In this email Hops Products Australia (HPA) shared good news on a successful 2021 Harvest but warned of limited spot market activity for Australian hops this year . . .

HPA celebrates growth in Galaxy^® yield for 11th year in a row

We have completed the 2021 hop harvest, picking 675 hectares (1668 acres) which resulted in 1,526 metric tonnes (1682 tons) of hops. This was a 44 hectare (109 acres) (6.9%) increase and a 25 metric tonne (28 ton) (1.6%) decrease year-on-year. Despite total yield coming in slightly under expectation, Galaxy^® yield grew 7.2% year-on-year which marks 11 years of continuous growth.

Eclipse^® looks set to follow in Galaxy^®’s footsteps after exceeding expectations in its second year of commercialisation. And impact in beer remains strong across the board, with this year’s average oil content coming in above the 5-year average for almost all varieties.

The harvest outcome and highly contracted position of crop 2021 means there will be almost no spot market activity for Aussie hops this year. This situation, together with our expansion project drawing to a close, makes forward contracting more important than ever to ensure supply security.

Read the full report.