Harvesting Hops
Land of hops and glory Nelson is a mecca to beer brewers worldwide. As another bountiful hops harvest rolls in, Alistair Hughes investigates how district growers came to be champions. PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE HUSSEY
“H
ops are a wicked and pernicious weed,” King Henry VIII supposedly said – though he was responsible for much worse pronouncements. No doubt many expressed a similar sentiment when Germanic hopped beer was introduced to medieval England. The style was previously unknown to British brewers, who relied on malt alone. Crying into their beer was to be of no avail, however – the hop was there to stay, and centuries later found its way to New Zealand shores. Captain James Cook himself is credited with becoming the first brewer in New Zealand, concocting an ale after the Resolution sailed into Dusky Sound in 1773. Although the first commercial brewery was founded in the Bay of Islands the following century, Nelson soon became the region most associated with beer making. Dr Thomas Renwick and George Hooper opened their brewery on the corner of Tasman and Hardy Streets in 1842, and became the first to export beer – back to England – in 1845. By the 1850s large hop gardens had been established in the area by brewers, and local farmers soon followed suit, planting hops as a cash crop on their newly cleared land. The industry has seen many ups and downs over the ensuing decades, but a long history combined with a willingness to adapt with the times has meant that hop vines are still a prominent feature of the Tasman landscape. Perhaps less so just at the moment, as growers bring the last of their harvest in – the busiest time of their year.
Hops in her DNA
Annette Eggers, Marketing and Export Manager of Freestyle Hops, is from a well-established Upper Moutere farming family. The Eggers had grown hops since 1888, and Annette’s parents gradually expanded the operation to 119ha, before selling the farm to Freestyle Hops in 2016. “I was away working in the film industry and I came back to help out for three months,” says Annette. “Two years later I’m still here and I enjoy it.” 32