E-Malt.com News article: USA, FL: University of Florida professor trying to grow hops in Florida

University of Florida professor Brian Pearson tasted craft beer in England about five years ago, and it changed his life, Orlando Sentinel reported on March 16.

Pearson, 35, was so impressed he came home and used his own money to try to grow hops, the plant that gives beer its flavor. His experiment led to four years of research and a new grant-funded project to determine which varieties may thrive in the Sunshine State.

If he is successful, it could be the beginning of a Florida hops industry. That potentially would provide the state's burgeoning craft-beer industry with a local source of the plant, boost the economy and give farmers beleaguered by citrus greening an alternative crop.

"I have no doubt that it can be done," said Pearson, an assistant professor of environmental horticulture who works at the university's Mid-Florida Research & Education Center. "As far as the economics of it ... that has to be determined."

On a recent tour of a hops-filled greenhouse at the center, Pearson said he's hopeful that he and his team will find a way to get the non-native plants to grow in the state's heat, humidity and light conditions. They prefer temperatures of between 42 and 70 degrees.

For now, Florida brewers must get the estimated 2 million pounds of hops they use annually from outside the state. About three-quarters of the country's hops come from the Yakima Valley in Washington, and the demand is increasing. Craft breweries — small, independent brewers — are one reason.

Florida produced 1.1 million barrels of craft beer in 2014, or 2.4 gallons for each adult 21 or older, according to the Brewers Association. That's up from 130,000 in 2013. The state industry, which included 111 breweries in 2014, had an economic impact of $2.1 billion.

Hops, which can grow up to a foot a day, get their aroma and taste partly from the soil and water where they are produced, Pearson said. So far, he has tried four varieties with a citrus, fruit and floral flavor used in India pale ale, a craft beer that's popular in America.

Pearson's project started with four varieties of hops — 60 plants — in an open-sided greenhouse where he and his student assistants experiment with natural ways to control mites, mildew and diseases. They also dry and weigh the hops to gauge the yield.

John Cheek, president of Orlando Brewing, buys hops from Michigan, Washington, Oregon and North Carolina. He's taking a wait-and-see attitude about the hops experiment, although he said he has confidence in the UF researchers.

"All the odds are against them unless they breed a new variety," he said. "It might grow a little slower and be perfectly good. I don't know."

Pearson's latest two-year trial is financed by a $158,000 grant from the state Department of Agriculture. He and two researchers at UF's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Hillsborough County will study a total of 550 plants — 40 varieties — for quality and yield.

Hillsborough researchers Zhanao Deng and Shinsuke Agehara will try to determine the best fertilizers and rates of application.

"We're hoping we can get a reliable crop for Florida growers that they can produce and that consumers can enjoy," Deng said.


18 March, 2016