US drinkers might soon become more familiar with four new flavor hops from Slovenia, in addition to the Styrian region’s already well-known Noble hops.
As lupulin powder, an oil-rich hop dust, makes its way into the brewing marketplace, the high-tech ingredient could shape the future of hoppy beer as we know it.
Hydroponic growing techniques have existed since the early 17th century. These methods have already changed the way vegetables can be grown across the world, but why hasn’t anyone tried to grow hops this way?
The American hop market seldom finds a comfortable equilibrium for very long, simply because as essential as hops are in brewing beer, they serve almost no other commercial purpose.
If craft production is going to double in the next few years—per the Brewers Association’s goal of a 20 percent sales share by 2020—farmers will need to plant and harvest about another 18,000 acres of hops just to meet demand from craft brewers.
Drying hops is like curing a fine cut of meat. The softer you kiln, at lower temperatures for longer times, the more flavorful and aromatic the final batch will be.
For the first time, the US hop industry has grown more hops for aroma than for the commoditized bittering acid. The biggest driver of this change has been a 40-percent increase in Cascade acreage from 2012 to 2013; over 2,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest have been converted to Cascade.
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