Farming

Can barley farming practices help mitigate the increased risk from climate chaos? And how can breweries articulate the value of regenerative practices in their beer? In this conversation with New Belgium and Bell's environmental program director Walker Modic, farmer and brewery owner Derek Heersink, and Proximity Malt commercial director Zach Gaines, we ponder the answers to those questions and more.

Eric and Claire Desmarais, fourth and fifth generation hop farmers, and Alex Nowell, former director of brewing for Three Weavers and an advisor to CLS, dig into the recent evolution of hop farming, current harvest challenges, and tools that brewers can use to select better hops.

We all know how profoundly the types of malt we use can change what we brew. Less obvious is how independent brewing is changing how barley itself is being grown—leading, eventually, to exciting new options for brewers.

Despite historic levels of hop inventory, growers planted 5 percent more hops in 2020 than in the previous year, as locations and varieties continued to shift.

Hop growers are aware of trends, making their best educated guesses on future demand. From 2018 to 2019, here's a look at which varieties gained the most acres, and which varieties lost.