jAmieaDMin27 – HPA

All the beer and No Eye Deer

jAmieaDMin27 — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:56:32 +0000

The 2026 Royal Queensland Beer Awards attracted more than 698 entries nationwide. Breweries competed across 25 categories, taking home a total of 19 trophies and over 600 medals.

No Eye Deer Brewing took home 2 awards including Best New Brewery and Champion Small/Medium Brewery, proudly sponsored by HPA. If that wasn’t enough, they also took home 15 medals, including 5 golds across multiple categories. After giving them some time to celebrate their awards, we got in touch with owners Duane Tilka and Daniel Healey to congratulate them and ask a few questions about their beers.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2026 Queensland Beer Awards. You went home with awards for Best New Brewery and Champion Small/Medium Brewery. What does this recognition mean to you?

A: With all the long days and hard work and challenges of trying to operate a brewery in the world we are living in today, it is encouraging to feel that the work we have put in so far hasn’t been for nothing. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to see that our beer is stacking up against other commercial breweries who have been brewing a lot longer than we have.

Q: You also earned a slew of medals, including 5 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze. What’s the secret to making award-winning beers across multiple categories?

A: I don’t think there’s a secret, just good honest hard work and attention to detail in not only the recipe but also the process. Having a detailed plan and executing it.

Q: Of all your beers that medalled, which 3 mean the most and why?

A: Last year we won the Champion Stout trophy which was our first gold medal and trophy winning beer, so that will always be a little bit of a special beer (and a big seller for us). I was really pleased to take a gold for our Dark Lager, as a chef you’re always told a perfect omlette is the sign of a great chef, I think a lager rings true in the same sense for brewers. Lastly our NZ Pale, just something that we really love to drink and I think is a perfect beer to share amongst good company.

Q: On the journey from homebrewer to award-winning craft brewery, what’s the biggest milestone you’ve celebrated?

A: Every time I see someone sporting any NED merch in the wild always feels very surreal to me, and whilst we’re not in this to win awards, the recognition we’ve received so far with the 3 trophy’s we have won is an amazing accomplishment, and hasn’t come easy.

Q: Do you have a favourite Aussie hop?

A: I really like the fresh citrus depth of Eclipse®. Also, the interesting complex character of Enigma® is something that ticks a lot of boxes for me when I’ve used it. I’m keen to meet Luna® and see what kind of flavours that is going to bring to the table.

Q: We hear you’re hoping to open up a taproom, any info you can share?

A: Opening a taproom and moving towards being able to solely focus on NED brewing has always been the goal. We haven’t got anything lined up yet, although we have looked at some sites and are on the lookout for any venues or opportunities that may arise. Feel free to reach out if anyone has any suggestions!

People & Culture Update (Jan 2025)

jAmieaDMin27 — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:01:10 +0000

New CEO appointment

Last year, we announced that Owen Johnston, our current Head of Sales & Marketing, will take over as CEO when Tim retires at the end of April. Owen and Tim are collaborating closely during this transition period to ensure a smooth handover. In the last week of April, Tim, Owen, the leadership team, and Board, will be in Victoria to officially open Hop Central. As we approach Tim’s retirement date, we will share more information about opportunities to bid him a well-deserved farewell and send him off in style.

New team members and harvest recruitment

We’ve been busy recruiting in recent months, and warmly welcome and congratulate the following HPA employees:

Michael Monshing has been promoted to Processing Facility Manager
Chris Whelan has been appointed as Farm Office Assistant (VIC)
Jens Zimmerman has been appointed as WHS Advisor (VIC)
Cameron McColl has been appointed as Network and Systems Administrator

We will soon announce the appointment of our new Irrigation Controller in VIC.

We are well underway with appointing our 360+ casual workforce for the upcoming harvest across all farms. There has been a very positive response, and the quality of applications has included many with past harvest and farming-related experience. We are looking forward to welcoming our new harvest crew members to our farms, starting with induction training in the 1^st week of March.

HPA Reward & Recognition Program

HPA’s Reward & Recognition Program has been officially launched with two components:

HPA Values Awards – recognition for individuals who champion our core values of Safety, Teamwork, Pride, Innovation, Respect and Integrity
Services Awards – recognition for employees who reach 5, 10,15, 20, 25, 30+ years of service

Check out posters with information on noticeboards and details about the nomination process for the HPA Values Awards.

Harvest training & safety

Preparations for harvest are well advanced. This has included training opportunities to upskill key roles, reviewing documentation in our quality and safety management system, and locking in our harvest training and induction schedules.

Some excellent safety initiatives have been implemented across all sites over the past few months:

More employees involved in risk assessments and training
Elevated Work Platform and Working at Heights training
Monthly farm general safety inspections
Harvest induction material & documentation preparation.
Harvest equipment serviced and maintenance checks.
Harvest supervisor training planned.
Delivery of extra facilities, including lunchrooms and toilets.
Inductions include theory and practical elements, as well as training in the field.
Review of our onboarding practices of our harvest casual staff.

