An exceptional hops harvest in 2012!

For hop growers, September is an especially busy month. Having carefully managed the hop plots since the month of March, it is time to harvest the aroma-giving cones.

The hop vines are harvested in the field, and then taken to hangars that are equipped with pickers (Fig. 1 and 2).

Once the cones are separated from the vines, the cones are carefully dried in special dryers. This process takes 5 to 6 hours, and is carried out at 60°C (140°F). This is the most critical step in the whole year of hop growing for the farmer, because it determines the quality of the hops, and therefore the economic value of the harvest (Fig. 3 and 4)

The hops are then brought to the cooperative, where they are stored in refrigerated halls before being processed, packed and delivered to the brewers.

2012 was a good year for Alsace hops. The climate variations throughout the season permitted the plants to have harmonious growth and to express their aromas well. The hops were not affected by diseases or pests, which would have degraded their quality.

The drying process is really critical for the Comptoir Agricole, because if the hops are too dry, they lose their aromatic properties, and if they are not sufficiently dry, they are much more susceptible to rotting.

The drying process in 2012 was excellent, once again!

Hops in Alsace are grown over 420 hectares (1038 acres), which produces 700 metric tons (771 US tons).

13 varieties are produced, including 3 bittering varieties: Brewers Gold, Nugget and Columbus.

Certain varieties are exclusive to the Alsace regions, such as Strisselspalt, Aramis, Triskel and Bouclier, while others have different origins, such as Tradition, Fuggle, Savinjski Golding, Perle, Sladek and Premiant.

 In 2012, we also launched our Organic range, which is the first organic hops range in France, with the Strisselspalt, Triskel, Tradition, Premiant, Sladek and Nugget varieties.

The organic hop varieties are already available in dried cone form, and will be available in Type 90 pellet form as of December 2012.