HPA News – HPA

HPA is expanding to meet brewer demand

Pixel3 — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 22:00:13 +0000

We have planted the first 50 hectares at our new farm in Victoria’s Buffalo River Valley. This is just the beginning of a $35 million expansion project that aims to increase total hop production by 50% over a period of six years.

Approximately 300 new hectares will be planted, as well as the construction of a new harvest complex comprising two Daunhauer pickers and 12 kiln floors at completion.

The project is focused on increasing supply of our proprietary hop varieties, in particular Galaxy^® and Eclipse^®, to allow us to grow with our Australian and international brewers.

We will also be expanding their team to help ensure regular communication and manage future contracting. Sales and Marketing Manager, Owen Johnston, says “the new farm will increase hop supply surety, varietal diversity and flexibility to meet brewer demand”.

The first crop from the Buffalo Valley Farm will be harvested in 2020. To enquire about future contracting get in touch with your local sales representative or contact sales@hops.com.au.

Meet Eclipse®

Pixel3 — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 11:45:28 +0000

We’re proud to introduce the newest proprietary variety from our hop breeding program. Eclipse^® is a big-hitting, fruit-forward flavour hop bursting with sweet mandarin, zesty citrus peel and fresh pine needles.

It’s another exciting addition to our portfolio of uniquely Australian flavour hops that already includes world renowned varieties such as Galaxy^®, Vic Secret, Ella and Enigma^®. Sales & Marketing Manager Owen Johnston says “the addition of Eclipse^® is an important step toward even greater choice and diversity for brewers that will lead to sensational flavour outcomes for beer drinkers.” Eclipse^® is currently only available in commercial quantities in Australia, but will start to reach the rest of the world in commercial quantities from crop 2021. Stock will be limited for the first few years while we sustainably scale up production. Forward contracts are encouraged to secure your supply.

To celebrate the commercialisation of Eclipse^®, we teamed up with Beer Cartel, Australia’s #1 online craft beer store, and a bunch of local breweries to make a special mixed pack. It will include 12 tasty beers starring our latest creation from the likes of Blasta, Deeds, Hop Nation, Moo Brew, Mountain Culture, Mr Banks, Newstead and Two Birds. The Eclipse^® mixed pack will be available to beer drinkers across Australia through Beer Cartel’s online store. Since Eclipse^® sits firmly in the fruit quadrant of HPA’s Hop Navigator it is well suited to fruit-forward beer styles, so you can expect a bit of everything from high impact hazy NEIPAs to lighter well-balanced IPAs. Ash Hazell, Head of Brewing at Colonial Brewing Co, used Eclipse^® back when it was still an experimental hop called HPA-016. He says “the best beer I ever brewed was Pioneer. It was a 7.5% IPA using a foolish amount of whole HPA-016 hops in the hop-back and dry-hopping. The full spectrum of hop character we extracted was unreal.”

Eclipse^® was first developed by HPA’s hop breeding program in 2004, but its ancestry can be traced as far back as 1915. The subsequent generations of cross pollination featured varieties such as Fuggle, Brewer’s Gold, Comet and Pride of Ringwood in the Australian environment.

Learn more about Eclipse^® here.

Celebrating the 150th hop harvest in Tasmania

Pixel3 — Tue, 26 May 2015 23:00:08 +0000

Bushy Park Estates in Tasmania, Australia has celebrated it’s 150th consecutive hop harvest.

See 1950s footage of Henry Shoobridge, then owner of the estate, surveying the farm at all stages of harvest.

2023 Crop Report

Pixel3 — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:52:45 +0000

Hop Products Australia (HPA) have completed the 2023 hop harvest. We picked 847 hectares across Victoria and Tasmania, which resulted in 1,821 tonnes of hops. This was a 37 hectare (4.5%) net increase and a 164 tonne (9.9%) net increase year-on-year across six proprietary varieties – Eclipse^®, Ella, Enigma^®, Galaxy^®, Topaz and Vic Secret – as well as Cascade. This year’s oil content came in equal or above the 5-year average for all proprietary hops, with a particularly strong showing from Eclipse^® that should lead to an exceptional year of performance in beer.

The final hectares of our recent Victorian expansion are now reaching commercial maturity, but some plants were significantly impacted by a third consecutive La Niña weather pattern.. Despite the adverse conditions we were able to modify our calendar of inputs accordingly, with above average temperatures and below average rainfall in summer aiding cone maturation.

A portion of this year’s crop will be reserved for commissioning our new production facility in Victoria. The modern temperature-controlled pellet plant and form, fill and seal packaging line will produce in excess of 50 tonnes of pellets per day, which will allow us to double our current processing capacity while retaining a higher percentage of essential oils in the finished pellets at a lower average Hop Storage Index (HSI). This means brewers can expect an overall increase in quality and a reduced spread of analytical data across lots, which will translate to more consistent performance in beer.