Sales & Marketing Update (Jan 2025)

jAmieaDMin27 — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:59:36 +0000

ANZ Sales Update

Q2 of FY25 saw the sales team focus heavily on contract completion. In this period, our Sales Reps help balance our brewing customers’ contracted positions in accordance with both parties needs, then ultimately invoice the remainder of the contract. For many brewers, this invoice can represent up to 50% of their annual hop spend in a single month. The sales team successfully hit our target invoiced value in November, ensuring crucial money in our pocket as the farms approach harvest 2025.

The new year has seen our Sales Reps pivot from contract completion to encouraging forward contracting of Aussie and imported hops. Our Sales Reps have hit the road for face-to-face brewery meetings in regional NSW, Tasmania and Victoria, leaning on technology like Teams to keep relationships strong with brewing customers we are unable to see in person.

In February, the sales and marketing team will execute a soft launch of Euphorics, with 20 hand selected brewing customers. Euphporics is highly concentrated, water-soluble combination of hops and other botanicals that allow brewer to create intense flavours while also helping increase yield in the brewhouse. By offering innovative hop products to our brewing customers, alongside great technical brewing advice, we hope to provide even more reasons for brewers to shop with HPA.

International sales update

The ramp up in activity to support international sales continues, with both European and American brewers scheduled to visit the farms this year. For the first time, HPA will have a representative present at trade shows in China and Japan, adding to the Korean trade show late last year. We know that getting in front of these brewers, showcasing our products, and telling our story is the best way to generate awareness and adoption of our Aussie hops. In April, Chris Swersey will once again be attending CBC in America to support our distribution partner John I. Haas. This will be followed by a 5-day road show in Canada to support our distribution partner Hops Connect. Canada has the second highest kilograms of HPA hops sold per person, behind Australia.

Hop Central

The marketing team has been working closely with the Victorian farm team to design signage for the Hop Central entrance that is scheduled to be installed in February. They will also be turning the training room into a brewer’s lounge for the month of March, where customers will be able to enjoy a beer and a snack after touring our farms and facilities.

Hop Harvest

Planning for the 38^th Asia-Pacific IBD Convention is in full swing, including presentations from a number of our HPA hop experts as well as pre and post-event farm tours. In preparation for hosting our brewing customers in our growing regions, we updated the Discover Tasmania and See High Country Victoria webpages. We are also working with the breweries in our growing regions to identify which beers on their menu feature our Aussie hops. These will be highlighted on table talkers and coasters in their venues for the month of March. Whether they’re able to visit our farms or not, everyone will be able to celebrate Aussie hop harvest through the busy calendar of social media posts we have planned over the next few months.

Fresh Hop Festivals

Soon you’ll be able to enjoy some tasty fresh hop beers featuring our Aussie hops. HPA is once again Event Partner for the High Country Hop on March 22 in Beechworth, Victoria, and the Hobart Community Hop on March 29 in Hobart, Tasmania. We encourage you all the head along and enjoy these epic celebrations of fresh hops, fresh beers, fresh tunes and fresh air.

Liquid Hops Roadshow

Off the back of Hops Academy in August, we ran a Liquid Hops Roadshow in October. We took planes, trains and automobiles to promote our innovative hop products to brewers in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington. Kevin McCarry the Global Innovation Support Manager at BarthHaas led six half-day sessions with support from our Sales Reps, James Dittko of Bridge Road Brewers in Australia, and Pat Sharpe of Panhead in New Zealand. As you can see in this video, everyone came together for the purpose of better brewing efficiency, sustainability and profitability.

Haas Aussie Hop Bootcamp

Our US distribution partner John I. Haas has recently expanded their sales & marketing team to be able to service more breweries than ever before. To help their new hires get up to speed on all things HPA, we delivered an Aussie Hop Bootcamp that covered everything from our history, hop breeding program and proprietary hops, to current messaging, key sales tools and co-branding opportunities. It was so well received that we’ve been asked to deliver the same bootcamp to our Canadian distribution partner Hops Connect in February.

Felons Galaxy Haze

jAmieaDMin27 — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:36:46 +0000

Felons Galaxy Haze featuring Galaxy®

355ml | 4.4%

A refreshing Hazy Pale Ale with an injection of citrus and passionfruit flavours that Certified Cicerone Lindsy Greig recommends pairing with Infuzions BBQ Prawn Crackers – the prawn crackers texture allows the passionfruit hop characters to shine, complementing the BBQ flavour perfectly.

Head to our Featured Beers webpage for more expert pairings.

