US: Growth in Florida hops allowing brewers to hone their craft

It’s encouraging to see crops — once considered “alternative” — grow into something bigger. That’s been the case with hops in Florida. I have been covering and reporting on the progress of this alternative crop since early 2016. Researchers at the University of Florida over that time have continued to pour efforts into making the main ingredient in beer a viable option for growers and local brewers over that time. A hops field day was recently held at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast and Research Center (GCREC) near Tampa. About 50 craft beer brewers and local growers were in attendance to learn the latest findings. The hops grown at GCREC stem are rooted in about eight years of trial and error. In those years, UF/IFAS scientists Shinsuke Agehara and Zhanao Deng have led the project. They use LED lighting to grow hops twice a year. The artificial light tricks the crop into thinking daylight lasts longer than it really does. Hops require about 15 hours of daylight before they flower. That’s ...