HPA is focussed on a sustainable future of quality beer, completing the initial Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of our business to identify key areas and realistic targets to support the implementation of low emission practices that will improve our brewing customers indirect emissions moving forward.

Even though the hop and brewing world seems to be going through a realignment of supply and demand, the outlook for Aussie hops remains strong and crop 2023 is heavily contracted. Brewers are encouraged to proactively communicate their Aussie hop requirements to our sales team, and enter into rolling forward contracts for supply security.

HPA and beer industry come together to support beyondblue

Pixel3 — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 22:00:28 +0000

After nearly two weeks of constant bidding, the gavel came down on our inaugural 2014 Premiere Crop of the Hops online charity auction on March 13, 2014 with a total of $10,000 raised for beyondblue: Man Therapy.

Thanks to a phenomenal effort from local and international brewers who were keen for a slice of 2014’s first bale of Galaxy^®.

Weighing in at 100kg, the bale was split into 10 x 10kg lots and won by seven brewers who collectively bid more than four times the bale’s market value.

Our Galaxy^® hops will be travelling all over Australia to reach their breweries with one package heading all the way out to San Francisco for Far West brewery to work their magic.

Thanks to our winning bidders for all their support

– Crown Lager, VIC
– Malt Shovel, NSW
– Endeavour Beers, NSW
– Far West, California, USA
– Stone & Wood, NSW
– Bright Brewery, VIC
– Bootleg Brewery, WA

While accepting the cheque at Bushy Park Estates last Friday beyondblue spokesperson Greg Barns spoke a little about the cause.

“Man Therapy is aimed at bringing men up to speed about depression and anxiety via the great Australian tradition of using humour to deal with tough issues. The website is hosted by the irreverent, man’s man Dr Brian Ironwood, a fictional character who urges men to take charge of their mental health and get their life back on track.”

We can’t wait to see the auction come to life when we’re lifting a glass of beer brewed using 2014’s first Galaxy^® – truly paddock to pint!

Thanks to Crown Ambassador Head Brewer Tully Hadley and Stone & Wood Brewer Brad Rogers for attending the announcement.

Romans Last Harvest

Pixel3 — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 01:43:49 +0000

HPA have the keys to some premium land where the soil is rich and the water supply is abundant, but we also support other hop growers in north-east Tasmania and north-east Victoria. We entrusted Topaz to one of the most experienced hop growers in the country to improve our capacity to meet brewer demand. The Roman family completed their last harvest in 2023, after growing hops for HPA since the 1980s. We can’t thank them enough for the time and effort they’ve invested in growing our Aussie hops over the past 30 years. After drying the final kiln floor, we sat down with Eric Roman to ask a few questions about his career and why Topaz will always be his favourite hop.

Q: How did your family get into hop farming?

A: After immigrating from Europe following the end of World War II, our Mum and Dad bought a small farm in Temora, NSW. Dad worked as the local milkman and a farmhand on nearby wheat and sheep properties, but the summer temperatures regularly climbed above 40 degrees so they decided to buy another farm further south with a milder climate. Having looked at land in the Warby Ranges near Wangaratta, they also went to inspect a dairy farm in Carboor where Dad was impressed with the three creeks that ran through the farm, commenting that it reminded him of his home in Poland. Dad asked about some poles and wires he noticed in one of the fields and was told they were for growing hops. He had never heard of hops, but they piqued his interest, and so the dairy farm became a hop farm for the next 60 years.

Q: What is your first memory of the hop farm?

A: I was a 7-year-old staring up at all the poles and wires while picking fruit off the huge amount of blackberries that were growing where to the hops were meant to be.

Q: What is your favourite thing about growing hops?

A: Watching the plants gradually make their way up the string, and the pride you feel at the end of each season after having produced a successful crop.

Q: What’s your least favourite thing about growing hops?

A: Putting in all that hard work only to have a weather event like strong winds or a hailstorm bring it all undone.

Q: How many different hops have you grown over the years?

A: We have grown Custers, Ringwood Special, Pride of Ringwood, Victoria, Super Pride and Topaz. Topaz will always be our favourite. It ticks all the boxes in terms of being the best to grow, producing a consistent yield, being easy to pick and dry.

Q: How many kilograms of hops do you think you’ve dried in your time?

A: It’s approximate, but probably something like 1.2million kilograms between my father and myself.

Q: What’s on the table at morning and afternoon tea?

A: Morning and afternoon tea are a big part of life on the farm. Mum was an exceptional cook. Her apple pie is the stuff of legend. Her grandchildren still use her recipe today. My wife Janine has continued Mum’s legacy, keeping the team supplied with sandwiches, sweets and tea every day at 10am and 4pm.

