Homogeneity is the name of the game in certain circles of brewing—whether it’s massive brewers who standardize their hop lots by blending before pelletizing, or it’s hop companies that blend lots to iron out highs and lows in a particular crop year.
On the other end of that spectrum is Pete Gillespie and his team at Garage Project and Hāpi Research, disrupting the collective quest for like-minded optimization while prioritizing the expression and individuality that are core to the idea of craft beer. In their brewing program—and in their partnership to pursue new hop varieties—character and unique experiences are the name of the game, and they’re putting significant investment behind the pursuit.
In this episode, Gillespie discusses:
- using supporting hops to accentuate lead hop characters
- the impact of pick time on hop expression
- variations within single field blocks of hop varieties
- the dynamic shift in Nelson Sauvin over the picking window
- terroir’s impact on hop flavor and aroma
- exploring diverse growing areas for hops in New Zealand
- surprise impact in this year’s hops, including varieties such as Southern Cross
- the inscrutable challenge and benefit of Riwaka
- Hāpi Research’s investment in developing new Kiwi hop varieties
- secrets of selecting Southern Hemisphere hops
And more.
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