Exploring the Relationship Between Brewers and Hop Farmers

Both Yvan De Baets, cofounder of Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels, and Eric Toft, brewmaster at Private Landbrauerei Schönram in Schönram, Germany, have appeared on the podcast in the past (episodes 162 and 244). However, for this special panel discussion—recorded live at the Senne brewery—we’ve brought them back to discuss a topic that’s increasingly front-of-mind for brewers around the world: the present and future of European hops.

Extreme heat and severe weather events have increased in frequency, often affecting the aroma and alpha-acid content of classic European-grown varieties and making it more difficult to source those of highest quality. Yet both De Baets and Toft have developed and deployed strategies not just to evaluate growers and track the progress of the crop each year, but also to understand the benefits and drawbacks of each new crop while hedging against risks.

In this episode, they discuss:

• shifts in European drinking habits
• declining contracted hops and hedging with overstock from previous harvest years
• positive and negative traits when evaluating hops still on the bine
• building deeper relationships directly with growers
• avoiding the trap of negotiating on hop price
• evaluating irrigation methods and field structure
• harvest timing and its increasing impact on certain Noble varieties
• testing and sensory for new-harvest hops
• maintaining the cold chain from baling and storage through pelletizing
• the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities for European hops in the near term

And more!

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