What's Hop'pening in Northwest New Mexico? Hops (Humulus lupulus) Trials Summary 2009 to 2014

U.S. hop (Humulus lupulus) production and processing is centralized in the Pacific Northwest (e.g. Yakima Valley, Washington State).  There is, however, evidence that New Mexico craft brewers would be interested in purchasing their hops from a local grower. Cursory research indicates that some standard hop cultivars grow well in Northern NM, even possessing certain terroir characteristics.  For instance, in Farmington, NM, Cascade attained 9.8% alpha acids and 6.1% beta-acids, higher than literature values reported for the same cultivar when grown in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, hybrids bred from Humulus lupulus var. neomexicana, indigenous to the mountains of northern New Mexico, could potentially allow small-scale farmers in New Mexico to approach growing hops as a small-scale, specialty crop that craft brewers can use to produce unique New Mexico branded beer styles which in turn would help boost local economies and add another angle to the ‘locally grown’ trend presently experienced across the U.S.  While New Mexico might play a role in the hops market, the production/processing/market  model will look much different than the Pacific Northwest and will be small-scale in nature.  Communications with a small number of local hops growers, brewers, and researchers identified the following barriers to small-scale commercial hops production in New Mexico: 1) Lack of knowledge on cultivar adaptability across growing conditions. 2) Limited understanding of the target market, New Mexico breweries, and how the needs of this market could be met by New Mexico growers. 3) Limited direct marketing schemes for locally produced hops in the state. 4) Limited educational opportunities for New Mexico producers to gain more knowledge on the crop. 5) Limited small-scale mechanization of key labor intensive processes such as picking and pelletizing. This research aims to evaluate the prospects for small-scale hops production in New Mexico and to assess New Mexico craft brewer’s perceptions about utilizing locally produced hops.