If you want to get to know hops better – not just like them, but completely nerd out – then it's possible the pandemic has done you a favour.
You see, ordinarily at this time of year the team at Hop Products Australia would be gearing up for their annual harvest at their homes in Tassie and Victoria. But unless you'd scored an invite, the sensory splendours of the physical harvest would have been off limits anyway. But this year the in-person festivities are off limits, so they're taking the experience online and opening it up to everyone.
Beginning March 1, they're hosting a month's worth of virtual events that will take you behind the scenes of the harvest and even further beyond that.
Sessions will include tours of HPA's facilities, a deep dive into the rising star hop variety that is Eclipse, sharing tips on ways to make the most of your once-a-year opportunity to brew with green hops, the murky world of hop contracts, chats with legendary brewers around the world, responsibility and sustainability, plus plenty more.
And the best part? It's all free!
While the online harvest doesn't allow for the inimitable experience of rubbing fresh hop cones through your hair, the convenience of learning loads about hops while kicking back in your comfiest chair simply can't be beat.
Explore the full schedule and register here.
Read more about the background to the Virtual Harvest.
