Hopfazupfa! (Will Work For Beer) (Part 1)

For the past few years, local brewers IsarKindl has made a lager with hops that grew wild, along the banks of the River Isar. The hops are plucked from the vines by hand, following historical tradition. I’m always intrigued by this sort of thing, so for the past three years I have volunteered to help.

Historically, the work of plucking the hops fell to migrant workers, mainly women and children (the men did the heavy lifting). The first machine in the region didn’t debut until 1956. The workers would travel from farm to farm, and–I learned this at the Hopfenmuseum in Wolnzach–meals were included as compensation, so the families with the best food got the best help.

I was offered beer, Brezn, and cheese. All I need, really.

The wild hops cones are a bit loose, and vary in size. For comparison, here’s a photo of a new cultivated variety called Tango that was recently developed in the neighborhood. The cones are tighter, and the lupulin is more concentrated.

Anyway, time to get to work, pulling all the cones off the vines by hand. Even the brown ones; what you’re after is the sticky yellow powder inside the cones, called lupulin, because that’s what gives the beer its flavor.

You can take breaks to wash your hands, but you will still go home yellow and sticky. The vines will scratch you, so wear pants. There will also be a thunderstorm–this has happened two years in a row, so it is now a tradition. The work does not stop. The beer must be made. (The first year I volunteered, I learned I have a contact allergy to the leaves. Prophylactic Antihistamine is a great name for a band.)

In four hours, our small group of volunteers and voluntolds filled two and a half of these sacks. I never have much to contribute to a conversation, but most of the workers were students of agriculture or food technology up at the Uni, so the chatter was interesting.

The first keg will tapped in November, so stay tuned for Part 2!