November 1997
Contents:
Crop Report - Powdery Mildew Update
How Powdery Mildew Effects Hops
Hopunion Travels
Hop of the Month - BULLION
Brewery Analytical Services
A Historical Moment in Time of the Hop Industry in the USA
More Formulation and Technical Information Sources
Hops Many Other Uses
Crop Report - Powdery Mildew Update
By Ralph Olson, as seen in Southern Draft Brew News
It is now the middle of October and all the hops have been harvested and put into storage. It has been quite a season. My last article discussed the new disease that hit the U.S. hop industry "powdery mildew." This is really not a new disease but one that has been in many parts of the world for many years. In the Yakima Valley, where most of the U.S. grown hops come from, this was the first outbreak and it took the growers quite by surprise. Growers were not even aware that a problem existed until a meeting was called towards the end of June by Washington Hop Commission. An announcement was made that this disease had accidentally gotten out from a greenhouse that was being used to propagate a new variety called "Symphony." This variety had been planted throughout the valley in early Spring and with it spread the powdery mildew. While no one really knows how the disease got into the greenhouse it was quickly found that this new variety was extremely susceptible to downey mildew. During this first meeting there was some cause for concern but the growers didn't really know what damage this disease could do. At the time it had only started to infect some of the leaves and looked like some fuzzy patches. The hops were still in their growth stage and no cones had developed yet. Most growers had not yet even seen any in their fields or so they thought. It can very hard to detect even if you are looking for it and most growers didn't know what to look for.
We unfortunately also didn't have much in the way to fight this disease. The first thing everyone used was sulfur and we quickly got on emergency "Section 18" use from the government to use a chemical called "Rubigan." While both help to control the disease they are considered not very strong ways to fight this disease. The biggest problem with both products was that they are only topographical and this disease is most interested in attacking new growth. Because these chemicals had no systemic powers, the spores that were not killed outright, quickly would attack the new growth. In the beginning this new growth would only be new leaves but soon cones started to develop on the plants. The powdery mildew quickly attacked these new cones causing death and abnormal formations. Some fields got bad enough that they were destroyed by cutting them down and then burning the piles. In my twenty years in the industry, I have never seen such a thing. While the numbers are sketchy, it is felt that at least 2,000 to 2,500 acres were destroyed in this manner. During the month of August one could see huge columns of smoke rising from different parts of the valley and know more fields were falling victim to this disease. It was hard to realize that only two months before, this disease was just being discussed as even being in the valley. Many fields that were picked had greatly reduced yields and were not the best quality. This has lead to many gloom and doom reports in newspapers around the country and has caused moderate amounts of panic with brewers who felt there would be no hops this year. Well I'm happy to say that we do have plenty of hops available for the consumer and the majority don't look too bad.
First, many different varieties did show moderate to heavy amounts of resistance. Most aroma hops got through in pretty good shape. The hops that appeared to have the least resistance were the Symphony, Cluster and Galena. I personally inspected all the lots of hops we get into our facility. My general conclusion was that while we saw some higher than normal amount of spray burn from trying to keep this disease at bay, the aromas coming from the hops were quite nice. Growers who started a spray program immediately after the announcement was made and were lucky enough to not be by the worst infected sites, did by and large all right. It has been said that if you see just one postule of this disease in a field you had better start spraying and if you see two it is probably already to late to combat it. I saw some growers who probably lost 1/3 to 1/2 of their crop to this disease while others had virtually no problems.
No one knows if this disease is here to stay but the odds are that it will be here in the future. Much research and field work has been done and efforts are already underway to get better chemicals to fight this disease. Europe has regular programs in place since this disease is common in most of their hops growing areas. The U.S. grower will need to also develop these programs. We will also need to find out which varieties show resistance and which do not and react accordingly. Already it has been announced that the variety "Symphony" will be pulled out and destroyed. This is a very costly measure and therefore a hard decision to make. My hat is off to the growers/dealers going ahead with it. While the cost of growing hops has just gone up, the growers determination has gone up as well. The Yakima Valley will continue to be the hop capital of the United States and will still grow some of the best hops in the world.
How Powdery Mildew Effects Hops
Back in the middle of June there was talk of a new disease in our Valley. Its name is Powdery Mildew. It was pretty light and hard to find, but was there. Here is a brief description of Powdery Mildew and what it does to hops: Powdery Mildew is a folias fungal disease which attacks the leaves, burr and cones of the hop plant. If not adequately controlled, it can cause significant yield reductions and cone browning which affects the appearance of the dried cones. It should be emphasized that this order of susceptibility is based on preliminary observations and may well change when detached testing is completed.
Great American Beer Festival Ralph Olson, Ralph Woodall, Cindy Kloster and John Farver all attending this years Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. Arriving on Wednesday afternoon, they were able to just make the brewers gathering at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Although it was tough trying to get a beer, and some of us didn’t , a good time was had by all. The best part of the festival is getting to see all the people we talk to on a regular basis. Three days of tasting beer and having an opportunity to check out the large variety of styles. What a great feeling to see the number of Hopunion hopped beers winning gold, silver and bronze medals!