Stone & Wood Hinterland Big Pale Ale

jAmieaDMin27 — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:35:06 +0000

Stone & Wood Hinterland Big Pale Ale feat. Eclipse^®

375ml | 5.6%

A well-balanced Pale Ale bursting with mandarin and pineapple flavours that Certified Cicerone Lindsy Greig recommends pairing with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange – the piney bitterness balances the chocolate sweetness, adding complexity and intensifying the mandarin flavours.

Head to our Featured Beers webpage for more expert pairings.

How you can bag the best US hops in Australia

jAmieaDMin27 — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 22:00:55 +0000

A fresh crop just landed in our cool store, so let’s talk about why you should shop with HPA to bag the best US hops in Australia and New Zealand. From experience, you know the flavour profile of US hops can differ from year-to-year and lot-by-lot. This is the reality when a large number of independent growers, spread across diverse geography, contribute to the yield of a single variety. Only a few Australian and New Zealand breweries are eligible for US hop selections, with the bulk of our market either contracting modest volumes or preferring to purchase on the spot market. Fortunately, the combined strength of HPA’s hop contracts and spot volumes means that we qualify for selections on behalf of all our brewing customers, big and small.

As regional representative of the global BarthHaas group, HPA’s seat at the John I. Haas selections table is also relatively early compared to our buying size. We’re not right at the front of the line, but we’re pretty close, which gives us the opportunity to select from high-quality lots that very few brewers get to see.

Haas have been growing hops in the Pacific Northwest for four generations. We currently supply a range of 26 different US hops, including 7 commercial releases and 3 experimental varieties from the Hop Breeding Company (HBC). HBC is a joint venture of Haas’, which means HPA have access to the best Citra^®, Mosaic^®, Sabro^®, Ekuanot^®, Talus and Krush, supported by significant quantities. We also have access to the best El Dorado^®because of Haas’ close relationship with CLS Farms.

Haas have been growing Citra^® since 1990, when it was first crossed by their Head Breeder Gene Probasco. Haas bestowed the Citra^® cultivar to HBC in 2005 when there was emerging brewer interest in a citrus variety. Haas Farm Manager Mark Sechser says there’s no one better positioned to grow a high-quality Citra^® crop, “Our practice of propagation through vegetal cuttings ensures virus-free material and true-to-typeness from the time of deployment. You could say we’re growing customer confidence from the ground up.” Haas is anticipating their new farm Longmire Ranch, located in the nearby Wenas Valley, will yield some particularly high-quality hops. Sechser explains “It’s pristine ground that has never been planted with hops, and it’s isolated from the traditional Yakima growing region, so we’re excited about the aroma potential.”

Haas equips HPA with one of the most powerful supply chains in the Yakima Valley. In addition to their internal farms, agronomists and sensory experts, Haas has a team of hop buyers who are intimately connected with growers in the Pacific Northwest. Haas Vice President of Supply Chain Management and Purchasing Pete Mahony says “The close relationships we hold with our growers ensure we receive an accurate insight into quality outcomes as the crop comes into bale receival.” From there, Haas’ panel of 30 sensory experts profile every lot of hops processed over the course of harvest. “This prepares us to run a very disciplined and systematic selections process, where we use the specific aroma profiles we have developed for many of our customers to determine which lots we show them on arrival. When crop outcomes are great, this process is easy. On the flipside, when crop outcomes are sub-optimal for whatever reason, we get to flex our sensory muscles in search of the lot that makes their eyes light up. We have purposefully built relationships with a large cross-section of growers so we always have access to a great range of aromas regardless of whether it’s been a ‘good’ year or a ‘tough’ year in terms of crop outcomes.” says Mahony.

Each year, HPA invite a small group of valued customers to the Haas Innovation Centre in Yakima, Washington to help us source the very best US hops on behalf of Australia and New Zealand. Young Henrys Head Brewer Jesse Searls was part of this group in 2024, saying “It’s a privilege to be in Yakima selecting hops, but to be part of a group that is responsible for securing the very best material for hundreds of brewers back home is very humbling. The fact that HPA actively involve their customers in this process shows how much they value our preferences and opinions. Of course, having hop sensory rockstars, such as Chris Swersey, on our side of the table certainly doesn’t hurt either.”

HPA International Business Development Manager Chris Swersey explains “The selections process involves Haas presenting 5 to 7 bale core samples for each variety based on certain specifications and contract requirements.” According to Searls “Haas take selections really seriously, which instils confidence from the get-go. You can feel the focus in the room once lots start coming out for evaluation.”

At the beginning of selections, we review the lot data and flag anything that could be cause for concern. This includes any statistically high or low results across the key parameters of HSI, alpha content, oil content, and moisture content. Once we have a feel for the material on the table, the process is very similar to how a brewer would assess a beer. Initially, we focus on fault finding. This is a visual assessment where we look for irregularities like lots of leaf and stem or abnormal colouring, as well as a sensory assessment where we look for undesirable qualities such as cheesy, musty, or intense onion and garlic aromas. This process typically allows us to exclude around half the lots on the table.

