Beer made with Apopka hops hailed ‘Fresh From Florida’
Elliot Meyer savored every sip of Apopka Hop Pale Ale, a craft beer brewed with plants some people think can revive the region’s struggling greenhouses.
Meyer, 36, a beer enthusiast in Apopka, drove to First Magnitude Brewing in Gainesville this month for a taste of the ale, the first made with only Floridagrown hops. A flowering plant related to marijuana, hops give beer its flavor.
“I was thinking, ‘Good for Apopka,’ ” he said of Orange County’s second-largest city, home to dozens of greenhouses, many of which once grew Easter peace lilies and colorful crotons but are now idle or failing.
The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services hailed the ale as “Fresh From Florida,” a designation typically stamped on blueberries, oranges and sweet corn grown in the Sunshine State.
The first-of-its-kind beer used
six varieties of hops harvested from plants grown in Apopka as part of a University of Florida research project that showed the crop can thrive in Florida’s humid subtropical climate. Most of the nation’s hops are grown in the Pacific Northwest.
“To be able to say these came from Florida, that’s a big deal,” said John Denny, who brewed the test barrel of Apopka Hop to spread the word about the ongoing research of the plant at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ campus near Lake Apopka.
But the research may be an even bigger deal for ailing growers, who hope the flowers that gave the brew its citrus flavor, a peppery bite and its name could be a profitable new specialty crop.
The beer got a thumbsup from Apopka Mayor Joe Kilsheimer, who attended the tasting event.
“It all ties into this local food phenonenon, where local is fresher, better,” the mayor said. “It could be a tremendous opportunity for Florida.”
The idea that hops can grow in Florida has gone from a weird concept to reality, said Ricky Burts, who has stopped raising blackeyed peas and tomatoes on a farm in Citrus County to focus on hops.
He said he has arrangements to sell his crop to nine microbreweries from Jacksonville to St. Petersburg.
“As soon as I have a harvest, it’s gone.”
The economic recession that hit the state in 2007-2008 forced many mom-and-pop nurseries to shut down or look for other things to grow. In 2009, for example, indoor foliage sales fell to $310 million, down $144 million from 2007, a 33 percent drop in two years.
Although Florida’s foliage industry is back in bloom — up $98 million to $543 million in 2015, bigger operations — such as Miami-based Costa Farms — that provide indoor and patio plants to The Home Depot, Lowe’s and other big-box stores have enjoyed the resurgence far more than Apopka’s little guys.
The healthier sales also don’t account for increased production costs, including labor and insurance.
Smaller growers are still looking for something to lift them out of hard times, experts say.
“As a potential new crop, Florida hops is certainly generating a lot of worthy excitement,” said Ben Bolusky, Orlando-based CEO of the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association.
The buzz is fueled by a spike in craft beers and specialty brews.
“We’ve lit a fire of curiosity in these growers because of our successful trials,” said Brian Pearson, assistant professor of environmental horticulture and director of the University of Florida’s hops research.
His team grew the aromatic and flavorful plants in a greenhouse at the Apopka campus and planted a “Hop Yard” within sight of State Road 429.
The small plot of ground is lined with 20-foot-tall trellises to accommodate the climbing plants, which can grow up to a foot a day.
Researcher Richard Smith, whose lab chair bears a sticker that reads “Will Work for Beer,” tends to the flowering plants in the greenhouse and yard.
He suggested the test ale be named “Ahopka.”
Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson, whose family has grown roses commercially for decades, also quaffed the beer at the Gainesville event and came away impressed not only with the taste, but also the economic implications for local growers.
“We have all these greenhouses. They’ve been struggling mightily,” Nelson said, citing changes that have shrunk profit margins for local growers. “But if you can turn from growing houseplants to growing hops, well, the craft-beer industry is heading straight to the moon.”
In Florida, the number of craft breweries has tripled since 2011 to 151 in 2015, according to the Brewers Association, which tracks trends and the industry by state. In two consecutive years, the state led the nation in the number of new craft brewery openings.
Florida brewers produced 1.2 million barrels of craft beer in 2015, about 2.5 gallons for each person 21 or older in Florida.
Pearson, who planted hops in a greenhouse about five years ago, fields two or three calls a day about his research, some from as far away as Brazil. Citrus farmers ask about switching to hops. Microbreweries want to buy the next harvest. A Disney-area resort wants to establish a “hop yard” on its property to use in an on-site brewery.
“I’ve tried to convince them to keep it small for now,” Pearson said, saying more study is needed to improve yields and growing protocols. “Our research trials have shown, yes, we can grow it. But the question now is, ‘Can it be profitable?’ ”
Thirsty for an Apopka Hop Pale Ale? Too bad.
The 31-gallon test barrel, divided into 120 bottles and a 15-gallon keg, sold out in 20 minutes. Brewer John Denny said the ale isn’t currently on First Magnitude’s production schedule, but the beer’s enthusiastic welcome calls for another round.