Hops - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Tue, 18 Jun 2024 04:33:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Hops - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs (Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/04/30/book-review-the-homebrewers-garden-how-to-easily-grow-prepare-and-use-your-own-hops-malts-brewing-herbs-joe-fisher-and-dennis-fisher/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-review-the-homebrewers-garden-how-to-easily-grow-prepare-and-use-your-own-hops-malts-brewing-herbs-joe-fisher-and-dennis-fisher Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:15:31 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15172

The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

Homebrewing

Homebrewing is a fascinating and rewarding hobby that allows beer enthusiasts to create their own unique brews from the comfort of their homes. The process involves combining basic ingredients—malted grains, hops, yeast, and water—in specific ways to produce a wide variety of beer styles. Homebrewing offers an incredible amount of creative freedom, as brewers can experiment with different ingredients and techniques to craft beers that match their personal tastes and preferences. This DIY approach not only deepens one’s appreciation for the art and science of brewing but also provides a sense of accomplishment with each successful batch.

The journey of homebrewing typically begins with selecting a recipe and gathering the necessary equipment and ingredients. Beginner brewers often start with extract brewing, which uses malt extract to simplify the process. This method requires less equipment and shorter brew times, making it accessible for newcomers. As brewers gain experience and confidence, many transition to all-grain brewing, which involves mashing malted grains to extract fermentable sugars. All-grain brewing offers greater control over the beer’s flavor and body, allowing for more nuanced and complex brews. Essential equipment for homebrewing includes a large kettle, fermenter, airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, and bottling supplies.

The brewing process itself is a blend of science and art. It begins with mashing, where crushed grains are soaked in hot water to convert starches into sugars. The resulting liquid, called wort, is then boiled, and hops are added at various stages to impart bitterness, flavor, and aroma. After boiling, the wort is rapidly cooled and transferred to a fermenter, where yeast is added to begin fermentation. During this stage, which can last from a few days to several weeks, the yeast consumes the sugars in the wort, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Monitoring and maintaining proper fermentation temperatures is crucial for ensuring the desired characteristics of the final beer.

After fermentation, the beer is typically conditioned for a period to develop its flavors and carbonation. This can be done in bottles or kegs, with the addition of a small amount of sugar or pressurized CO2 to create carbonation. Patience is key during this phase, as conditioning can take several weeks, but the wait is usually well worth it. Once conditioning is complete, the beer is ready to be enjoyed. Homebrewers often take pride in sharing their creations with friends and family, and the feedback received can be invaluable for refining future batches.

One of the most exciting aspects of homebrewing is the community that comes with it. Homebrewers are a passionate and supportive group, often eager to share tips, recipes, and experiences. Many cities have homebrew clubs where members can exchange knowledge and sample each other’s beers. Online forums and social media groups also provide a wealth of information and camaraderie. Whether brewing solo or with a group, homebrewing is a hobby that fosters creativity, learning, and a deeper appreciation for the craft of beer making. It’s a journey filled with experimentation, occasional challenges, and the ultimate reward of enjoying a beer that’s truly your own.

Growing Hops

Growing hops is a rewarding endeavor for homebrewers looking to infuse their beer with fresh, homegrown ingredients. Hops are the flowers of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus), and they play a crucial role in brewing by adding bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer. The first step in growing hops is selecting the right variety based on your climate and the flavor profile you desire. Popular varieties like Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook are favored by many brewers for their versatility and distinctive characteristics. Hops require a sunny location with well-drained soil, and they thrive in temperate climates with long days during the growing season.

Once you’ve chosen your hop varieties, the next step is planting. Hops are typically grown from rhizomes, which are root cuttings taken from mature plants. Plant the rhizomes in early spring, about 4-6 inches deep, and space them about 3 feet apart to give each plant plenty of room to grow. As hops are vigorous climbers, it’s essential to provide a sturdy trellis or support system for the bines (the stems of the hop plant) to climb. Regular watering, especially during dry periods, and mulching around the base of the plants can help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.

