Hop drying oast

If you've had any success growing your own hops, you'll know (or soon learn) that properly drying them quickly becomes a complicated problem.  A window screen works okay when you have a few ounces, but bigger harvest need special systems.  This instructable will show you how to build a basic hop oast powered by a hair dryer.  The basic design was adapter from the one found in The Homebrewers Garden.

The materials required to build a six bin oast are:
4' x 8' x 3/4" sheet of sanded plywood
2" x 4" x 8' stud
Enough screen or metal lathe for (6) 2' x 2' squares
A box of screws (1"-1.5")
A few longer galvanized nails
Wood glue

Step 1: Ripping the plywood

From the plywood we're going to be getting (4) 8' planks 5 7/8" wide, (4) 4' planks 6 1/8" wide, a 24.5" x 24.5" square, and a smaller scrap piece we'll use later.  There will be some loss of wood to the blade, but it's not a huge issue .  We're not talking finish carpentry here.  Getting some (or all) of the rips at the store can help if you don't have a good table saw.

After ripping the planks, cut them into 24" segments.  Keep the set that came from each plank together so you don't need to worry about slight differences in the width between planks when framing the trays.

Comments

[Phiske]

Nice! I'm trying so hard to get a hold of some hops here in Ecuador. With the national beer being a basic pilsner and the only imports are Corona, Heineken, and Budweiser I'm in desperate need of some stout. (come on, really?, Budweiser? who decided that?) Love the hops trellis by the by. I got some barley that I'm trying my hand at malting right now. If I get some plants, I'm building this for sure. Thanks!

[jessyratfink]

This is a fantastic build - very neat that you grow your own hops, too! :D