A hop harvest vacation

[ReverbDude]

Would any of y'all consider going to a major hop growing region like Yakima?

I suggested it to my brother though we do not know if it is a cool thing to do.

Can you even tour hop farms?

 

[bobeer]

Might be cool to do if i were in the area. I dont think id center a trip around it though.
Id just call, email, or write them and see if they do tours or if they'd entertain guests. Maybe bring some homebrew to sweeten the deal.

 

[Beerbeque]

Puterbaugh Farms (hopsdirect) say that visitors are welcome.
http://www.hopsdirect.com/about/

 

[ross_daly]

There are a few hop farms in vermont that will even let you pick your own. I've thought about that for the novelty of it.

Otherwise, I feel like you might want to throw a hop farm or two in with a lot of breweries, because a farm is a farm is a farm.

 

[heckler73]

Seattle, Portland, Hood River, Yakima - you couldn't go wrong.

Yakima Valley alone (IMO) though would be good for a day or two max, not a week long vacation.

 

[Spartan1979]

You can take a tour of my backyard anytime you want (during growing season). I have Cascade and Chinook. You can pick 'em if you want.

 

[beentheredrankthat]

If you could go to Yakima during harvest in late August or early September it would be worth it. Seeing a hop picking machine work or walking through a hop kiln while in process would be very cool indeed. Not to mention standing beside a pile of hop cones the size of a 2 bedroom house. Only problem is that lots of professional brewers are visiting during this time, usually coordinated by their hop dealers so it's very busy. It's of course also the busiest time of year for the farmers.

If you could arrange something beforehand where you were certain to get a tour of a working farm/picking/kilning operation it would be a winner. There is a newer homebrew shop in Yakima, perhaps a call to them might get the ball rolling on an organized tour for '15.

It's also an awesome time to the be in the Columbia River Gorge/Portland/Seattle after your visit to Yakima.

 

[Sailingeric]

You could mix in with some winery stops as well, that area is a big in the wines.

 

[ReverbDude]

Thanks guys. I definitely would want to go tour Deschutes Brewery as well. Any other killer breweries in the area I should look into? We would be staying with a friend in Seattle.

 

[Sailingeric]

Come down to Portland.. so many beers, so little time. Once you cross the Cascades there is a whole lot of nothing, but very amazing scenery. In the Gorge, in Hood River is Full Sail Brewery. Portland- Widmer, Bridgeport, Laurelwood, Cascade Brewery/ Racoon Lodge, Burnside Brewing, Fort George in Astoria, just to name a few.

 

[stpug]

Yakima Valley alone (IMO) though would be good for a day or two max, not a week long vacation.

That's my take on it as well. Kind of like visiting the corn belt during corn harvest . "Yep, those are fields, and that's corn"... move along.

I'd put my focus on breweries and distilleries (wineries too if it interests you).

 

[pdxal]

Thanks guys. I definitely would want to go tour Deschutes Brewery as well. Any other killer breweries in the area I should look into? We would be staying with a friend in Seattle.

Deschutes is in Bend and a long way from the hop growing regions in Yakima, Washington and the Willemette Vally in Oregon. Seattle is a long hike from both places as well, you'd need to set up lodging closer to do either.
Another thing to think about while planning ahead is exactly when the hops will be harvested varies yearly according to the weather. Asking the growers themselves would be your best bet.
Another option to consider is visiting for the fresh hops festivals. Oregon Craft Beer organizes fresh hops beer festivals every year starting about a month after harvest. End of September/start of October. They're more predictable and are a great chance to sample a wide variety of fresh hop beers from Oregon and Washington breweries you won't find anywhere else.
For other breweries to see you should check out some of the previous threads on the Oregon and Washington sections, as well as previous ones in General Beer Discussion.

 

[GarageDweller]

I went through Yakima in late august two years ago. The hop farms, along with the geography, was stunning, but the plan was to haul ass to Seattle so I only stopped for gas. Had a similar feel to Sonoma and the CA wine country region, at least for me. Its a serious "heaven on earth" part of the world, thats for sure. Maybe next time I will stop and fish some of the rivers on the way up.

 

[ReverbDude]

Deschutes is in Bend and a long way from the hop growing regions in Yakima, Washington and the Willemette Vally in Oregon.

Haha, I got the Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House in Portland mixed up in my mind with the actual brewery.

 

[pdxal]

Haha, I got the Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House in Portland mixed up in my mind with the actual brewery.

Deschutes in Portland has some great, one-off beers not available elsewhere, so it's a good place to visit. More accessible than Bend, but Portland is still 3+ hours away from Seattle, and an hour away from most Willamette Valley hop growers and 3+ hours away from Yakima.
Enjoy your vacation. If you have more questions let everybody know.

 

[rossi46]

I live not far from the Yakima Valley, and have seen thousands of hop bines. My cousins house in Moxee is surrounded by them. Nothing to exciting. In September hop union has their hop and brew school, that would be worthwhile to do. Otherwise just check out the breweries in the Seattle area.

 

[W0rthog]

Rogue Farms seems pretty cool to visit. I think they even have overnight accomodations.

http://www.rogue.com/roguefarms/

 

[pdxal]

Rogue Farms seems pretty cool to visit. I think they even have overnight accomodations.

http://www.rogue.com/roguefarms/

They are, and they have a hop picking weekend in Independence, if I remember correctly. Great for a one day experience, but not a serious vacation. Maybe combine it with other things?