2018 hop numbers

sounds good to me. Does anyone have any idea why california grows so little hops? Seems likely that there are plenty of places that could be productive in this endeavor in the state.

 

Because weed has a higher profit margin

(I assume california is border to border weed fields)

 

Just as I imagined

 

California was a major hop growing state by the 1880 - 1890s (behind only NY and WA) and as late as the early 1940's it was still the #3 hop growing state (behind Oregon and Washington). The only thing I've ever read was that, by the 1960s, it was no longer "economically feasible" (probably 'cause better cash crops took their place).

EDIT - Checking other sources, looks like California moved into the #2 spot by the mid-40s (Downey mildew attack hit Oregon hard) with CA's hop acreage peaking in 1951 at 9,500 acres.

Both Rainier Brewing Co. (the San Francisco based one, not the Seattle brewery) and Grace Bros. Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa operated their own hop ranches in California in the post-Repeal era.

 

Completely over my head I suppose, but both WA and Ca are both tremendous wine producers I'm thinking the wine region climates would be quite similar. Of course Cali is very diverse and very large. I'm supposing it's money, pot is more profitable than hops I'm sure, but WA is legal too and they grow hops out the ass. Could be irrigation, I don't know how demanding hops are to grow, pot I'm sure is labor intensive. So, I don't really know either, but next time I'm in WA I'm getting some special gummies. .

 

Nice a friend in the business, I'll have an ounce of Acapulco Gold please.

 

[CONT] Further digging into it, California was running neck and neck with Washington for a lot of the first half of the 20th century - as can be seen in the names of some hops available the year of Repeal, 1933:

 

Nope I think you're right. It sure seems like border to border vineyards - coastal valleys, central valley and foothills. Seems like they're everywhere (esp here in NorCal). Who drinks all this, certainly no one on this site?

 

Interesting stuff. We visited Yakima last summer (with a stop at Bale Breakers of course...well, actually two) and it was wall to wall hops and where there aren't hops there are cherry and other fruit orchards. Everything is irrigated since Yakima in a desert.

One would draw the conclusion that hops like that climate along with lots of water.

Now, I wonder about Germany. There's no place I've been that even remotely resembles the Yakima area. I haven't researched in there is a concentration of hop growing areas. If anybody can comment, please do.

Anyway, back to more (hoppy) goodness on a rainy Friday night.

 

The hop growing areas just south of SF and near Sacramento were replaced by a crop known as suburbia. Much more profitable. Source was the Barth Haas Hop At Las.

There were hops in Sonoma county, and Hopland in Mendicino County. They couldn't compete with Yakima WA, and wine is now the crop in that area. I have been to Hopkiln winery, the tasting room is in the old hopkilns.

 

A good question.

A good answer.

 

Yakima is ideal as it has fertile soil, abundant sunshine with long summer daylight, and they drip irrigate from the Yakima river that is fed by snowmelt from the Cascade mountains.

There are several hop growing areas in Germany. The Hallertau between Munich and IngolstsdI is the largest. The climate is typically similar to the Wilamette Valley in OR. Milder with more rain. They don't drip irrigate much there. Hot dry summers of late have had a negative impact on the crop.

Edit - Bale Breaker is outstanding.

 

Good to know. One of my biggest fears is having a world-wide hop shortage.

 

Yeah. Below - circa 1950 map of CA's hop growing areas.

According to a 1966 article on the history of the town of Hopland, at that time the hop fields had been replaced "...pears, walnuts, prunes and grapes..." in the late '50s.

Looks like California was the top US hop state in the early years of Prohibition.

 

My concern would be barley.

 

suburbia is the crop that I had forgotten about. In any case I certainly see room for growth in the hop fields of a number of states.