Hops are the flowers of the plant Humulus lupulus, and their use is almost exclusively in the brewing of beer. They have been used for centuries for their flavour, but they are also a natural preservative. The characteristic bitter taste of most beer is a result of the hops, and brewers experiment with different types and quantities to give beers different flavours.

For the congress, the Flemish hops industry, which counts about 30 producers, published a brochure extolling the virtues of their hops and reminded participants about the special logo granted to beers containing at least 50% Belgian hops. The measures are intended to increase the market for local hop growers – because they are experiencing problems.

Out with the old

From a list of 234 available hop varieties, only one is indigenous to Flanders – the bitter hop called Record. The rest come from elsewhere in Europe and around the world, including New Zealand, South Africa, China and the US. Growers in Poperinge have complained that they lose out to competition from low-wage countries like Poland and the Czech Republic, but labour costs are probably not to blame: The Czech Republic has 11 varieties of hops, including Saaz, one of four classic varieties known as “noble”. Poland has nine varieties of local origin.

The industry in Flanders has transitioned in the last couple of decades from their indigenous, bitter hops to the more popular varieties that dominate the global market. Those varieties originate, though, in other regions and were imported here for planting. “There’s no reason why hop varieties can’t be transplanted here from its place of origin,” says beer connoisseur Pierre Zuber, who owns the Delices & Caprices beer-tasting shop in central Brussels.

“It’s exactly like in wine-making,” he continues. “In principle, it’s possible to transplant whatever variety into whatever terroir, but there’s a difference between being able to do it and producing an interesting result. The devil is in the detail. Clearly some terroirs are going to be more or less propitious for particular varieties.”

The question of terroir, which refers to the characteristics imparted to a crop by the particular place it is grown, is one that bothers some brewers. One of them is Yvan De Baets, co-founder of Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels, brewer of several beers, including the famed Zinnebir. “We don’t use Belgian hops for one reason only: They grow varieties from other countries,” he says. “They don’t have local varieties like they used to. If they were to go back to the old local varieties, we would make a beer with them, for sure. We know that Belgian hops are of good quality because we used them in the past. But now we’ve decided to use hops from the country of origin, from their original terroir.”

An even bigger problem for Flanders’ hop industry recently is the trend, emanating mainly from the United States, towards a more florid hop style in beers. Taking a lead from the popular IPA (India Pale Ale, brewed in England in the 19th century and strongly hopped for the long journey to India), craft brewers began adding more hops to their beers and using varieties with more pronounced floral and fruity flavours. European brewers followed suit, including the Flemings.

Last year Duvel launched a limited-edition triple hop beer featuring a “guest hop” – last year Citra from the US, this year the Japanese hop Sorachi Ace. Both offer big, bold – some would say exaggerated – flavours, light-years away from the subtle, balanced and complex flavour profiles of classic Belgian beers, including Duvel. But perfectly in line with modern trends.

“Traditionally, Poperinge’s hop growers have always focused on bitter hops,” explains professor Denis De Keukeleire of Ghent University, a guest at the hop congress. “This changed in recent years, due to the changing interest of brewers in the aroma and flavour of hops. In 2012, Poperinge’s aroma hops accounted for 45% of the crop, while in 2007, 75% of the hops produced in Poperinge were still bitter hops. Thanks to this recent development, local hop growers are now capable of meeting all the requirements that brewers set.”

However, the cultivation of the new hops is expensive, as many, particularly US, varieties are the creation of private companies that demand a licensing fee. Also, like De Baets, some brewers may decide, for reasons of authenticity of terroir, that it’s as easy to get the hops they want direct from the source, rather than from Poperinge.

So until the pendulum swings the other way, the hops industry in Flanders is facing troubling times. Though there is hope on the horizon: Bitter hops are already making a bit of a comeback in the US.