Sunny outlook for hop harvest 2025

Opinion

5 Mar

Hop heads unite – it’s that time of year again and Michael Donaldson says things are looking great for this year’s fresh hop brews...

Another excellent hop harvest is on the cards after a temperate winter and almost perfect spring seasons were followed by a late-summer burst of heat.

Nelson’s hottest weather arrived a little later than usual, but given the nice build-up to summer the hops were in the best possible shape ahead of harvest in late February and early March.

Last year’s winter was dry and cold, delivering the frosty weather that hops need to go dormant. A temperate spring meant good early growth and a slow start to summer meant the hops were well-fed and well-watered ahead of the high temperatures.

Dean Palmer from Hinetai Hops said the “super-kind” weather meant less pest control than normal was needed. As a result, “all the hops are all looking good — very lush and healthy”.

Like the rest of the world, New Zealand has seen some reduction in demand for high-profile hop varieties. A period of over-supply of American hops and the tough economic conditions of the past four years has driven down demand.

“Worth watching out for slightly later in the season will be the harvest from Garston in Southland.”

But there could be some good signs for the local brewing industry, with Palmer saying the “domestic” hop varieties – those used primarily within New Zealand – were seeing a slight uptick in demand.

“With some of those domestic varieties, Pacific Gem, Green Bullet, Dr Rudi, Southern Cross ... the demand is slightly up, we think,” says Palmer. “Whereas the international varieties are down on last year.”

The main buyer for Green Bullet is Lion, for use in the ever-popular Steinlager Classic. But a number of craft brewers are also using Green Bullet as a kind of homage to that enduringly popular lager.

The international varieties are the main ones NZ Hops Ltd exports: Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron, Motueka, Riwaka, and Superdelic.

The other development this season for local brewers and drinkers is the extra planting of two trial hops: NZH-106 and NZH-109. They’ve jumped out of a group of experimental hops and qualified for wider planting around the Tasman area to see how they perform in different soil types and microclimates.

The two hops came through a series of tests last year, including NZ Hops Ltd’s Bract Brewing Programme, where select brewers used them and reported back their findings. Both of these hop varieties, alongside the likes of Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron, Motueka and Riwaka, will be popular picks for brewers in fresh hop beers set for release through late March and early April.

Worth watching out for slightly later in the season will be the harvest from Garston in Southland. These southern hops, which express slightly different characteristics from their Tasman-grown siblings, are harvested a few weeks later compared with the Tasman region, so it gives brewers a chance to do a second run of fresh hop beers if they so desire.

There will also be some interest in the continuing evolution of Taranaki’s hop harvest, with two farms there benefiting from investment by Venture Taranaki to encourage the exploration of hop- growing in the region.

Taranaki has good sun, good soil and reliable rainfall although it does suffer when it comes to other key hop-growing factors: wind (too much) and cold days (not enough).

In theory, there are enough days below 7°C in the inland part of the region, but there’s way too much wind, so shelter belts are needed to protect vulnerable hops. However, there’s enough upside to see two gardens in the region: Quarter Acre Hops based in Tikorangi and the Verry family farm in Tarata.

Both towns are on the northern side of Mt Taranaki, with Tarata more inland. Traditionally, local breweries Shining Peak and Three Sisters get the pick of these fresh Taranaki hops, and hop-heads are advised to seek them out.