MID ATLANTIC BEER FEST Ralph Olson also attended the Mid Atlantic Beer Fest in Washington DC of which we are a sponsor. The people and hospitality were outstanding. Ralph had help at our hop booth from a couple of locals showing off some of this years hop crop.
Originally grown in England in the 1900’s, it has been a few years since we have grown any Bullion in Washington State. Our first Bullions from Washington State have now been received and they look beautiful. The aroma has been consider very good with a very pronounced American character. While current alpha in pellet form is 10.3%, this hop is used both for bittering and aroma. In 1978, Bullions were fairly common place. It is one of the first high alpha hops developed. Then they were all but eradicated with the arrival of higher alpha hops such as Eroica, Galena, Nugget and Chinook. With the arrival of the craftbrewing business many brewers started asking for this hop. Bullion is available in full bale, mini bale and hop pellets. Call us today and give it a try.
Murphey Analytical Laboratories, Inc. offers a full line of beer testing. Breweries can have beers tested for alcohol, ph, color, bitterness units and gushing tendency. Those folks interested should send six bottled samples to: Murphey Analytical Services
James Murphey
7 W. Mead Ave
Yakima, WA 98902
Phone: (509) 577-8969
Fax: (509) 577-8963
Murphey Analytical also offers ISO 9000 consulting and auditing services as well as QA/QC monitoring and consulting. Give them a call for other services and pricing.
Taps and Memberships for the American Hop Museum
Thanks to all the breweries who have become members of The American Hop Museum and/or have sent in tap handles for display. The museum is enjoying more popularity and visitations because of all your efforts to participate in this important part of the brewing industry. If you have yet to send in a tap handle, it’s not too late. Feel free to send it in c/o Ralph Olson at Hopunion or directly to the museum at PO Box 230, Toppenish, WA 98948. Don't forget to consider a membership.
A Historical Moment in Time of the Hop Industry in the USA
The earliest methods of pressing the crop were similar to those used in Europe. The process required coarse linen bags, usually about eleven feet long and seven feet in circumference, although any size could be used. First a hole was cut through the floor, large enough for a man to pass through. Next the open end of the bag was fastened to a hoop, larger than the hole. The bag, inserted into the hole, was supported by the floor below. As the dried cones were shoveled into the hole, they were regularly pressed down by a man lowered into the bag, until it was full. Finally, the bag was sewn shut, labeled and stored or shipped to market. The idea that hops had to be trodden down into the bag by the force of human weight remained commonplace through the 1830s in the United States and through the 1880s in Great Britain. It was an unpleasant, dusty task, advanced somewhat by using a board on top of the hops in the bag, tamping with a springy motion of the knees. This method was preferable because it created less dust and few broken cones.
Hops Many Other Uses
BY Ralph Olson, as seen in Southern Draft Brew News
Last month I stated we would look at what other uses hops have been used for. One old time use was in hop pillows. I get many of inquiries even today about this one. It has a sophoric effect and helps bring about sleep. You don't need a big pillow and hops do have a penetrating effect on the bed itself. Hops are nice when fresh, but can get a little cheesy with age. A simple way to enjoy the same affect is to use as a tea. In fact many herbal teas like "Sleepy Time" have hops as one of the ingredients. There has also been breads and cheeses with hops as a flavoring agent. To do this one will need to separate the lupulin from the vegetative matter and just use the lupulin. They have also used parts of the whole cone in salads, but would use sparingly and use the lower alpha type hops.The hop shoots can be eaten in salad form or by themselves. I have even had pickled hop shoots. They taste a little like sprouts. In Europe it is a regular, but small business. They grow the hops in dark rooms using sawdust. In that way the shoots can be easily lifted. In regular hop fields, once the shoot leaves the darkness of the ground, they quickly turn green and hard. This makes them to hard to eat. Hops have also been used to heal infections in the past. People always ask if they can smoke it. I say sure, but they never come back for more. It is used in some shampoos and I have even sold some extract that was to be used in a floor cleaner. To sum up current uses we even make a hop shave that is quite nice. I like to think of it as an aphrodisiac. In the past hops were used in many other ways. The following is an excerpt that I have taken from R.A. Neve's book on hops written by a man named Culpeper in 1653: It is under the dominion of Mars. This, in physical operations, is to open obstructions of the liver and spleen, to cleanse the blood, to loosen the belly, to cleanse the reins from gravel, and provoke urine... In cleansing the blood they help to cure the French diseases, and all manner of scabs, itch and other breakings-out of the body; as also all tetters, ringworms and spreading sores, the morphew and all discolouring of the skin. The decoction of the flowers and hops, do help to expel poison that any one hath drank. Half a dram of the seed in powder taken in drink, kills worms in the body, brings down women's courses, and expels urine. A syrup made of the juice and sugar, cures the yellow jaundice, eases the head-ache that comes of heat, and tempers the heat of the liver and stomach, and is profitably given in long and hot agues that rise in choler and blood. By all these testimonies beer appears to be better than ale. What more can be said? Still trying to figure out that women's courses part.