WOOSTER, Ohio — Hops were produced in Ohio in the late 1800s and early 1900s but less-than-desirable growing conditions saw hops production move to the Pacific Northwest because of better growing conditions.

As Ohio becomes home to more craft brewers, its farmers are once again turning their attention to hops as a crop for their operations. “Craft brewers want to use Ohio hops; they will be the quintessential customer for Ohio-grown hops,” said Richard Ransom.

He is a scientist with Actual Brewing Co. in Columbus, and a presenter at the Ohio Hops and Craft Brewers Conference at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster last month.

What makes the ideal hops for Ohio brewers? When it comes to sourcing for breweries, several factors come into play, according to Ransom. Ideally, a brewer would like a free source of hops – but free is not an option for most growers, so they need to find a way to make their product stand out.

Ransom said for brewers such as Actual Brewing, hops should be fresh, instantly and completely desirable, leave nothing unpleasant behind and be something a brewer is proud to include in their product because it helps them sell more beer.

“Brewers will pay a premium for high-quality, fresh hops with a unique flavor,” he explained. “They want a product that imparts everything desirable. Brewers love variety and weirdness; grow or develop a unique and interesting variety of hops.”

Ransom said brewers want a lot of interesting chemicals in their hops. He said those chemicals impact the aroma and bittering brewers want in their beer. “Brewers want a product that is aromatic, with a defined bitterness. They want hops that are available in a wide variety of bittering capacities and aroma profiles.”

He added if a brewer is looking for a unique profile for their beer, they should work with an established grower and develop a beer unique to their brewery.

Ransom said adequate nutrition for the plants is critical for the hops to produce the desired chemicals. “You can’t treat hops like soybeans,” he pointed out. “Soil types have an impact on hops. If you want certain traits in your hops, you have to select varieties that will grow in Ohio.”

 He recommends the soil pH be between 6.0-6.5. Hops use about 150 pounds of nitrogen per year, per acre, and 100 pounds of phosphorous. But Ransom said most of the phosphorous stays in the leaves and stem of the plant. Hops also need micronutrients to enhance the chemicals that add an interesting flavor to the beer.

Consistency is critical for a quality product, according to Ransom.

“Bittering and aromas shouldn’t vary greatly from year to year,” he said. “They should be consistent within batches and not even vary greatly within that year’s crop. If the product doesn’t look good and it doesn’t smell good, brewers aren’t going to buy it. Any bad handling will come through in the product.”

When growers package their hops for sale, they should flush the pack with argon gas and vacuum-pack their product. He said argon gas preserves the product much better than nitrogen gas.

“Brewers want hops that are packaged and stored carefully at low temperatures and protected from oxygen, moisture and light.” He suggested growers pelletize their hops to make it more efficient for brewers to process, as it simplifies the brewing process.

“Very few brewers will buy your hops if it is not pelletized,” he noted.

An added benefit of pelletized hops, according to Ransom, is the fact the machines are easier to clean. Finally, brewers want hops they are proud to include in their beer because it helps them sell more of their product.

“Ohio brewers want people to talk about Ohio-style beer in the same way they associate ales with England or pilsner with Pilsen,” he explained. “They want hops that are unique to Ohio.”