Hopfields flourish in Poperinge

Bart Boeraeve with wife Annebel and their two children: “I want to tell the story of our product.”

BELGIAN HOPS LABEL

Breweries are increasingly strengthening their regional links and are happy to be able to add a Belgian Hops label to their bottles. The logo (owned by non-profit HOP), confirms that the brewery has made a conscious choice for Belgian-grown hops and quality. Belhop has the colourful label displayed prominently on its shed front. “I think it’s important to take pride in your product. If you’re a hop farmer, you can proudly declare: my hops are here, in this bottle.”

It’s the calm before the storm when Bart Boeraeve shows us around Belhop, the hop business he runs with his wife Annebel. A peaceful pause before September, when the hop cones blow through the air in clumps. Then it’s all hands on deck, and the scent of hops wafts right through Poperinge.

TEXT ELISE VANHECKE PHOTO JOKE COUVREUR

Bart Boeraeve (42), is a father of two and is himself the son of a hop farmer. It was only a few years ago, when his father gradually moved towards retirement, that he first started feeling the itch to join the family tradition as the fifth generation of hop farmers. “My father and grandfather were true professionals and established a strong foundation, but I’m no typical farmer myself”, he laughs. “The hop and beer sector is dynamic. It’s hip. I’m not just a farmer: Annebel and I want to tell our story, the story of our product, from here in Poperinge.”

HOP FROM HERE

What is it that makes Poperinge hops so unique? Why is the name known as far away as America? “Authenticity is a key factor – and our good soil, of course. We still have 18 hop producers in Poperinge, who farm 160 hectares of hop between them. What we grow is top quality and there are still a lot of traditional varieties cultivated here.” That’s why Bart Boeraeve believes in keeping things local, and he welcomes brewers as well as tourists to his business. “It was the first thing I changed when I took over from my father. I wanted to sell directly to Belgian brewers. I’m proud of my product and I want people to see that.”

PICKING IN POPERINGE

Bart gives us a quick glimpse of the hop vines laden with light-green hops, almost ripe for picking. In just a couple of weeks, the vines will be cut and taken to the gigantic machine in the shed, which will strip off the leaves and branches and sort the hops. That’s where the lupulin is contained: the yellow substance that gives beer its aroma and flavour and also acts as a preservative. But that’s not just yet. We still have time for a beer. “We developed Saison Lokaal ourselves. It’s a very smallscale production, but uses 100% our own hops... of course! It’s our house beer. Want to try one?” 