Caring for hops involves regular maintenance to ensure healthy growth and a bountiful harvest. Hops can grow up to 20 feet in a single season, so training the bines to climb the trellis is crucial. Pruning the lower leaves and shoots encourages airflow and reduces the risk of disease. Hops are susceptible to pests such as aphids and spider mites, as well as diseases like powdery mildew. Regular inspection and prompt treatment with appropriate organic or chemical controls can help manage these issues. By late summer, the hop cones will begin to ripen, and you’ll know they are ready to harvest when they feel dry and papery, and the lupulin glands inside the cones are a vibrant yellow. After harvesting, the hops should be dried and stored properly to preserve their qualities for brewing.

Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

GoodReads Blurb:

Grow a beer garden! Enhance the flavor, aroma, and personality of your homebrew by cultivating your own hops, herbs, and malt grains. With expert advice on choosing and maintaining the best plants for your needs, Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher show you how to turn a small patch of backyard, or even a few window boxes, into a renewable brewing supply store. Discover the satisfaction that comes from brewing tasty beers using fresh homegrown ingredients.

GoodReads – The Homebrewer’s Garden

The Homebrewer’s Garden by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher is an essential guide for any homebrewer looking to elevate their craft by cultivating their own ingredients. This comprehensive manual covers the entire process of growing, preparing, and utilizing hops, malts, and brewing herbs, making it a valuable resource for both novice and experienced brewers who wish to take a hands-on approach to their beer-making.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its detailed and practical advice on gardening techniques tailored specifically for brewing ingredients. The Fishers draw from their extensive experience to provide step-by-step instructions on planting, nurturing, and harvesting hops and other plants. They also include information on soil preparation, pest management, and seasonal care, ensuring that readers have all the tools they need to successfully grow high-quality ingredients. The authors’ passion for homebrewing and gardening shines through, making the text engaging and accessible.

Beyond gardening, The Homebrewer’s Garden delves into the preparation and use of these homegrown ingredients in brewing. The book offers a wealth of recipes and brewing tips, demonstrating how to incorporate fresh hops, malted grains, and herbs into a variety of beer styles. The inclusion of unique brewing herbs like yarrow, juniper, and coriander adds an exciting dimension for brewers looking to experiment with flavors and create distinctive brews. This holistic approach, from garden to glass, empowers homebrewers to craft beers that are truly their own, imbued with the flavors and aromas of their own gardens.

In conclusion, The Homebrewer’s Garden is an invaluable resource that combines practical gardening advice with creative brewing techniques. Joe and Dennis Fisher have crafted a guide that is not only informative but also inspiring, encouraging homebrewers to explore the full potential of their craft. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your brewing process with homegrown ingredients, this book is a must-have addition to your brewing library.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***1/2
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.75 (as of 4.30.24)

Homebrewing Recipes

We are circling back to include more homebrew articles. We have gotten some requests for recipes, so we have decided to write them up and post them here. Be sure to check for other Homebrew articles and recipes as well!

Homebrewing Articles

Other Book Reviews

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

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Unraveling the Mysteries of Hops: The Heart and Soul of Craft Beer https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/01/06/unraveling-the-mysteries-of-hops-the-heart-and-soul-of-craft-beer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=unraveling-the-mysteries-of-hops-the-heart-and-soul-of-craft-beer Sat, 06 Jan 2024 16:23:44 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=14298

A single hop hanging on the vine.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Hops: The Heart and Soul of Craft Beer

In the vibrant world of craft beer, one ingredient often steals the spotlight for its pivotal role in brewing: hops. These green, cone-shaped flowers are not just a cornerstone of beer making; they’re the soulful artisans of the beverage, intricately weaving together the tapestry of flavor, aroma, and bitterness that defines many of our favorite brews. But what exactly are hops, and why do they play such a crucial role in the creation of craft beer? Let’s dive into the hoppy heart of the matter, exploring the technical nuances, varieties, and the art of hop utilization in craft brewing.

The Botanical Backdrop

Hops, scientifically known as Humulus lupulus, are perennial plants in the Cannabaceae family, which interestingly includes cannabis. These climbing bines (not vines) are cultivated for their female flowers, or hop cones, which are prized in brewing for their unique contributions. Hops have been an essential ingredient in beer for centuries, originally added for their preservative qualities, but their role has evolved significantly with the craft beer movement.

