Future proofing British Hops

British hop growers are facing a time of unprecedented need for new, aroma hop varieties that can compete with the imported hops that are predominantly used by breweries. Not only is there a need for competitive varieties, cultivars must also be highly resilient to changing climate conditions and biotic stressors. To boost hop acreage and encourage a return to UK production locally adapted, environmentally resilient varieties are needed.

Hop breeding in the 21st Century

Today, breeding of new hop varieties is achieved through classical breeding practices. This means that individual hop plants are selected based on their expressed traits such as habit, yield, pest and disease resistances, flavour and aroma. When it comes to breeding a new cultivar, hop breeders rely on information about genetic inheritance and select parents that can pass on useful traits to their progeny. When crosses are made, the agronomical performance and brewing potential of individual seedlings are assessed throughout a long selection process that can take up to 10-12 years.

The use of modern breeding techniques such as genetic markers could add tremendous value to the national hop breeding programme and to the UK hop industry. Genetic markers are biological tools that can be used to confirm interesting breeding traits such as high yield, disease resistance, aroma and flavour in new hop varieties.

Marker assays could be used as simple, low-cost laboratory tests on young hop seedlings and would decouple the need of visually confirming disease resistance/susceptibility of breeding lines.

Wye Hops research objectives

  • Breeding for traits without the need of visually assessing plants
  • Shortening the painstakingly long selection process
  • Responding to disease and climate challenges quicker
  • Fast tracking the development of new, desirable British hop varieties for the home brewing industry

Can we improve our breeding practices?

I love Jester, its exactly what we needed from a new UK hop.  It brings some of the flavours I love in new world hops like grapefruit and gooseberry, but it does it in its own way.

Fergus Fitzgerald, Head Brewer, Adnams