Hop Growing

The superheros of the craft world, hops have been responsible for driving the revolution. Amazing flavours, new releases each season, defining new beer styles: hops have captivated our imagination. Hops is an important flavour factor in all beer so this section has a bit for everyone. Whether your love is a crisp bitter lager or a smack you in pucker DDH TIPA (Double Dry Hopped Triple India pale ale), if learning about flavour is fun then you’ll find something herewith. This section explains how hops are grown and from where they originated from, the history of using hops, and how bitterness is measured in beer (IBU). It explains about how hops, like wine, have varying flavours depending on place of origin. Also for those that want to deep dive there is a listing of the common craft hops used today, their flavour profiles and the styles they are most commonly used in. This is particularly useful for brewers and those wanting to understand what a beer may taste like based on its hop ingredients.

Growing Hop

In the beer world, when we talk about hop we are referring to the green female cone shaped flower of the hop (Humulus) plant, a perennial native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly the hop is part of the same family (Cannabaceae) as the genus Cannabis (aka hemp). The unassuming plant has been used in beer for hundreds of years to preserve and stabilise (through inhibiting bacteria growth), as well as to add flavour such as bitterness and aroma.

Here is a photo of hops growing at Possum Lane Hops in the Granite Belt, Queensland.
Source: Beer and Brewer’s Growing hops in Queensland.

Hop plants are grown commercially on typically wire supports, the most common being the V-trellis with a top wire height of between 3m-6m, with harvest typically once a year. Hops are botanically known as a bine as they are a climbing plants wrapping their shoots around a support in a helix, in contrast to a vine which climbs using suckers or tendrils. First commercial production began in England in the 16th century, followed by America and Australia in the 19th century. Hop growing regions are clustered at latitudes 35° to 55° north. The two largest hop production regions are Hallertau in Germany 48°N and Yakima 46°N in the USA.

Australia currently produces 1% of total global yield with 90% of this being grown by the multi-national company BarthHass group across their three Australian farms: Bushy Park Estates, the Derwent Valley, Tasmania at 42.7°S, Rostrevor Hop Gardens, Myrtleford, Victoria at 36.6°S, and Buffalo River Valley, Victoria at 36.5°S. Queensland to date can only boast two tiny producers, Brisbane’s recently opened Hilltop Hop Farm, and the above mentioned Possum Lane Hop in the Granite Belt.

Above is a map, sourced from the NSW Government guide “Hops - a guide for new growers” showing the favourable growing southern latitudes in relation to Australia.

New Zealand also produces 1% of global yield with their main farming group being Nelson, New Zealand at 41.2°S. Other areas of southern hemisphere importance are George, South Africa (SAF) at 33.9°S, and increasing production in parts of South America (Chile and Argentina).