The Multifaceted Role of Hops in Brewing

Thompson Island Brewing visiting Troegs Brewery for a collaboration brew – adding the hops to the brew kettle.

The magic of hops lies in their complex chemical makeup, including alpha acids, beta acids, and essential oils. Each of these components plays a pivotal role in the brewing process:

  • Bitterness: Alpha acids are responsible for the bitter flavor in beer, a counterbalance to the sweetness of the malt. Through the process of isomerization during boiling, these acids transform, imparting the quintessential bitterness that beer aficionados cherish.
  • Aroma and Flavor: Essential oils in hops, such as myrcene, humulene, and caryophyllene, are the architects of aroma and flavor. These oils are more delicate and are often added at later stages of brewing or during dry hopping to preserve their volatile profiles, contributing everything from floral and citrus notes to earthy and spicy undertones.
  • Preservation: The antimicrobial properties of hops have been leveraged since ancient times to extend the shelf life of beer, making them an early and natural preservative.

Exploring the Hop Varieties

Hops growing on the arbor at The Beer Thrillers headquarters. (Centennial and Chinook hops growing together on the arbor.)

The craft beer renaissance has ushered in an era of hop exploration, with brewers and enthusiasts alike delving into the diverse world of hop varieties. Each type brings its own unique flavor and aroma profile to the table, influencing the character of the beer:

  • Noble Hops: Traditional varieties such as Saaz, Tettnang, Hallertauer, and Spalt, known for their mild and balanced profiles, perfect for classic European-style beers.
  • American Hops: Varieties like Cascade, Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe stand out for their bold, citrus, and piney characteristics, driving the American craft beer movement’s love for intensely aromatic and flavorful IPAs.
  • New World Hops: From Australia and New Zealand, varieties such as Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka offer unique fruity, tropical, and sometimes vinous notes, expanding the palette of flavors available to brewers.

The Art and Science of Hop Utilization

Craft brewers wield hops with both precision and creativity, carefully selecting varieties and determining the timing of their addition to achieve the desired bitterness, flavor, and aroma. This can range from bittering hops added early in the boil to capture their alpha acid potential, to late addition and dry hopping methods aimed at maximizing the aromatic and flavorful essence of essential oils.

The exploration of hops in craft beer is a testament to the ingredient’s versatility and central role in brewing. From the bold and bitter to the subtle and aromatic, hops continue to inspire brewers to push the boundaries of beer, crafting unique and memorable experiences for enthusiasts around the globe.

As we’ve journeyed through the hop fields and into the brewery, it’s clear that hops are much more than just an ingredient; they’re a bridge connecting science, art, and tradition in the craft beer community. Whether you’re a seasoned brewmaster, a homebrew hobbyist, or simply a curious beer lover, the world of hops offers endless possibilities for discovery and delight. Cheers to the humble hop, the heart and soul of craft beer’s boundless creativity!

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

 

 

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Heavy Seas Brewing is Releasing Altimore Ale Brewed with Monocacy Hops https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/10/10/heavy-seas-brewing-is-releasing-altimore-ale-brewed-with-monocacy-hops/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heavy-seas-brewing-is-releasing-altimore-ale-brewed-with-monocacy-hops Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:17:49 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=12758 Altimore Ale

Heavy Seas Brewing Company is releasing Altimore Ale – an Altbier that will be using the Maryland own varietal hop – Monocacy. This is a unique varietal hop that is Maryland own and was discovered in the 1960s by Dr. Ray Edgar.

From Heavy Seas press release:

 

A Genetically Unique Hop: Discovered in the late 1960s by Dr. Ray Edigar, the Monocacy hop remained a hidden gem until recently. Unaware of its rarity and Maryland origin, Dr. Edigar grew the hop in his garden for years. He recently partnered with researchers at the University of Maryland Extension to test the plant’s DNA-sequence, and when the results came back, they learned that the hop was completely genetically unique and native to Maryland. The Monocacy hop is distinguished by its distinct chemical profile & adaptability to Maryland’s hot, humid climate.

