Great Northern Brewing Company wants your hops.  For the second year, Great Northern invites all Flathead Valley residents to bring in their locally grown hops and trade them for vouchers redeemable for products at the Black Star Draught House.  The hops will be used in the 2012 version of Frog Hop Pale Ale.

The hop swap will be held on Tuesday, September 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the brewery on Whitefish’s Central Avenue in conjunction with the evening Farmer’s Market.  The amount of the voucher depends on the volume of hops traded by each grower.

Here are the details from Great Northern on the quality of hops they’re seeking:

Since Frog Hop is a “wet-hopped” beer, the hops must be picked within 24 hours of the September 18th event. They must be whole leaf green hops with little to no browning. All stems and leaves should be removed. Great Northern Brewing Company reserves the right to accept or decline hops based on appearance.

My own hops are coming along nicely and should be ready soon, if mother nature helps out.  It looks like I’ll have plenty to share, so if you’re local to Missoula and want some fresh hops, let me know (alan @ missoulabeerweek.com).