Brewing a Local Hops Industry

Hops are the flowers of the hop plant. They are primarily used as a flavoring and stability agent in beer.

One hundred years ago, New York was the center for hops production in North America. But the industry suffered from a combination of mildew, aphids, and alcohol, and hop growing largely moved to inland Pacific Northwest. Recently, New York lawmakers have been working to regrow the local beer industry with the 2013 Farm Brewing Law which requires beer to be made from locally grown products in order to receive a farm brewery license in New York State. And while this law has definitely encouraged more interest in hop growing — between 2012 and 2016 the number of breweries has increased threefold from 95 to 302 — cultivating hops is definitely not without its challenges. Check out this article from the Cornell Chronicle about the obstacles facing New York hop growers and how Cornell researchers are developing resources to bolster this budding industry.