Kettlehouse Brewing Co. hosts 4th annual Hop Pickin’ Party

It’s the season for hop picking around Montana, where those floral cones mature and prepare to add flavor to your favorite beer. Montana is a pretty good place to grow those pungent buds, and from what I saw in my parents’ neighbor’s yard the turnout appears to be decent this year, as opposed to 2011.

If you’re in Missoula and have some extra hops that you won’t be using in a beer of your own, join the party at the Northside Kettlehouse on Monday, Sept. 24, at 5 p.m. There’s free beer to be had at the 4th annual Hop Pickin’ Party, and those donated hops will, hopefully, go toward a killer Garden City Pale Ale.

Interested in growing hops of your own? It’s too late this year, but hear’s a guide to get you going in 2013.

- Matt Pritchard