What Wisconsin Craft Brewers Want — Notes from the Hop Production for the Craft Brew Industry Seminar

Bo Belanger is a bald, barrel-chested Detroiter who had one message for the room full of hop farmers: Grow more product. 

Belanger, the brewmaster and owner of South Shore Brewery in Ashland, Wis., spoke as bottles of his Inland Sea Pilsener were eagerly gulped by more than one-hundred thirsty growers at the UW Extension's Fifth Annual Hop Production for the Craft Brew Industry Seminar at Great Dane Pub in Wausau. With a PowerPoint presentation trotting along behind him, Belanger acknowledged the hurdles facing the state's fledgling hop industry — high startup costs, labor-intensive production and a general lack of knowledge about a plant that's in high demand across the nation. But he added that there is a lot of capacity to meet the demand, if farmers organize effectively and grow a quality product. Wisconsin brewers want locally grown hops, but they won't sacrifice their their standards for proximity, he said. 

"Do brewers want your hops?" Belanger said. "Yeah, we want them! But you gotta make good stuff. Just because it's local, doesn't mean it's quality."

Belanger compared the state's hop industry to the craft brewers of 30 years ago. Hop farmers lack the organization and scale of today's brewers, not to mention their political clout. 

With that in mind, Belanger offered the following suggestions to Wisconsin hop farmers: 

• Organize and share information — Growers should use each other's knowledge to further the industry. Don't go-it-alone. Band together and help one another. 
• Be prepared to get political — Be aware of your political clout and use it. Much like craft brewers — who attract tourists to the state, support agriculture and feed the tax base — the hop industry has similar benefits to Wisconsin. Make sure your legislators know this. 
• Quality is essential — Belanger buys hops based on the price and the quality. It's a safe bet that other growers do too. Strive for consistency and the best product possible. 
• Brewers need hops all year, not just in the fall —This makes pelletizing essential. 
• Know the competition — Growers in the Pacific Northwest.

Keep checking The Hometown Hopyard blog for more tips and highlights from the conference. I'll be posting all week. 

Cheers and Happy St. Patrick's Day.