Give Your Homebrew Terroir: Grow Your Own Hops

Originally published in the March/April 2009 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Recent hop shortages are debasing your homebrews and putting a dent in your wallet, so why not grow your own? Hops are easy to grow, and their requirements are simple, including plenty of sunshine, well-draining soil, and yearly additions of compost. You don't need a green thumb to give your homebrew its own terroir with homegrown hops. History and Geography Early European settlers brewed the first American beers with hops growing wild in New England. In 1628, rhizomes were brought over from Europe. Interbreeding soon conceived the "wild tasting" American Cluster variety. After the Civil War, hop production concentrated in fertile upstate New York. As settlers ventured westward, they brought their rhizomes along. Wisconsin and Michigan saw a brief period of prolific hop production, but extraordinarily high…

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