Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Canada's brewing industry is thriving. The number of licensed breweries in Canada tripled from 380 breweries in 2013 to 1210 in 2020 with the growth driven mostly by small breweries specializing in craft beers. Hops are responsible for the aroma and flavour in beer and the demand for craft beers has caused demand for hops to surge. However, Canadian hop growers are struggling because foreign-hold patents prohibit Canadian farmers from growing many of the hop varieties most favoured by craft brewers. The Canadian hop industry requires supportive resources from the scientific community to develop their own unique hop varieties with desirable flavour and aroma characteristics that are attractive to craft brewers. Developing new hop varieties is a lengthy and time-consuming process; it can take decades to bring a new variety into the market. An alternative approach is to identify novel hop varieties in the wild, as hop plants can naturally cross-pollinate, resulting in new genetic traits and chemical characteristics. By identifying and studying wild hop plants, we can potentially discover new hop varieties that have unique flavour and aroma profiles, disease resistance, and high yields. With its mild winters and long, sunny summers, southern BC was once the largest hop producer in the British Commonwealth. Although most of the pioneering hop farms have long since ceased operation, many of the varieties originally planted in BC have escaped and seeded wild populations (i.e. feral). These 'heirloom' feral hops are randomly mating in the wild and producing genetically novel hop varieties that are unique to BC. The proposed project will build upon research funded by a NSERC CCI ARD (2021) grant that found BC feral hops to be both genetically and chemically diverse. In addition, the study identified at least three feral hops possessing the chemical characteristics desired by craft brewers. In this proposed research, we will evaluate the commercialization potential of BC feral hops through a four-stage process: 1) assess downy mildew resistance in BC feral hops by using a combination of field and lab studies, 2) perform a metabolomics analysis on hops to characterize their brewing characteristics, 3) establish efficient and rapid micropropagation techniques for large-scale hop production, and 4) conduct brewing trials and sensory analysis of beers made from BC feral hops.