Next Generation Hops for a New Generation of Brewers
Brook House Hops have taken a huge leap forward on the path to sustainability in the farming and brewing industry with the introduction of a revolutionary new hop product that does not require kiln drying. In fact independent sustainability consultants working on the Low Carbon Hop project calculated that the new hop preservation process emits up to 10x less CO2e/ kg of hops compared to a standard diesel-fired kiln. This is of considerable interest to brewers who are looking to produce beers with a much low carbon footprint and reduce the overall environmental impact of their supply chains.
Will Kirby, owner and farmer at Brook House Hops in Herefordshire explains the background to the project;
“In general hops have been grown and processed in the same traditional way for centuries, and as relative newcomers to the industry, we’ve always embraced innovation if we’re confident it will enhance the quality of our hops. Sometimes this involves using new technology, as we have done on the farming side, and sometimes it is in the way we process and cold-store our hops.
Sustainability is also at the heart of everything we do, whether this is rewilding areas of our farm to attract beneficial insects and reduce our use of crop protection products, or the packaging recycling and renewables investments we’ve made on the operations side.
Developing Low Carbon Hops supports both of these key aims, and importantly gives brewers another way to improve their own sustainability goals.”
The current method of drying hops to preserve valuable aromas, flavours and oils uses diesel-fired kilns and happens immediately after hops are harvested. This process is the same around the world and accounts for nearly 50% of the overall carbon emissions in hop production so is the obvious area to look at when trying to reduce emissions.
“At Brook House Hops we’d already invested in the UK’s only indirect-fired kiln which is specially engineered to keep combustion gasses separate from the drying hops. This separation prevents the ingress of unwanted diesel fumes and guarantees purity in the flavour and aroma profile of the hop. However, the process is still reliant on diesel and runs almost continually for several weeks throughout harvest. With fuel prices rising exponentially, we were obviously keen to investigate creative solutions that would reduce our consumption without affecting the quality of our hops.”
How do we preserve hops without a kiln?
Working with a specialist company with extensive experience in food technology, and a sustainability consultant to crunch the numbers, we started to look at new ways of removing kiln drying completely and preserving the hop without destroying the valuable oils within them. We ran several tests using New Zealand hops (which are available earlier in the growing year) and consulted with brewers prior to making the necessary changes in time for our own harvest process.
After hop cones are removed from the bine and separated from the unwanted plant material a proportion were diverted away from the kiln. This sometimes happens anyway when brewers collect fresh green hops, so wasn’t too much of a change for us to manage. These whole cone hops were then immediately fed into a machine that was designed to shred them into a much finer hop leaf material. These will become our Low Carbon Hops.
The shredded hop material is then weighed, bagged into foils, sealed and immediately cold-stored prior to undergoing specialist preservation processing that locks in oils and eliminates harmful bacteria. During kiln drying, a hop cone will normally lose about 75% of its moisture, our new process retains more moisture, but the flavour and aroma profile of the hops is unaffected. Our Low Carbon Hops remain in temperature-controlled conditions throughout the whole process and have also undergone microbiological lab safety tests.
This year we’ve processed 3 of our most popular British hop varieties in this way; Pilgrim, Goldings and UK Chinook and having spoken to brewers about the possibility of Low Carbon Hops during our hop walks we know there is considerable excitement about brewing with them.”
Low Carbon Hops are exclusive to Brook House Hops and will be available for brewers to order in November 2022.
ENDS
About Brook House Hops
A fresh way to purchase the world’s finest hops.
Brook House Hops is a hop farm and producer based in Herefordshire, UK. They have been breaking new ground in the world of hop farming since 2015 and are quickly building a reputation for growing some of the most aromatic and verdant hops in the UK and providing fast, direct delivery to breweries.
They grow a wide range of classic and contemporary British hop varieties for traditional and craft brewers all over the world and source some of the most sought-after hops from the US and NZ. Their award-winning hops are truly unique thanks to the rich, red, Herefordshire soil and their innovative use of state-of-the-art hop picking, processing and cold storage technology.
A sustainable farming ethos has been in place since the business was first established and tree planting, rewilding, river management schemes and regenerative agriculture initiatives are standard practice. Their wider operation includes a solar powered hop cold-store and packaging recycling equipment to further reduce environmental impact.
Brook House Hops was established to give brewers flexibility in their choices and quick access to the very best UK hops, without having to go via a traditionally inflexible hop merchant.
They are as meticulous about quality as the finest craft brewers are about their beer, and work hard to ensure that every hop they produce is packed with all the flavours, aromas and essential oils that brewers need to create perfect beers.
Find out more by visiting the website at https://brookhousehops.com
or follow them on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/BrookHouseHops
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/brook-house-hops/
Press release from Brook House Hops For more information contact:
Andy Garbett – Head of Marketing
07840 975570