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Well it’s fifteen weeks in and I’m happy to announce I haven’t killed anything yet. The barley is nearly ready for harvest and the hops and pumpkins are beginning to fruit! At first I thought I was going to have … Continue reading
Less than two weeks in, the barley and the hops vines have sprouted!
Cup your hand over that glass of beer, this may be a bumpy ride! I have no idea what I’m doing, but if all goes to plan, my inaugural scratch-batch will be a hearty, pumpkin ale. This week was a busy one at the braü haus here in Hollywood, we planted all three of our main ingredients: barley, hops, and pumpkin.
THE PLOT
Here’s our humble beer garden. The hops will grow up the southern end of our house, the sunniest place on the property. The barley will grow anywhere else the light touches, including our vegetable garden. Over around back (not pictured) is a sunny little spot where the pumpkins will grow.
Germinating Barley Seeds Ready for Planting
THE BARLEY
I purchased the raw barley seed from a farmer in Montana. I found him hawking his product on the boards at HomeBrewTalk. He sent me 14 pounds for $25 including shipping. The variety is Merit 2-row malting barley, developed by Anheuser Busch. The quality specs are 88 plump and 9.5 protein.
Sowing Barley Seeds
Barley Plot #1, formerly the vegetable garden.
Planting the barley was more tedious than it should have been. To ensure a nice start, I neurotically sowed every seed by hand. I have three (and a half) small barley plots in the yard, all totaling about 100 square feet. I hope to yield at least 10 pounds of grain from the plots. I’ll need at least that much to mash a six gallon batch, 12-14 pounds would be better! 
I neglected to get photos of my rhizomes, so here is some rhizome-planting-action courtesy of hopsdirect.com
THE HOPS
I’m also planting hops rhizomes this year. Hop vines usually produce poor yields in their first year. So, to give myself better chances of a decent first-harvest, I chose Cascade (aroma) and Galena (bittering) varieties because they can adapt well to dry climates. Hops Direct is my favorite source for all things hops. I purchased four Cascade rhizomes and two Galena rhizomes. As always, Hops Direct sent us more than we ordered, I received an extra rhizome of each variety, sweet!
Winter Luxury Pumpkins
photo courtesy of The Good Food Muse
THE PUMPKINS
Winter Luxury is the variety I chose for the pumpkin ale. It produces smaller fruits, but they are prized for their high sugar content. I asked the yeast, they told me the more sugar, the better! I’ve planted the pumpkin seeds in a planter on the other side of the house. I’ll post pictures when it sprouts.
TIMING HARVESTS
I’m not sure about the timing, but I hope to brew this batch early in August, when the hops are ready to harvest. If the pumpkin isn’t ready yet, I’ll dry the hops and wait for pumpkins to pop. If the pumpkins come too early I suppose I’ll prune the blossoms until about three months before the brew date.
Relax, and have a home brew!
