:

    Cheers!
     
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  9. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    The Cheetos ring around the mouth is a dead give away to go with the orange fingers.
     
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  10. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You know, I was trying to find that turn of the last century stat, and didn't think to look at that article. What always confused me is the next sentence-
    "...twice as many as are grown in any other state in the Union..." because that doesn't work out based on stats from only a few years earlier, like this from the 1900 Census:
    [​IMG]
    As you note, yields were very important comparing state to state stats (maybe "twice the yield" is what that line meant?), and CA certainly led in that instance.

    NYS's very low hop yields per acre (along with difficulty with getting "clean" pickings without a lot of leaves and stems) were other reasons beside pests and disease that helped wipe out the New York industry, even though brewers considered them superior to the Pacific coast hops.

    Checking historical hop harvest records year to year is sometimes difficult because they may be listed by pound, bales (of ~200lbs), acres or value at the current rates.

    After Repeal, it get even more confusing because eventually there were attempts at controlling the market, either by the US Dept. of Ag. (which set up boards of growers in the each hop state) under the AAA, or later, apparently the growers themselves to prevent excess crops flooding the market and making the prices so low as to be unprofitable. Sort of an OPEC for hops (HOPEC?).

    So, for certain years in the '30s-early 50s, estimates of the total hop crop are often easily found - and it was those estimates on which the market was controlled. For example, in 1950 the Ag. Dept's "Hop Control Board" announced that only 85.8% of that year's crop would be "saleable" - the rest would be destroyed (or, in some cases, not even harvested) - and the percentage would be allocated based on the growers' previous year's total.

    An example of the difficulty in marketing hops (esp. during the Prohibition era) is one finds some hop ranches simply warehoused excess hops that couldn't be sold or exported - sometimes for years. Hop ranchers were reported as selling 1928 hops in mid-summer 1933 (so, a few months after Repeal) for 19¢/lb. The year began with hops going for 27¢/lb but would jump to 50-75¢ a pound for '32 crop as the hop harvest approached.
     
  11. Crusader

    Crusader Pooh-Bah (1,651) Feb 4, 2011 Sweden
    Pooh-Bah Society

    With the discussions about US hop growing I thought I would link to the English language Barth & son market reports. They span a good number of years and contain alot of interesting information as far as hops are concerned.
     
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  12. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I recommend their "Hop Atlas". It is 200€ or so. You might be able to check it out through a University Library.
     
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