KPU researchers experiment with new hop varieties

A hop-breeding program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University is experimenting with a new hop variety to produce a beer for local breweries.

The NextGen Hops breeding program was created by KPU in partnership with Green Flora Greenhouses in 2018. The goal of the program is to utilize DNA analysis and chemical techniques to accelerate the development process.

Work for the breeding program is done by KPU researchers at the university’s Applied Genomics Centre (AGC), a facility used for research in agriculture, including plant breeding. New crop varieties are developed at the AGC, which supports the brewing industry in B.C.

The hop being experimented with is a cross with a cascade plant, which is used in India pale ales (IPA), and other varieties to create new hop plants that can thrive in B.C.’s climate and spark a brewery’s interest.

KPU biology instructor Mathias Schuetz says that a new hop variety takes about 15 to 20 years to grow. However, the first step in growing a successful hop variety is to make the farmer happy.

“If we grow a hop plant that makes great beer, but the farmer doesn’t want to grow it, then there’s no point,” Schuetz says.

The experimenting done at the AGC is important to the province’s agriculture and brewers because hop varieties need to be developed so they can be sustained in B.C.’s climate. Schuetz says the research aims to support local farmers and provide brewers with access to locally grown hop varieties.

“If you have [varieties] growing in your backyard, that’s a benefit to the brewers,” Schuetz says. “The farmers will benefit from the new varieties because they are adapted to grow well here, need less pesticide application, and have good yields, [which] allows them to have a commodity crop they can farm.”

Green Flora Greenhouses is a 15-year-old family-owned greenhouse that began by growing ornamentals, which then evolved to developing new hop varieties for local growers.

Owner Peter Voogt says the core mission of the greenhouse is to consistently provide healthy plant material for local growers. Another value Green Flora strives to achieve is having open communication with its customers.

The partnership with KPU began nine years ago when a local grower reached out to inquire about growing hop varieties, Voogt says.

“The goal we’ve set for ourselves as a partnership with KPU was to create one or multiple hop varieties that actually thrive and grow in our environment,” Voogt says. “The goal has been to create those varieties for B.C. growers  and our wet West Coast.”

Voogt says the long-term vision Green Flora has for the province’s hop sector is to strengthen the local hop-growing community and develop unique hop varieties.

“I’m really positive that once brewers get their hands on those [varieties], the word will spread, then in the end, we hopefully can plant some acreages around us.”

Schuetz says the payoff from the research will provide B.C. brewers with their own distinct beer identity and farmers will have crops that are both sustainable and profitable.

“It’s a unique project that’s perfect for KPU because of our brewing program,” Schuetz says. “[We have] the AGC that is focusing on applied research and agriculture. I think it’s a very good combination and a unique opportunity for KPU that we took full advantage of.”