Colorado hops industry finding its stride

FORT COLLINS — Colorado’s hops-growing industry has been taking baby steps getting started the last few years, but it’s about to begin making big strides, according to those involved in it.

Hops, the part of the brewing process that determines the level of “bitterness” in beer, have been cultivated on Colorado’s Western Slope for several years. More rural land, more water availability and better growing conditions — less hail and wind — have focused the state’s hop-growing on that side of the Continental Divide.

But over the last three or four years, more hops have started to be grown on the state’s eastern side.

“In 2007, there was only one acre of hops in Boulder that I knew of. There’s at least 75 acres now,´ said Ali Hamm, a certified master brewer who’s spearheading the formation of the Colorado Hop Growers Association.

Hamm said the association is a “loose group” of mostly part-time hop growers who are working toward establishing their own full-fledged operations to supply the state’s craft brewers.

Those brewers, like Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, would like to buy as much Colorado-grown hops as possible to support the fledgling industry.

Joe Mohrfeld, Odell’s head brewer, said the brewing company has worked with Colorado State University’s specialty crops department to obtain hops for its “Hand Picked Pale Ale” and other special seasonal beers.

Mohrfeld said Odell would like to buy more state-grown hops to use year round.

“We’re looking this year toward using (the hops) in other beers throughout the year,” he said. “We’re starting to see more growers and in the next few years we hope to be using Colorado hops for more than just seasonal beers. It’s a great thing for Colorado, the small growers and for us.”

Mohrfeld said Odell has paid a little more for Colorado-grown hops to help support the industry.

“We’re willing to pay more so they can get going with their operations,” he said. “We’re paying a little more per pound, but we think it’s well worth it.”

Mohrfeld said the quality of Colorado-grown hops has proved to be “exceptional.”

“We’re doing everything we can to support the (hop) farmer to produce a quality hop that we can use consistently,’ he said.

Demand growing

Glen Fuller, a hop farmer near Paonia on the Western Slope, said he sees a bright future for the incipient industry over the next couple years.

“We’ve got about eight acres right now, and by next year we ought to be pretty strong with over 50 acres,” he said. “We’ll get there.”

Fuller said the demand for Colorado-grown hops is increasing steadily.

“Most of mine are going to Miller Coors for their Colorado Native beer. They’re striving for a beer with 100 percent Colorado ingredients.”

Ron Godin, a CSU area agronomist, has been working on the Western Slope the last several years to establish that area as a hop-growing hotbed. But he sees growth beginning on the Front Range as well.

“I’m getting calls all the time from Front Range growers,” he said. Godin said hops have been shown to grow well on both sides of the state but the challenge now is to grow enough to meet the demand.

“The problem is quantity,” he said. “The quality is there from the research we did. We had better numbers than the industry standards. Most of the hops harvested this year are already sold. We just can’t yet produce the quantities they need.”

Godin notes that getting started as a hops grower is not easy, with a large investment to be made in growing and harvesting equipment and a growth cycle that takes at least two years to reach a useable crop.

But hops farmers are getting a big boost from Summit Plant Laboratories in Fort Collins, which is helping provide disease-free starter material for their operations.

Tom Smith, lab owner, said he got involved in propagating hops about three years ago and now produces about 10 different varieties he sells to farmers in Colorado and other states.

“Last year we sold about 30,000 plants and this year it’s going to be about 60,000, so we’ve doubled our sales,” he said.

Smith said he knows of no other company that’s doing what Summit Plant Laboratories is doing.

“As far as commercial growing, we’re the only one I know of that’s producing material that shows no viruses,” he said.

Currently, the three biggest hop-growing states are Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Colorado has a long way to go to catch up with growers there, but Smith said Summit Labs is producing the “mother stock” that could pave the way for a vibrant Colorado hop-growing industry.

“If we start with clean stock, it’s going to give us an edge with increased yields and increased vigor and help avoid problems down the road,” he said.

Steve Porter covers agribusiness and natural resources for the Northern Colorado Business Report. He can be reached at 970-232-3147 or sporter@ncbr.com.

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