Weekly Notes UMaine Extension Hops Research

The weekly Free Press of midcoast Maine interviewed University of Maine Cooperative Extension fruit and vegetable specialist David Handley about growing hops for beer. Handley said people who want to grow hops should be cautious and keep in mind that in the  early 1900s, exacerbated by the region’s moist climate, an outbreak of downy mildew (or “blue mold”) all but wiped out the hop crops in the Northeast.  He discussed a trial he started two years ago at UMaine Extension’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth.

Contact: Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777