Greenhouse-Grown Hops? Florida Scientists Brewing up New Potential
May 8, 2024 
Greenhouse-grown hops could be what helps Florida craft beer brewers belly up to the best in the business. A new study conducted by UF/IFAS researchers is tracking impressive results so far.
Photo by Paul Rusnak
University of Florida scientists have been endeavoring for years to make hops a staple crop of the Sunshine State. Less-than-ideal growing conditions though (shorter daylength, weather extremes, disease pressures, among others) remain a challenge and have ultimately kept beer’s main ingredient a novelty crop in Florida — so far. That could be changing sooner than later thanks to a new study that puts hop production in greenhouses.
UF/IFAS Assistant Professor Katherine Thompson-Witrick is leading the study backed by a grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. According to Thompson-Witrick, growing hops under cover has “never been done in Florida.”
The ultimate objective, according to UF/IFAS, is to develop hop production practices that “maximize aromatic and flavor characteristics” comparable to those from traditional domestic craft beer-brewing locations in the Pacific Northwest.
Good Growth
Since January 2023, the research team has harvested two crops of hops from a greenhouse at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka. Another harvest there is on target for this June. Initial results of the project have been impressive. In April 2023, 20, 2-inch-tall seedlings of ‘Cascade’ and ‘Chinook’ were planted inside the greenhouse. Three months later, the plants had reached 20 feet tall!
“We saw a substantial amount of growth in the first nine months of this project, which is really outstanding and amazing for us,” Thompson-Witrick says in a UF/IFAS news release.
Supplemental greenhouse lighting has helped achieve the 16 hours of daylight needed for optimal growth. Florida’s natural daylength maxes at around 13 hours. UF/IFAS plant breeders are currently working on varieties that can accommodate the shorter daylength.
For now though, the greenhouse-growing hops project is showing tremendous production promise. This could be a game changer for Florida-grown hops and the local craft beer market. Thompson-Witrick reports preliminary research on the growth and flowering rates of the Apopka plants suggest the same yield of hops (per plant) as Yakima Valley.
Tracking Terroir
As for sharpening the unique aromatic and flavor qualities of Florida hops, Thompson-Witrick’s study is employing sensory trainings. These are being conducted to help distinguish what makes Florida hops stand out from commercial hops grown elsewhere. The training will eventually give way to official blind testing.
I’ve been following the journey of Florida’s hop dreams for several years. It’s good to see a strong outside and now inside game plan in play. Cheers to what develops next!
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