How to create a hop farm Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to create a hop farm - Research Paper Example The most essential ingredient to aid the process of brewing beer are hops. These are as important as malt. Apart from adding to the overall taste and the aroma of the beer, hops have a large number of anti-bacterial properties and aid the production of clearer beer by eliminating many unwanted proteins. According to Simmonds (2007), â€Å"Hops have a powerful, agreeable odor and biter taste; they appear to consist of an acid, ethereal oil, an aromatic resin, wax, extractive and a bitter principal called lupulin.† Apart from this, they also are utilized as a diuretic in herbal medicine and allow brewer’s yeast to perform its function by acting like an antibiotic and preventing the growth of other dominating undesirable microorganisms. Dried female fruit called ‘strobiles’ of a plant that is a kind of climbing herb and belonging to the family Moraceae or scientifically known as Humulus lupulus are called hops. These are perennial plants that are pretty tough and hardy the hop vines called ‘bines’ can reach a height of even twenty-five feet to even fifty feet and weigh nearly twenty pounds. Hops need a relatively moderate climate and during the initial stages of growth need a good quantity of sun for at least six to eight hours to attain a good height. They are grown from foot long root-cuttings commonly referred to as ‘rhizomes’ and these are easily available in the market and can even be ordered online. These rhizomes are those of the female plant and need to be planted around four inches below the soil leaving a gap of around one and a half to three feet between each rhizome with all the exposed buds facing the soil surface. Generally, it is sensible and highly recommended to grow them in a South facing area. Just like all other plants of its kind, these plants need very well aerated nutritious soil with a good drainage. Rhizome-based cultivation always results in very fast root growth and therefore