I found wild hops growing beside our laneway in Dufferin County a couple of weeks ago. It got me thinking about the origin of hops. Beer came with the first colonists. Water quality on-board ships was often questionable. Water brewed into beer on the other hand was safe for consumption throughout the voyage. The colonists also brought brewing and barley/hop growing know-how. The first brewery was established in Upper Canada in 1647, with seed stock for hops grown locally in small quantities.
A thriving industry based on brewery supply grew in Canada by 1869 when exports to the US topped 400,000 pounds. This also meant that growers became larger, less local and more dependent on exports and larger regional breweries.
Until the bottom fell out with US McKinley Tariff 1890 (50 per cent surcharge on imports), downy mildew crop challenges and prohibition (1916 to 1927).
What goes around comes around, craft and local breweries from coast to coast. These local brewers are looking for local hops and farm groups have formed in support as follows.
Founded in 2017, the mission of the Alberta Hop Producers Association is to develop a strong network of hop producers in the province and to serve as the voice of hops producers in Alberta. “Our members play a vital role in developing Alberta’s newest agribusiness, and we want to help them identify and act on opportunities,” says the association.
The B.C. Hop Growers Association is a non-profit organization formed to unite hop growers within the region. They have a unified approach to educate and understand key industry topics such as marketing, industry standards, disease and pest prevention and sharing best practices.
Houblon Québec is a group of agricultural producers who have united to share equipment and knowledge on hop cultivation.
The Maritime Hop Growers Cooperative is a group of growers dedicated to making hops a viable industry in the Maritimes. Their Facebook page describes their philosophy, “the more the merrier - we're sharing knowledge as we go of what works and what doesn't here in our unique growing region.”
The Ontario Hop Growers Association is a not-for-profit association of hop growers, families and enthusiasts who are interested in supporting the growth of the hop industry in Ontario.
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