Hop market | For many years the brewing and hop industries have been diligently working towards improving the sustainability aspects of our entire production chain. One important area of greatly improved sustainability for Hopsteiner is our hop breeding program. Our work in this area has been prescient, given the disappointing results of crop 2022 both in Europe and the United States.

Innovation & Research | Research and development are in our DNA. We think of hops holistically and challenge tried and tested methods in order to create something new. Our hop oils impart aroma, thereby simplyfing the brewing process and naturally influencing the beer flavor.

Hop market | The crop estimate for the Hallertau was announced on August 25st, meaning that crop 2022 estimates have now been submitted for all German hop growing areas.

Hop market | The survey of hop acreage in 2022 is completed. Enclosed please find the comparison of acreage from 2019 to 2022 for the world's main producing areas.

Research and Development | Sustainable agriculture is understood as the respectful use of limited natural resources, thus securing the economic basis of existence. The main resources used are farmable land, water, nutrients, energy and labor.

Research and development | The beer bittering potential of hops apart from iso-alpha-acids can be assigned to phenolic compounds of the native hard resin fraction. Based on taste re-engineering experiments, Dresel et al. demonstrated that the additive contribution of iso-alpha-acids and various isolated hard resin components is necessary for constructing the authentic bitter percept of beer [1].

Hopsteiner Breeding Program | Extreme climatic conditions have had a major impact on fluctuating yields and qualities in recent years. In addition to innovative solutions for water supply, the hop industry needs plants that can adapt to these changes and perform with the available resources.

Hop market | On Dec. 17, 2021, the US Department of Agriculture reported that US hop production for 2021, in the States of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon increased 11% yielding 115.6 million pounds vs 103.8 million pounds for 2020. Total acreage increased 4% to 60 872 acres, from 58 641 acres in 2020. The hop yield per acre for 2021 was 1900 pounds per acre vs. 1770 pounds per acre in 2020. Washington State produced 73% of the crop followed by Idaho at 16% and Oregon at 11%.

Technical Support | The hop creep phenomenon is caused by the introduction of diastatic enzymes via dry hopping. Such hop enzymes are converting unfermentable real extract into fermentable sugars. In the presence of active yeast this may lead to unwanted secondary fermentation of beer followed by uncontrolled increase in diacetyl, alcohol, and carbon dioxide.

Technical Support | We are pleased to share some averaged data on last year’s composition of aroma substances of some selected hop varieties. This statistic is intended as a helpful indication to achieve consistent hop aroma in beer, especially when changing from one crop year to another.