With the hop harvest set to begin soon in the Southern Hemisphere, Hop Products Australia has provided its latest crop update, indicating this year’s harvest to be “on average”. 

In an email detailing the update, the company first noted its focus on the final hectares of its $50 million investment in acreage expansion. 

“The new plantings are coming into commercial productivity this year, which means we can continue to supply a growing number of local and international brewers with high-quality Aussie hops so they can continue making high-quality beers,” HPA said. 

However, in similar reports to last year, rainfall and weather conditions continue to impact the farms. In its update, HPA noted four per cent of its acreage was subject to flooding towards the end of 2022. 

“Despite some challenging conditions, we were able to modify our calendar of inputs, complete stringing and training on schedule, and help most of the flood-affected acreage recover,” HPA said. 

“In general, our hops have now reached the wire, are filling out with laterals, and on the cusp of inflorescence which will give us more insight into the climatic impacts on yield this season.”

As noted by BarthHaas last year, HPA acknowledged that supply chain delays continues to be an issue however, reports a strong outlook for Australian hops. 

“Even though the hop and brewing world seems to be going through significant realignment of supply and demand, the outlook for Aussie hops remains strong,” the company said. 

“Since crop 2023 is expected to be on average, we encourage brewers to proactively review their Aussie hop requirements and reach out regarding forward contracts.”

Last year, HPA announced that it had purchased a former tobacco processing plant with plans to convert it into a pellet plant by 2024.  

The company said the $20 million project will aid in the centralisation of pellet production and packaging from its Victorian and Tasmanian farms. 

“The quality of our finished product is critical to our brewing customers’ success. We make it our mission to provide the highest possible quality with the lowest possible variance,” HPA head of sales and marketing Owen Johnston said at the time. 

“Centralising pellet production and packaging in a temperature-controlled environment will help us deliver on this promise and give our brewing customers even greater confidence in Aussie hops.”