Q: What kind of people have come to the farm as seasonal workers?

A: We’ve had a lot of people from Carboor, Bobinawara, Whorouly, Wangaratta and overseas come for a single season, but we’ve also had a great crew of regulars who came back season after season. There was a young French couple a few years ago who come for hop training. We didn’t find out until much later that up until they received their first pay they had been living on canned tuna and dry biscuits, and continually ran out of fuel. They were great workers who became great friends, returning for the next few seasons.

Q: What traditional farming tool can’t you live without?

A: It has to be the tractor. We use it almost every day. Oh, and a well-maintained picking machine.

Q: Which technological advancement has made the biggest difference in growing and producing hops?

A: After a flood in 1993, we transitioned to non-cultivation with guidance from Graham Hughes. It significantly reduced working hours and made for more healthy soil and plants.

Q: What do you normally do to celebrate the end of hop harvest?

A: When we were younger we used to head to the pub for a meal. In more recent times we’ve enjoyed some finger foods and a quiet drink at the hop shed. But since this year was special we had a BBQ with the whole team and extended family.

Q: Is there a particular place you’ve always looked at and thought “that’d be a great place to grow hops”?

A: I’ve always wondered why no one has ever grown hops commercially in Kiewa or Mitta Valley.

Q: How do you feel about the new Topaz branding?

A: It so vibrant and colourful, particularly when you’re surrounded by green all day every day.

Q: If you could name our next proprietary hop, what would you call it?

A: Something related to our farm or Carboor. Maybe Carboor Classic, Roman Ruby or Hurdle Creek.

Q: Have you had the opportunity to travel within the hop industry?

A: I’ve travelled to hop farms in Tasmania and New Zealand, and around North East Victoria where there was up to 35 different growers until the mid-1980s. While techniques do vary from farm to farm, no matter where you grow hops you still need a lot of hard work throughout the season, a little bit of luck with the weather, and healthy markets.

Q: Who was your most influential mentor while learning the trade?

A: Dad was our biggest influence. He learnt a lot from Jack Murphy a local Carboor legend and Ray Jarrott from the Handcocks at Myrhee. Some other influences include Graham Hughes, Allan & Gail Monshing, Oliver Ward and Peter Hamilton from HPA, and local hop growers Len Forge, John Munari and Les Earp.

Q: Do you have a desire to pass on your knowledge about this very niche pursuit to the next generation?

A: I’ve already passed it on to my children, nieces and nephews. Unfortunately, none of them have chosen to grow hops as a full time career…yet.

Q: What’s the future of the farm?

A: Allan and I will continue to farm beef cattle.

Q: What’s your favourite beer?

A: I like trying new beers as often as possible. But my all time favourites are Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, Beechworth Pale Ale, and Little Creatures Pale Ale.

Q: What are your thoughts on the growing popularity of craft beer?

A: It’s been a revelation for the hop growing industry, which faced near extinction in the late 1980s to early 1990s. I’m immensely pleased that brewers are using more hops in the brewing process than ever before.

Owen Johnston joins the team

Pixel3 — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:00:22 +0000

We’re stoked to announce we have a new addition to the team.

Tasmanian locals will be familiar with Owen as Head Brewer and General Manager at Moo Brew just up the road, but as of Monday we welcomed him as our Sales and Marketing Manager.

In this new role, Owen will work alongside our Managing Director Tim, helping to bring our proprietary flavour and aroma hops to the global craft beer market.

Owen comes highly qualified, holding a Master of Science from the esteemed International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Analytical Chemistry and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Tasmania… not to mention completing a thesis on Single Gene Deletion and Trace Volatile Production in Yeast at CUB’s Abbotsford Brewery under Professor Peter Rogers. Now that’s a mouthful.

Basically, he’s a huge advocate for craft beer and has played a big part in establishing Tasmania’s Craft Beer Industry Association. After eight years of brewing Owen has a great understanding of the production chain from farm to brewery floor – which will come in handy in this new role, as he brings you our flavour and aroma hops to gear you up to craft some quality brews.

So if you see Owen about, don’t be afraid to say hi. He’s now our boots on the ground in Tasmania, and will represent our business around the country and across the globe. If you want to talk beer he deals in hops!

Chris Swersey joins the team

Pixel3 — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 21:43:45 +0000

We’re excited to announce Chris Swersey as our new International Business Development Manager. Chris has more than 30 years’ experience in the beer industry, and his passion for hops and dedication to the craft make him a perfect fit for our team.

Chris’ commercial brewing journey began in 1992, making him a veteran of the beer scene. Having honed his craft in small and mid-size breweries, Chris spent years perfecting his skills, gaining a deep understanding of every aspect of the brewing process, and winning awards at the World Beer Cup (WBC) and Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

He then spent over two decades playing a number of pivotal roles for the US Brewers Association (BA), where he served as Supply Chain Specialist, helping ensure brewers had access to the highest quality raw ingredients, and Technical Brewing Projects Manager, overseeing the Technical Committee and competitive technical research grant program.

