SAVE THE DATE
OCTOBERFEST CELEBRATION AT THE CROSS CREEK COUNTRY CLUB ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW!
September is hop harvest time! The main area of hop farming in the United States is the Pacific Northwest including Washington, Oregon and Idaho. But Florida is growing hops as well.
It started as research at the University of Florida and has progressed to testing the commercial viability of growing hops by working with local breweries to make beer with Florida grown hops.
One variety grown for the research is Cascade hops which is also grown in the Pacific Northwest. There are difficulties in growing hops in Florida and the main one is hours of sunlight. For hops to produce flowers, the number of hours of daylight must exceed 16 hours per day. Even in the longest days of summer, Florida does not reach 16 hours of daylight. Hops in Florida are grown in greenhouses where LED light can substitute for the lack of sunlight. With the greenhouses, two hop harvest can be completed each year.
At the research open house this past June, it was reported that over 5,000 gallons of beer had been brewed by 18 local breweries in the past year. There are no commercial growers yet, but the success of the research may result in farmers growing hops.
The brewers provide lots of feedback to the researchers. One is the aroma profile of the hops. The hops grown in Florda have aromas of honeydew melon, cantaloupe and pineapple. Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest do not have this aroma profile. Where hops are grown can influence flavors and aromas and Florida appears to give Cascade hops a specific profile.
A second request from brewers was to pellet the hops. Within the research trial, the hops were provided as whole cones (flowers) to brewers. Many brewers use pelleted hops which are easier to store and use. The researchers pelleted the hops, and the brewers found that these pelleted hops worked well and provided the desired results. Having pelleted hops may provide an incentive for more Florida breweries to utilize Florida grown hops.
One of the researchers stated, “Our immediate goal is to demonstrate the potential for Florida-grown hops to local breweries, while optimizing the production system to maximize yield and quality. In the long term, we seek to contribute to the establishment of a market that encourages commercial hop production by local producers.”
Keep an eye on beer menus at your local craft brewer to see if they are using Florida grown hops.
