Goose Island Shanghai Brewery celebrated fresh hop harvest
Goose Island celebrated the hop harvest season with Chinese consumers at the Chicago beer brand’s brewery in Shanghai.
The Goose Island Brewhouse in Shanghai features 2 floors, with a jump away and a bar with 29 taps. Earlier, the brewer hosted a party that offered a range of interactive experiences showcasing the brewing process, while celebrating a successful harvest of fresh hops with Chinese consumers.
Recognized as a pioneering craft beer brand in China, Goose Island highlighted how it values the importance of raw materials. Last year, the brewery established a hop farm in Jinshan, Shanghai, to grow fresh hops for use in its beers.
The project began in May 2021, where Budweiser China – the parent company of Goose Island and part of ABInBev – jointly developed an indoor vertical hop planting technology with a local agricultural technology company. Together they grew the classic Cascade hops for making Goose Island IPA. . Through continuous exploration and practice, the yield of indoor grown hops has gradually increased, reaching a production capacity of 3800 kg per hectare; whereas compared to the traditional cultivation of hops, the production per hectare was only 1,600 to 2,000 kg.
This summer, the yield of indoor-grown hop planting reached a new high, surpassing the traditional planting method. Compared to the results of the first phase of indoor hop planting, the yield has since increased fourfold. In addition, in the hydroponic setting, the privileged growing conditions of Cascade hops can be replicated in Shanghai, resulting in a good harvest.
To better pursue the exploration and cultivation of hops, Goose Island also introduced more high-quality hop varieties to the project and used the fresh harvested hops to brew a series of craft beers in Goose Island for Chinese consumers. .
This year, in addition to the success of locally grown Cascade hops, the indoor hop farm also simulated hop growing conditions in Europe and also started growing Saaz hops.
According to the brand, this indoor vertical hop planting project is a significant attempt by the company to practice climate action and smart farming. According to statistics from the agency, compared with traditional planting, the land use of indoor planting is 90% lower, and the use of water, fertilizer and energy can be further reduced. by 80%. In addition, as the rearing conditions are very controlled, it also guarantees food safety.
The group revealed that they plan to further develop the local fresh hops farm and, in the future, plan to add more varieties of hops to their remit to help brew a wider range of beer styles for the market.
