The Hop; A Practical Handbook on the Most Approved Methods in Growing, Harvesting, Curing, and Selling Hops, and on the Use and Manufacture of Hops 12+

🔖 This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ...the signs of maturity, while if any light colored hops are desired, picking begins before they are ripe, '"though this entails a loss of weight and brewing powers." It is therefore of utmost importance that the crop should be picked at the precise moment of maturity. If picked before they are perfectly ripe, the cones possess a beautiful green color, but lose more weight in drying than if picked at maturity; they keep badly and contain less lupulin, and the lupulin is less adherent. A large proportion of lupulin thus disappears during the different processes of picking and packing, and finally the grower has to submit to a reduction in price, corresponding to the loss in weight and quality, on hops picked too early. If picked too late, the cones lose their beautiful yellow-green color, so much esteemed by brewers. In picking, the cones should not be detached in bunches, but two or three at most may be gathered together. The stalks, peduncles, may be cut with scissors, knives, or with finger nails, but care must be taken that the cut is clean. The stalk, or peduncle, left on the cone should be as short as possible to avoid an excess of bitterness in the beer, but in order to keep the cone intact and to prevent any loss, the stalk may be from a...