Hopco has announced it has partnered with Crosby Hop Farms to bring more US hops to Australian shores.
Located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Crosby Hop Farm grows, sources and processes premium hop products from around the world.
Hopco’s Jon Burridge said the deal means the company can now access hops from three different US suppliers, ensuring consistency of supply for Australian brewers.
“If all goes to plan you could see that increase to four in the coming weeks,” he said.
Burridge said the US hop scene is booming with acreages and production now being the largest in the world, overtaking Germany according to 2015 crop reports.
“Statistics show the significant rise in aroma and decrease in alpha, however ‘word on the farm’ is that there is a resurgence on more traditional varieties like Chinook, Nugget and Cluster,” he said.
“Looking at growth rates all the big names are there; Citra, Centennial, Simcoe, Cascade and Mosaic, but some lesser known varieties Azacca and El Dorado are also showing extremely high levels of new acreage, although coming off a low base.”
Burridge said the relationship between Hopco and Crosby is one built on mutual values and ethics.
“When first speaking with the Crosby Farms team at CBC16 I couldn’t believe how much we had in common and how similar our businesses were,” he said.