PUTTING IN THE GROUNDWORK
INGREDIENTS
BROOK HOUSE HOPS IS THE ONLY HOP FARM IN THE UK TO HAVE A FULL-TIME AGRONOMIST LOOKING AFTER ITS 400 ACRES OF HOPS. HERE DAVIDE COMPAGNO DISCUSSES HIS ROLE AND HOW HE’S USING THE LATEST SOIL ANALYSIS TECH TO GET DETAILED INSIGHTS INTO THEIR ENGLISH HOP CROPS.
brewersjournal.info
G
rowing hops isn’t
natural biome, rather than rely purely on
easy. Growing hops
imported mineral fertiliser, will translate
that are bursting with
into more aromatic oils for the brewer’s
the amazing range of
beer, and will be significantly more
aromatics and subtle
sustainable in the long term.
flavours that the best brewers demand,
Achieving this balance is good news
is harder still.
for our customers and for the local environment.
We pride ourselves on the quality of the hops we grow and are fortunate that our
To help us work towards this we have
natural Herefordshire terroir provides an
invested in the latest high resolution soil
excellent starting point.
mapping technology and equipment
However, ensuring that our hops
and our very own agronomy expert to
continue to deliver consistent quality
give us a detailed understanding of soil
year after year requires careful daily
and crop health.
monitoring of the various pests and
We believe we are the only UK hop farm
diseases that could undo all of our hard
to have our own full-time agronomist
work as well as a detailed knowledge of
looking after over 400 acres of hops
the health and condition of our soil.
across our two farms.
Recent research has shown that the
Part of my role involves actively
local soil biome (the microorganisms
managing the health and condition of
present in soil) has a significant effect on
our soil and to ensure that wherever
the flavour in hops.
possible we are introducing more
We hope that building up a strong
sustainable farming practices.
MAY~JUNE 2021
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