Heavy Seas Brewing Company

The target date for the beer’s release will be October 20th (2023) at the Heavy Seas Taproom. It will be available on draft, and to go in the form of crowlers and growlers. Heavy Seas Brewing Company is hoping to release more Monocacy hop beers in 2024.

Monocacy Hops

(See our article here on Monocacy Hops.)

Monocacy Hops Growing on the Vine

The Monocacy Hop varietal has been growing in the Maryland and DC Area since the 1960s; originally on a farm by a retired veterinarian – who claimed he liked to grow them for the shade they provided.

The hop varietal is genetically distinct from wild hops – neomexicanus and other wild hop variants. It is also the only native and organic to Maryland grown hop that has achieved unique genetic distinction.

Typically most American grown hops come from the Yakima Valley area of Washington State; despite there being numerous other hop farms across the country – this is the most widely distributed and the ‘best growing’ region of the country.

 

The Monocacy hop offers spicy, herbaceous, floral aromatics. For our inaugural brew, we chose to craft an Altbier, a traditional German beer style, using whole-flower Monocacy hops for bittering and finishing, which should provide a really nice aroma to this beer.

Chris Leonard – Heavy Seas Brewmaster and Director of Operations

Last winter the first commercial batches of beer, about forty pounds of pelletized dried Monocacy hops harvested in the fall of 2022 from a rebuilt UMD hop yard, made their way to Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm where that same brewer, Tom Barse, owner of Milkhouse, made three beers with Monocacy: a light lager, a Vienna-style lager, and a pale ale. These were released in the on-site taproom as part of the annual “FeBREWary – Maryland Craft Beer Lovers Month” that is perhaps best known in DC for the Love Thy Beer festival in Silver Spring.

Monocacy, Maryland’s Hop At Heavy Seas Brewing

Brewing with Monocacy Hops

On September 21st 2023, Heavy Seas Beer visited the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, where the Maryland-native hop is currently growing, to witness the harvesting of the Monocacy hop. They then hand collected and hand-picked wet hops directly from the vine. Immediately after the harvest, the Heavy Seas Brewing team returned to Halethorpe to brew a batch of beer using this hop. This is referred to as “Fresh Hop Brewing” or “Wet Hopping” for brewing IPAs.

Release

The target date for the beer’s release will be October 20th (2023) at the Heavy Seas Taproom. It will be available on draft, and to go in the form of crowlers and growlers. Heavy Seas Brewing Company is hoping to release more Monocacy hop beers in 2024.

Heavy Seas Brewing

The following information comes from Untappd. Heavy Seas Brewing or Heavy Seas Beer is a regional brewery from Baltimore / Halethorpe, MD. They have 883 unique beers and over 1 Million ratings, with a global average rating of 3.66 (as of 10.10.23). Their Untappd description reads: Heavy Seas Beer began in 1995 and has grown to become one of the most respected and award winning craft breweries on the east coast. Captaining the helm is our founder Hugh Sisson with decades of experience in developing, producing and marketing fine beers. As the first pub brewer in Maryland, Hugh was responsible for the legislation that made brewpubs legal in the state. Fearless. Bold. Independent.

You can find them on the following social media:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hop Shoot Omelet https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/04/10/hop-shoot-omelet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hop-shoot-omelet Mon, 10 Apr 2023 11:52:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=11015
Hop Omelet – With a beer of course.

Hop Shoot Omelet

Who doesn’t love a yummy omelet to start their day? Are you needing new ideas for your omelets? Want something all vegan, all tasty, and can also even be all home grown? Then this is an omelet for you.

It is a pretty simple, straight forward recipe, not a ton of ingredients, and lots of room to add, change, or tweak the recipe to your particular likes.

The Hops

Hops starting to grow in our gardens here at The Beer Thrillers Headquarters

Hops are one of the main ingredients in beer (along with water and yeast). For the purposes of making a hop shoot omelet, any variety of hops will work, and so far as I can tell there’s no taste difference between variants in hops (as far as eating them goes). At The Beer Thrillers Headquarters (or Bender Braus Brewery) we have Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Nugget, and Saaz. We had potted Walhalla, Willamette, and Magnum. Unfortunately over the winter the potted ones didn’t survive.

