Connecticut scientists testing hops, with an eye toward feeding the state’s beer industry In Windsor, agricultural lab testing flowers used in beer

James Lamondia, a chief scientist at the CAES, talks about how hop plants grow vertically in the summer time. Now, due to colder temperatures, the plants are dormant. New vines will begin to sprout in the spring. less James Lamondia, a chief scientist at the CAES, talks about how hop plants grow vertically in the summer time. Now, due to colder temperatures, the plants are dormant. New vines will begin to sprout in the ... more Photo: Anna Bisaro — New Haven Register Photo: Anna Bisaro — New Haven Register Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Connecticut scientists testing hops, with an eye toward feeding the state’s beer industry 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

WINDSOR >> Though it’s been months since hops were ripe and ready for harvest in Connecticut, walking through the quarter acre plot of hop plants at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, there’s a faint beer-like scent from the dried out flowers that were left behind.

The flowers of hop plants, conveniently called hops, are used regularly in beer making, to provide bitterness, flavor, and act as a preserver.

The CAES is actively working to figure out how best to expand production of hops, not just at the research station, but throughout the state.

“We got started on hops because it was something growers were interested in,” said James Lamondia, a chief scientist at the state lab that oversees the hop plant research.

“Brewers wanted local hops for beer production,” he said.

Thanks to a $63,000 grant awarded earlier this year, the research station can expand its experimentation to test more than 40 different hop varieties.

“We’ve shown we can get good crops here and we can get good growth and yield,” Lamondia said.

Prior to receiving the new funding, the lab was looking at the resilience and production of only five hop plant varieties on the lab’s farm. Each hop plant variety has its own unique flavors, Lamondia said.

“We’re trying to get more acres in Connecticut dedicated to growing crops that will end up in Connecticut beer,” said George Krivda, chief of staff for the state Department of Agriculture.”We know there’s a popular local movement.”

“Folks want products that don’t rely on long distances for transport,” Krivda added.

Interest from local craft brewers and farmers alike helped inspire this research at CAES, which began in the summer of 2013.

While hop plants can grow wildly in Connecticut, the research at CAES is focused on how best to cultivate the different varieties and how best to ward off common diseases such as downy mildew, which will leave an infected plant yellowing and producing unappetizing spores, Lamondia said.

Many of the hop plants that are at the research station were bred to fight off the disease, he said, but the researchers have also found that regularly trimming leaves helps increase airflow to the vines and allows for drier conditions that the pathogen cannot survive in. In addition, some herbicides have been tested for use in fighting off the disease, he said.

Lamondia also said that they have only planted female hop plants because it’s the female hops that are used in beer production.

On tap

Downy mildew thrives in moist and humid areas, Lamondia said, which is why most hops are grown in the drier regions of the Pacific Northwest.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2016 saw a record high for the number of acres planted for hop production and was projected to be up to 51,115 acres in the Pacific Northwest. That is up 17 percent from 2015, according to the federal agriculture department. Washington state produces the largest quantity of hops in the country, the USDA reported this year.

But, like with any other plant that makes its way into food or drink, the environment it’s grown in can have an effect on flavor.

“Even the same variety growing the Pacific Northwest would have a different flavor,” Lamondia said. “The environment affects how the plants grow… and informs flavor characteristics in the hops.”

Hops can be used right after a harvest in beer making, or can be freeze dried and preserved for another time, Lamondia said. The lab provides some fresh hops to local brewers, will dry some, and sends some to the University of Vermont to be tested for quality.

There were no statistics available for hops production in Connecticut available from the USDA, but Lamondia said that some state farmers are farming hops now, though it may only be a few dozen acres statewide. The CAES oversees the quarter of an acre of hops in Windsor and a a half acre in Hamden.

Krivda said that state farmers are not required to provide information about hops production, so the department does not have accurate statistics about how many acres are being cultivated for hops right now.

But, now that the hops production is underway, Krivda said the next step is growing enough barley in the state to encourage malters to come to Connecticut, or people that can malt grains, like barley, to be used in beer production.

“We’re trying to get more areas in Connecticut dedicated to growing crops that will end up in Connecticut beer,” Krivda said.

To make 1,000 gallons of beer, a brewer needs 130 pounds of dried hops and 1,300 pounds of malted grains, according to Krivda. That means 1,000 gallons of beer requires 4 and ½ acres of hop plants and 8 and ½ acres of barley.