From Sierra Nevada:
“Our dependence on what you guys do is real,” Ken Grossman told the American Hop Convention crowd last Thursday in our Big Room.
Organized by Hop Growers of America, the American Hop Convention is an annual industry meeting that brings together hop growers, merchants and researchers, as well as craft breweries. This was the 57th convention year and the first time it was hosted by a craft brewery—a special chance for us to show our gratitude.
For us and other breweries—about 25 this year—the multi-day convention is a forum to talk hops, an ingredient Ken has treasured since he first smelled them around the age of 10. The convention sessions tackled an array of issues from hop-drying techniques to sustainability matters like water and power use.
“If we can help you better the product for the both of us,” Ken said, “that’s our goal.”
American craft beer is undoubtedly influencing the evolution of hop breeding and growing.
“We’re looking for hops that are the star of the show,” Ken said.
Aroma hops are soaring in popularity and almost matching alpha hop demand. This shift affects growers’ farms, making paramount brewers’ partnerships with suppliers. We need to ensure our hop growers are healthy.
At the convention, Chris Swersey, technical brewing projects coordinator for the Brewers Association (BA), shared some figures from a BA craft brewers survey (not a total). In the 2011 production year, craft brewers used on average 1.14 pounds of hops per barrel of beer. Chris anticipates that average jumping to around 1.2 or more in the 2013 production year—more notable when you consider how many new craft breweries are on the verge of opening. To further the wow factor, US craft brewers have doubled their collective beer sold since 2001, up from 5.35 million barrels to nearly 13 million barrels in the 2012 production year.
Full article here.
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