For many years, Chris served on and then chaired the committee that publishes the BA Beer Style Guidelines that form the basis for beer competitions around the world. Chris has served as a judge for some of these competitions since 1996, including the WBC, the GABF, Brussels Beer Challenge, Euro Beer Star, South Beer Cup, the Indies, and the AIBAs.

Chris also stepped into the role of Competition Director for GABF and WBC, where he helped elevate the international standards of brewing excellence for over 20 years, while gaining invaluable experience in raw material and beer sensory.

As a commercial technical brewer, innovation brewer, and avid homebrewer, Chris has spent his career constantly experimenting with new raw materials and brewing techniques. This includes a deep exploration of the diverse world of hops in all possible product formats, including whole fresh and dried cones, T90 pellets, LUPOMAX® enriched pellets, SPECTRUM, bittering extracts, PHA aroma extracts, HopHaze® and of course HPA’s powerhouse varieties.

Having admired HPA for many years, Chris is excited to be part of a team that’s passionate about sharing the unique flavours of Aussie hops with the world. His genuine enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge will be an invaluable asset for our brewing customers. Chris will be out and about visiting breweries and attending tradeshows, primarily in the US and Asia. If you’re a brewer in these regions, looking to explore our range of Aussie, international, and innovative hop products, you can contact Chris with technical brewing questions or hop product queries at chris.swersey@hops.com.au or on +61 476 792 104.

Our new normal

Pixel3 — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 06:51:10 +0000

As the largest hop grower in Australia, the way we operate has direct consequences for people and the planet. We are proud to announce our inaugural sustainability report. From now on, everything we think, say and do will come under scrutiny to ensure it fits with the kinder, greener future we are working towards. This is our new normal.

While we are already integrating sustainability initiatives into our business, more is being planned to build greater energy efficiency into our farming operations. Social responsibility, environmental footprint, responsible sourcing, consumption and production now underpin our sustainability strategy.

If you want to get into the details…

This is just the beginning of a mission critical journey towards minimising our environmental footprint while simultaneously meeting the demands of our brewing customers. It is an enormous task, but we are confident HPA can make a meaningful change.

2024 Crop Report

Pixel3 — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 22:31:03 +0000

Hop Products Australia (HPA) have completed this year’s harvest. We picked 670 hectares across Victoria and Tasmania, which resulted in 1,340 tonnes of hops. This was a 177 hectare (21%) decrease and a 480 tonne (26%) decrease year-on-year across six proprietary varieties – Eclipse^®, Ella, Enigma^®, Galaxy^®, Topaz and Vic Secret – as well as Cascade. This year’s oil content came in equal or above the 5-year average for all proprietary hops, with a particularly strong showing from Galaxy^® that should lead to a great year of performance in beer.

Crop 2024 looks a little different to previous years because of some changes to global demand. This led HPA to idle around 20% of our gardens, resulting in a year-on-year decrease across all proprietary hops. In the current state of global oversupply, this was a necessary step toward rebalancing supply and demand.

We have used this production decrease as an opportunity to focus on quality, with greater flexibility to refine our standard operating procedures and harvest each variety at optimal maturity. Impact in beer is expected to remain strong, with this year’s average oil content coming in equal or above the 5-year average for all proprietary hops. The two star performers were Galaxy^® and Enigma^® with both oils and alphas above the 5-year average, ensuring good quality pellets that should deliver a great year of true-to-type flavours and aromas in beer.

HPA continue to invest in quality improvements. As is the case with most building projects, our new Victorian pellet plant took longer than expected to get up and running. It was not commissioned in time to process crop 2024 as planned, but we were prepared for this possibility. Instead, crop 2024 was processed at our existing Victorian pellet plant which was maintained in a state of readiness for this eventuality.

We have also been tightening our minimum quality standards over the past few years, conducting a sensory review of any material flagged as non-conforming at any stage of the production process. If subsequent data analysis reported a significantly lower alpha and oil content, or a significantly higher HSI this material was subject to assessment for potential faults and true-to-type aromas. This process ensures only great material goes into our blends, and consistently high-quality pellets are presented to our brewing customers.

HPA is in awe of the resilience our industry has shown over the past few years. We are managing our production costs to minimise any effect on hop pricing, while continuing to invest in technology, infrastructure and process improvements that will ultimately benefit our brewing customers. In the current state of global oversupply, availability of Aussie hops is better than ever. As supply and demand returns to balance, we encourage our brewing customers to consider their Aussie hop requirements, and communicate them early and often.