Progress like this is a beautiful thing. This was a hot day. Not unexpected in Michigan during the summer, But still it was toasty. To see the building crew pushing through to get this build out finished, you gotta admire the dedication. The oast build out at Hop Head Farms in Hickory Corners is moving along. They expect the new oast to be up and running around the middle of August.
The amount of work that has taken place over the past couple months is huge. At one point engineers from Germany had come out to oversee the build out. The design is tied together well. In one continuous stream hops will be able to go from the field to the picker directly into the oast. The oast house is traditionally where hops are dried for storage to eventually find there way to the brewers who make the beers we drink tasty.
It was shortly after I left on this visit that the roof was hoisted by crane and placed on the tower in the center of the buildings. Yep, this is that kind of construction project. They have all sorts of toys to play with to get these buildings finished.
I spent a few minutes wandering the hop fields. The original fifteen acres (planted last year) are thriving this year. While walking through I had the prevailing thought of being lost in a hedge maze.
While wandering through the bines, I was directed over to the centennial rows. The centenniels are showing some of the best growth. The size of the hop flowers are amazing.
Lost in the field there was a few minutes of some of the crazy Michigan weather. At first I thought maybe I was getting hit with splash from the irrigation system (they use a drip system). Turned out even in the scorching heat of the sun, it was raining. Sun and rain were there to feed and care for the growing hops. What more could you ask for?
Time for a pint…
Wow. That is very cool. A hops farm and facility in many ways is like a vineyard. One thing they definitely have in common is it is really hard work to get a quality product.
Just like grapes when the roots have been planted and branched out, you won’t have to plant again (at least for a long time).
Wow… this really is something. Huge project. I like watching it progress through your posts. 🙂
This is the biggest hop yard in Southern Michigan. They built (and are building) their processing equipment as a central point for other hop farms to process their hops at. They are a central point for the hops community.
I really should take a tour of a brewery someday 😉
To see how it is all done is an eye opener. I think it is good for all of us to see where our food and drinks come from.