Hop growers look to new parts of US to slake かわき for 刈る
GORHAM, Maine (AP) ― Geoff Keating grows a prized 工場／植物 at the northeastern 辛勝する／優位 of the country, some 3,000 miles away from the 地域 of America most associated with his 刈る ― hops.
Americans' growing かわき for bitter, flavor-packed styles of beer has brought an 前例のない 需要・要求する for hops, so growers are looking to new places to 収穫 its flowers.
Hops are used to 供給する bitterness, aroma and flavor to beer. It the U.S., the 広大な 大多数 are grown in Washington 明言する／公表する, with 重要な numbers grown in Oregon and Idaho. But hop growers in 明言する／公表するs like Michigan, New York and Maine, where Geoff Keating runs the Hop Yard farm in Gorham and Fort Fairfield, are starting to ramp up 生産／産物.
In this Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 photo 熟した hop flowers hang from hop 工場／植物s at the Hamblen Farm in Gorham, Maine. Hops are used in brewing beer to give the （水以外の）飲料 it's bitter flavor. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The growth dovetails with （手先の）技術 beer's growth, and its passion for using 地元の 成分s.
"As far as Maine-grown hops, anything done at good 質 that's coming out of Maine is 存在 used by brewers," Keating said. "We have 限られた／立憲的な 供給（する）."
The 需要・要求する for hops is high, in part, because of America's obsession with India pale ales, which use large 量s of hops to create flavors and aromas that 解任する fruit and pine. Total U.S. hop acreage grew by almost 20 パーセント to more than 53,000 acres this year, によれば the Hop Growers of America. And brewers still often 支配する about 不足s of some hop varieties.
In the U.S., the 量 of acreage outside of the 太平洋の Northwest 明言する／公表するs grew from いっそう少なく than 900 in 2014 to more than 1,200 last year to nearly 2,100 this year, the growers 協会 公式文書，認めるd. Michigan's acreage 二塁打d to 650 this year, and Wisconsin's grew by nearly 75 パーセント to almost 300 acres.
"We are certainly getting a lot of calls from people 説 they would like to be hop growers," said Jaki Brophy, spokeswoman for the growers 協会. "There has been an 利益／興味 in growing outside of the 太平洋の Northwest."
Prices for hops have also been high in 最近の years, even as the total 量 of hop acreage and 続けざまに猛撃するs of hops produced 攻撃する，衝突するs 記録，記録的な／記録する highs. The price of hops can 変化させる 広範囲にわたって based on the variety ― there are hundreds, some of which are proprietary ― but the 普通の／平均（する） price of U.S. hops rose from $3.67 to $4.38 per 続けざまに猛撃する last year.
The availability of hops can be a 関心 for brewers, 特に those who 貿易（する） in hoppy beer, and 地元の growing can help make a difference, said Tim Adams, brewmaster of Oxbow Beer, in Portland, Maine.
"The 集団の／共同の palate of the world is way into very hoppy beers ― IPAs and 二塁打 IPA," Adams said. "It's a 自然に 限られた／立憲的な 資源 and 需要・要求する seems to be 増加するing at a 率 that is much greater than 供給（する）."
The 生産／産物 outside of the 太平洋の Northwest hasn't yet reached the level where it can make a 劇の 衝撃 on the 国家の hop 貿易（する）. And big brewers like Anheuser-Busch, which are the 競争相手 of （手先の）技術 beer and （問題を）取り上げる much more of the U.S. beer market, are 潜在的に いっそう少なく 衝撃d by fluctuations in the availability of hops.
Anheuser-Busch also operates its own hop farms, in the U.S., Germany and Argentina. The growth of hops in places like Michigan and Maine is ありそうもない to 影響する／感情 the company or other beer 巨大（な）s.
But Bart Watson, 長，指導者 経済学者 with the Brewers 協会, which 代表するs 3,200 beer 製造者s from bucket brewing 操作／手術s to 地域の players, said the spread of hops around the country 反映するs a growing 利益／興味 in 地元で sourced beer. He 推定する／予想するs the 傾向 to continue.
Pat Tiernan, 長，指導者 operating office of Escondido, Calif.-based 石／投石する Brewing Company, said it's possible that hops grown outside of 伝統的な areas might impart a わずかに different flavor or aroma. He said players in （手先の）技術 beer are watching.
"In new areas, you've got to keep your ear to the ground," he said.
In this Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 photo Peter Busque 削減（する）s hops from tall trellises during the 収穫 at the Hamblen Farm in Gorham, Maine. Hop growers, once 位置を示すd 排他的に in the 太平洋の Northwest, are 支店ing out to nontraditional 明言する／公表するs like Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
In this Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 photo Charlie Hamblen 料金d hops into a machine that （土地などの）細長い一片s the flower from the 工場／植物 at his farm in Gorham, Maine. An 差し迫った hop 不足 is 危険にさらすing beer making in America, where hoppy （手先の）技術 ales are king. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
In this Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 photo a 調印する at a Gorham, Maine farm 示すs a field of hops typically grown in Oregon. Hop growers, once 位置を示すd 排他的に in the 太平洋の Northwest, are 支店ing out to nontraditional 明言する／公表するs, like Maine.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
