Apologies if this is old news, but I don't remember seeing it before . . . from
BTW does anyone else find this a bit unlikely - where it says something about how in the mid-1800s - early-1900s, 80% of the world's commercial hops were from 3 NY counties? cheers MikeMcG UK ____________________________________________ University, brewer help revive N.Y. hops By WILLIAM KATES The Associated Press
2/27/2004, 2:17 a.m. ETITHACA, N.Y. (AP) Pests, disease and Prohibition combined to ruin New York state's once thriving hops industry a half-century ago, but a researcher, brewer and several farmers are trying to lead a revival. They released a new specialty beer this week made entirely from hops grown in New York.
"My goal is to see what we can do over the next 50 years," Dan Mitchell, owner of Ithaca Beer, said as the new brew, a pale ale, was introduced.
"While the nostalgia is important, this is just a starting point of where we could be going. It is a potential new industry. We would like to see all New York-brewed beers use New York-grown hops," Mitchell said.
Hops are a member of the hemp family. The dried ripe cones of the female flowers are used for flavoring beer, ale and medicines.
From the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, three New York counties - Madison, Otsego and Oneida accounted for 80 percent of the world's commercially sold hops, said Dot Willsey of the Madison County Historical Society.
But by the early 1950s, commercial hop growing was dead in New York, said Keith Eisaman, whose family grew five acres of hops in Madison County and were possibly the state's last hops farmers.
"It was 1951. I remember it because no one would come to buy our hops
- they're still in the kiln. Everybody was buying them from out west," said Eisaman, now 74.
Duncan Hilchey, a Cornell University senior extension associate, helped develop the Northeast Hop Alliance, a group of farmers and brewers trying to revive hop growing in New York.
Hilchey said New York's hops failed because they were not resistant to disease like the newer varieties, nor could they produce the same yields as those being grown in Washington and Oregon. Researchers and historians have been looking at wild hops in New York to find any remaining native varieties, but Hilchey said they likely hold little promise because they will face the same disease and yield problems as before.
Beginning two years ago, Hilchey surveyed microbreweries, brewpubs and regional breweries and found that over two-thirds were interested in buying regionally grown hops if they were available.
"It's not going to go back to the multiple tens of millions of pounds we produced in the late 1800s. But it can become a small sideline enterprise again for many farmers," Hilchey said.
The new beer is made with hops grown by Rick Pedersen, of Seneca Castle, who started planting six years ago on a half-acre. He tried five varieties but cut back to three after experimenting the first few years. His hop crop consisted of the West Coast varieties Cascade, Williamette and Mt. Hood.
"I like to grow different things," said Pedersen, who grows vegetables on the rest of his 1,200-acre farm.
"I also like to drink quality beer. I had an idea that I would like my own brewery some day. I've given up on that idea but I still wanted to participate in the brewing industry," he said. "We started out of the blue, and had no idea who we would sell to. But I figured if I grew it they would come."
Production and packaging costs for New York growers are presently about 2 1/2 times more than they are for West Coast growers, he said. However, growers hope the new beer will become popular and bring a consumer demand for more New York grown hops, Pedersen said.
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