Peter Lines and NZ Hops

Peter Lines is part of NZ Hops Limited, which is a grower co-operative based in Nelson. Hops have been grown in the region for more than 150 years and his family have been growing them for 5 generations. At last count there are around 19 hop growers in the Nelson region, but that may be soon set to grow following a buoyant few years for the craft brewing industry both here and overseas.

The NZ Hops co-op is supported by a plant breeding programme that has been running since the 1950s. During the last decade, new hop cultivars have focused on the quality of aromatic cultivars. There are currently 15 unique NZ varieties including Motueka, Pacifica, Riwaka and the very popular Nelson Sauvin.

In the 2015 season there was a total of close to 400ha harvested and a total volume of 750,000 kgs.

Over 90% of the 2015 crop was sold prior to harvest and there’s every indication that the 2016 season will be the same.

The Lines family have been farming on land at Wai-iti for over 170 years. At last count Peter has around 12ha in hops, along with table grapes grown largely for juice.

He says the hop market has historically had a “boom and bust” cycle but that has settled down in recent years. That’s in part thanks to a broader customer base for the hops grown by NZ Hops growers and the craft brewing revolution.

The Line’s “hop garden” has a range of hop cultivars. In general terms there are aroma hops which are grown for flavour and alpha hops which are grown for bitterness. Roughly three quarters of Peter’s crop is in aroma varieties.

Setting up the ‘garden’ is expensive involving specialised growing, picking and drying equipment. The plants need a warm climate and full sun but are susceptible to strong winds. They require plenty of water and fertilizer during the growing season.

Peter says Nelson provides ideal growing conditions for hops – good rainfall, good climate and relatively little wind. He says hops also like winter chill.

In general terms there are few pests and diseases that can affect the plant.

The hop plants grow rapidly during the season, by some accounts as much as 25cm a day. Harvest usually starts in late February to early March. Growers check the “cones” for maturity themselves or can send their cones into Plant and Food for testing.

On the Lines’ garden, the hop vines are cut and then hauled onto a trailer to be taken to the picking machine. This flicks the cones off and processes them further to remove any stem or leaf.

The cones are then taken to the drying facility (kiln or oast house), where they’re spread out on the floor and warm air is pumped through them.

Peter and a group of friends run the Totara Brewing Company which is based on his farm. It has the distinction of being one of the few breweries in NZ where they make beer using hops grown on the farm. Peter says although they liked beer, buying the brewery equipment was ‘a spur of the moment thing’. A local brewery was struggling and he and his friends were able to secure the brewing equipment at a very good price.

Although he was an experienced hop grower he says brewing was something he knew very little about. so he and his friends employed a brewer to teach them the ropes.

Most of the beer is sold in and around Nelson. Brewing tends to be fitted in around other farm work.