How to Make a Dryer for Hops

The hops plant is best known perhaps as the main ingredient in beer. While the plants themselves are large and leafy, the only part that flavors beer is the flower. Hops flowers feature small, pale green petals growing in a drooping cone shape. If you're thinking of brewing your own beer, growing hops might be the way to go. Hops plants produce abundant amounts of flowers, but you will need something to dry them after they are harvested.

Measuring tape
Two large, matching picture frames (at least 3 feet square)
Window screen
Scissors
Industrial stapler
Wooden sawhorses
Fresh hops

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the height and width of your picture frames from outside edge to outside edge. Cut a piece of screen for each frame to these measurements. Using large, portrait-style frames 3 feet to 4 feet high and 2 feet to 3 feet wide is recommended.
- 2
  Spread the screens out over the frames. Staple the screens into place. The screens should be taut or else your dryer will droop and cause the hops to puddle together in a pile.
- 3
  Place two wooden sawhorses in a spot that receive full sunlight, such as your backyard or on your porch or patio. Place one screened picture frame across the sawhorses. Keep the frame stable on the sawhorses.
- 4
  Spread fresh hops over the screen on the sawhorses. Place the second screen on top like a lid. The screens will permit air flow and, if they are painted a dark color, will attract more sunlight. They also will protect the hops from rodents and birds.
- 5
  Allow your hops to dry for a week in the sun.

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