DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Hops are flourishing in the north, too


by EMILY BULMER


HAZELTON – The party was a- hoppin' at Bulkley Canyon Ranch, just outside of Hazelton, during their first ever Hazelton Hops Discovery Day, September 17. Ranch owners Laurie


Country Ways


Gallant and Bill Crosson have set out to become a northern hops producer to supply local craft breweries with their new enterprise, Hazelton Hops. The event was a chance to see, smell, touch and taste hops in their common liquid form and promote hops as a viable northern crop. Two northern microbreweries, Wheelhouse Brewing Company from Prince Rupert and Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse in Terrace, were present, providing samples of their beer.


With the cones ripening and ready for harvest, it was perfect timing to show off all their hard work. Laurie Gallant describes how it all began. "Year one (was) a huge learning curve. We did hours and hours of research before we could even choose which varieties we wanted to grow. We did a market survey with the brewers on Hwy 16 to ask them what kind of varieties they are using right now for brewing their beer and in what quantities, how much they spend per year on brewing hops right now, and what their position is on local hops and if they would be willing to switch suppliers if we could provide a product they were satisfied with,"


says Gallant.


After reading a feasibility study on growing hops in BC and doing some soil testing, Gallant and Crosson decided to go ahead with a trial. They selected a half acre site with good sun exposure and a nearby water source and began site preparation in the spring.


"We are really do-it-yourselfers and we picked the trees we wanted from our property and we charred them instead of using treated poles." In addition to the site prep, they researched what the climate change projections were for the area. "Based on (the climate change scenarios), we decided we could invest in some more late maturing varieties. In the end, we planted 10 varieties based on the feedback from the brewers, what was available from the suppliers and based on our own criteria of wanting to test early, mid and late season varieties and a mix of bittering and aroma and dual purpose hops. It was quite a complicated selection process."


Although the first year only yields about 5% of their estimated full production, Gallant and Crosson have started marketing their product and selling or trading their first hops this year.


"As we got closer to harvest time and other growers were sending emails to brewers, it was hard not to catch the wave... so we talked to the local brewers and decided that we were going to have Hazelton Hops Discovery Day."


In addition to targeting breweries, Hazelton Hops will be marketed for their medicinal qualities. Gallant recently held a plant medicine


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Hops are hardier than you think. EMILY BULMER PHOTO


workshop at the Bulkley Canyon Ranch, providing the opportunity to introduce an entirely different group of people to the benefits of the plant outside of brewing beer. "Mostly we want to build relationships... We are trying to position ourselves as promoting sustainable agriculture and promoting a sustainable local economy," she says.


Gallant and Crosson have much to do even after all the cones are harvested. Branding, creating a logo and waiting for the lab results from all the varieties they tested is just the


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beginning. The pair will also be attending hops festivals and touring established hops farms after the harvest this year to make connections and get more ideas.


"We want to project how much we want to expand next year and what varieties we want to concentrate on. In order to decide that, we need to stay abreast of what is going on (in the industry)."


Gallant and Crosson are certainly enjoying the process of starting this new venture,


"It’s exciting and really fun. The industry is full of great people."


The directors and staff of the Investment Agriculture Foundation would like to wish you and your families all the best for the upcoming holiday season.


Wishing all involved in British Columbia’s agri-food industry a healthy and prosperous 2017.


Wishing all involved in British Columbia’s agri-food industry a healthy and prosperous 2015.


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