Harvesting the shoots is pretty easy. March – April the hops will begin to pop up out of the ground (depending on how the weather has been, but its usually end of March to beginning of April that you’ll see them popping up). For growing the hops (for use of the hop cones) you only want a few of the vines to grow, so you need to snip and cut the remainder away, which is perfect for making our meal.

When ready to make your meal (typically the morning of), go out to your hop vines and snip off the ‘heads’ of each vine. See image below for the ‘heads’ of the vines.

Hop heads

Only cut about 1 – 2″ from the top of each of the vines, this is the ‘hop heads’ and is the most tender and tasty part of the hop vines / hop shoots.

A quick rinse under the water before getting them on the skillet or pan is all you really need to do, and thats a cursory rinse just to remove any debris or dirt.

Reminder – Use Only the Tender Parts

Friendly reminder – use only the most tender part of the hop vines. This will probably be only the top head of the vine, or about 1″ to 1.5″ – 2″ of the vine. Anything more than that its going to get very fibrous and chewy and not very tasty. It’ll also have tiny little prickles.

Depending on when you find them, your hop shoots may be short or just a couple inches, or very long like vines – this is why I recommend early season for the hop shoot omelets. Right around Easter time is usually the perfect time to trim and clip off the unwanted vines before the hop plants grow into a massive tangled mass. Hop shoots can be harvested at any time of the year up, but its best to do it early in the year. As long as there is tender, young growth to harvest they’re fine to eat.

Early season works best because you are already pruning the hops back naturally anyway, so its kind of a “kill two birds with one stone” kind of scenario.

Ingredients and Equipment

Hop Shoots Omelet

This is a very simple and adjustable meal. You can decide how many eggs you want, you can decide what greens, meats, etc., you want in. Herbs, spices; pretty much everything is up to you.

But here is generally what I use when I make a hop shoots omelet at home:

  • As much fresh hop shoot heads as you have (or want to use)
  • 4 – 6 eggs
  • 1 or 2 chopped bell peppers
  • 1 / 2 chopped onion
  • Optional meats: 2 oz of bacon, sausage, kielbasa, or your preferred meat
  • salt (sea salt or kosher salt), oregano, thyme, lemon pepper seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic salt or powder

Serving size depends on number of eggs used; but generally serves 2 – 4 people.

Best as a breakfast, brunch, or as an appetizer before dinner.

Equipment and tools needed:

  • Skillet or pan (preferably 10″ stove pan)
  • Chopping boards for peppers, onions, meat
  • Bowls for chopped vegetables before adding them to the pan
  • container to beat the eggs in before adding them to the pan
  • knives / utensils (for cutting up peppers, onion, meat, and for beating the eggs)

Instructions

Hop Shootss Omelet
  1. Ready the stove, heating the pan, use butter or vegetable oil, or spray to prevent sticking
  2. Prepare your eggs – beat them in the container until nice and fluffy
  3. Prepare your vegetables and meat you are adding (chop them and put them in bowls)
  4. Prepare your hop shoots (rinse them delicately, and keep them in a bowl)
  5. Saute the hop shoots, the pepper, and onion
  6. If you are using meat, add when necessary
  7. Add in the eggs, stir, twirl, and keep the eggs properly distributed about the pan

Overall cooking time should take roughly 10 – 15 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs, meat, and vegetables).

Serving

Remember – always serve with a beer

Serving size depends on the amount of eggs and vegetables you added, but typically it should serve 2 – 4. You can top it with cheese or any other spices, herbs, or flavorings you wish. One thing you do certainly need to serve it with though is a beer!

You’ve worked hard now, grab a delicious craft beer, and chow down! Enjoy!

Beer Related Food Recipe Articles

(The making of a hop shoots omelet.)

This was our first beer / food related recipe or food pairing article. We would like to do more of these in the future – so let us know what you think of it, and if you would like to see more of these kinds of articles.

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