what are oast houses
An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process.They can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas and are often good examples of vernacular architecture. Many redundant oasts have been converted into houses.quare oast houses appeared early in the 20th century as they were found to be easier to build. In the 1930s, the cowls were replaced by louvred openings as electric fans and diesel oil ovens were employed. Hops are today dried industrially and the many oast houses on farms have now been converted into dwellings.