Once we have the remaining 2 to 3 lovely, bright lots in front of us, the winners are determined based on whether they are true-to-type and overall preference. “These two components are incredibly important for HPA, as we are selecting for hundreds of brewing customers who each have certain expectations of their favourite US hops. Consistently meeting these expectations is mission critical to supporting our brewing customers’ success.” says Swersey. HPA then selects a sufficient quantity of the highest ranked lots to meet total demand in Australia and New Zealand. Often one lot is big enough to fulfil demand, sometimes we need 2 to 3 lots to fulfil demand. Other times we’ll blend two lots to create a more complex mix of sensory attributes we know brewers and drinkers value.

Selections began at a time when there were relatively few hop varieties, as a tool for large brewers to hold US suppliers accountable to a certain level of quality. Today, this level of quality should be expected from any supplier, and US selections have evolved into an industry-wide event that provides valuable feedback to suppliers and growers about which sensory characteristics are important to brewers, as well as helping educate brewers about the complexities of hop growing, processing, analysis and supply. This shared understanding has helped to build stronger relationships between brewers, suppliers and growers.

Searls says “My favourite thing about US hop selections is the ‘watering hole’ moment – that unique sense of community, safety and nourishment you feel when you’re sharing a beer with a bunch of like-minded people from around the world. It makes you realise that beer is a universal language, with a rich history that is intrinsically linked with who we are a species today. It’s just so cool!”

The Haas Innovation Centre is our home away from home during selections. It becomes a hive of activity with heaps of Haas employees happy to share their extensive knowledge over top-notch beers in their beautiful beer garden. Searls attended the Haas Hops Academy on the first day, saying it was “a nice balance of super technical elements and hands-on hop rubbing and blending. They actually held a competition where we were put into teams and tasked with creating the best beer and seltzer blends using Haas’ new liquid hop products. Controversially, my team was robbed of both titles thanks to some passionate lobbying of the voters by one Owen Johnston.” Searls says “Being in Yakima for selections feels like an intravenous injection of knowledge from so many smart people all working in the beer industry. The experience is invaluable. Of course, the social aspect is incredible too.”

HPA is confident that our ‘selected by brewers for brewers’ approach to curating our US portfolio yields the highest quality hops for our brewing customers in Australia and New Zealand, big and small.

Reach out to your HPA sales rep if you’d like to discuss US hops, the selection process, or forward contracting in more detail.

HPA Appoints Owen Johnston as new CEO

jAmieaDMin27 — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 03:33:10 +0000

The Board and shareholders are pleased to announce that HPA has appointed Owen Johnston as their new CEO, following an extensive global process with the assistance of Derwent Search. The current Head of Sales & Marketing will commence his new position when current Managing Director & CEO Tim Lord retires at the end of April 2025.

Owen built Moo Brew, the largest craft brewery in Tasmania, Australia, where he worked as Head Brewer for 10 years before turning his focus to bringing Aussie flavour hops to brewers around the world. He has a BSc and MBA from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Science from the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland which form the foundation of his extensive understanding of the supply chain, from the hop farm to the brewery floor. Over the past 11 years at HPA, Owen has been instrumental in building a globally recognised brand that is valued by brewers around the world.

Shareholder Stephan Barth said “Owen’s extensive 20+ years’ experience in the beer and hop industry sets him up to spearhead the business’ next phase of development. He has worked at HPA for the past 11 years and has intricate knowledge of the business, the industry, the driving forces that will support our future, and importantly our customers. Owen is well placed to represent the BarthHaas group as HPA’s new CEO.”

Owen Johnston said “I’m honoured and delighted to be appointed HPA’s new CEO, and really looking forward to leading HPA’s next chapter, ensuring we continue to create impactful flavours to delight beer lovers. We’ve built a great team at HPA, and I’m very proud of what we have achieved, particularly in the last 10 years. I am confident we will continue to face challenges together and collaborate strongly with our partners for continued success as the high-quality specialist hop supplier of choice.”

Mr Barth noted “On behalf of the shareholders, I would like to extend our deep gratitude to Tim Lord for his leadership and integrity during his 20 years as Managing Director & CEO, and for the instrumental role he has played in HPA becoming a globally recognised supplier of flavour hops. He laid out the vision for HPA’s growth in Australia and overseas.”

Owen will work closely with Tim over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition, with a continued focus on our customers, providing stability, and positioning HPA to thrive in beer and beyond.

Cosmic Guava

jAmieaDMin27 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 03:53:50 +0000

Peachy Keen

jAmieaDMin27 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 03:53:08 +0000

Pineapple Paradise

jAmieaDMin27 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 03:52:25 +0000