Breaking Ground!

Well, almost 14 days later, my hops have finally decided to break through the soil!

I was starting to get worried. We had lots of rain followed by some cold days, and I was afraid I might lose them. Well, the good news is that all 4 vines are established and growing. I'm sure now that they've broken through they will start to grow more each week.

So, that's a relief - what was the point of documenting this process if I didn't have anything to grow?!

Anyway, I've finished reading my homebrewing books - and I'm pretty sure that I have a firm grasp on what I need to do to brew my first batch. In addition, I now think I have a better appreciation for the beer that I do drink (I always appreciated the complexities of the beer I drank, but now I understand why, for instance, why some beers taste smooth or have more body).

Talked with my neighbor this weekend - he just bought some hops as well. I'll have to find out what varieties he got, but we're going to be going through this together. He also has all the homebrew equipment we need, so that's going to take some of the edge off the expenses.

Well, might be another week or two before I post again - I think the next post will be about training the vines and setting up my hop yard.