Monocacy Hop's Arrival Adds Flavor, Potential to Local Beer
By J.D. Willoughby, Frederick Magazine
Before Prohibition, Frederick farmers provided about 20 percent of all the hops to Baltimore breweries. At the time, the Cluster variety was popular because it was cheap and fairly easy to grow. But many farmers stopped growing hops during Prohibition to make way for other crops. Very few Frederick farmers grow hops on a commercial scale today. University of Maryland Extension hopes to change that with a unique hop to Maryland.
Originally discovered in Dr. Ray Ediger’s Utica garden shading a chicken coop, the Monocacy hop is genetically equipped to thrive during Maryland’s notoriously hot and humid summers. Tom Barse, owner of Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm, began using the hop in the Catoctin Heritage series of beers. A pale ale, American lager and Vienna lager each are using the hop in their recipe. Barse and head brewer Harry Harne began brewing with the hop in small batches in casks.
University of Maryland Extension’s Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville grew 200 Monocacy hop plants last year, but they were so vigorous that about half the hops ended up on the ground, says Bryan Butler, principal agent. Lesson learned. Butler explains a sturdier support system has been installed for this year. Butler has been growing the hop in a trial to determine its commercial viability in the brewing industry. In simplest terms, commercial viability can be broken down into the hop’s ability to make a good beer and how easy it is to grow.
Hops are the cone-shaped female flower of the vine-like plant humulus lupulus. The cones are harvested, dried and then processed into pellets, plugs, extracts or left in their cone form. During the brewing process, hops are added at the beginning of the boiling stage to give the brew its bitter flavor and more are added at the end of the boil for aroma and flavor. Hops also act as a preservative by inhibiting spoilage bacteria during a beer’s shelf life and they help to stabilize foam. The Monocacy hop emerges earlier in the season than most other hops, but the cones ripen later. With climate change lengthening growing seasons and altering growing zones, finding hardy crop varieties will be critical to the sustainability of our commercial food systems. The Monocacy hop appears to be fairly disease resistant with fewer pests, but that will be established during the study. Fewer inputs such as water, fertilizer, and pesticides, are ideal for commercial viability and Monocacy hop appears to be well-adapted to our area’s summer weather shifts.
How the hop brews, its acids and oils, and what flavor it lends to the beer is the other side of commercial viability. “We decided this hop brews like, feels like, a European noble hop,” says Barse. “It’s got a spicy, earthy character. A floral character.” What kind of beer is it best suited for? “This hop was made for lagers,” Barse says. “I think this would be a great Kolsch hop,” says Harne. According to the numbers, the Monocacy hop has a low alpha acid, which is what makes beer bitter. The low acidity makes for a good finishing or single hop. “When you first pour the beer, you get the smell of a floral shop. We’ve never had a hop like this, ever,” says Barse. Under Harne’s leadership, Milkhouse has consistently brewed with Maryland-grown hops and other ingredients when available. Some beers use local honey and herbs. Several use local malts. One even uses 13 different wild yeasts and bacteria to bring the flavor. All hops grown at the Keedysville site last year went to Milkhouse. Baltimore’s Heavy Seas Brewery has received grant funding to support brewing a trial beer with the Monocacy hop this year.
In addition, the University of Maryland Extension team is working with Radebaugh Nursery to distribute 1,000 plants so that other growers can test the hop on a commercial scale. In turn, the crop will be shared with other brewers. The goal of the project is to get the hop growing in many locations throughout Maryland to learn where it performs best. The growers will collect that data to determine how the hop performs. They’ll also collect samples to check the specific acid and oil levels and whether they are consistent or if they change in different growing conditions.
Butler’s original study plot had 24 varieties, with hops from the Pacific northwest, along with another plot growing six varieties for Flying Dog brewery. Butler began growing the Monocacy hop in 2020, but a storm knocked over the original crop. With U.S. Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Agriculture providing the funding, the study is well underway. The current grant cycle ends in November and Butler has applied for additional funding to continue the study. Butler notes the Monocacy hop was sent to the Oregon-based National Germplasm Repository, which preserves genetic resources by various means, including cryopreservation. “This hop is not patented. Breeders and researchers can get this plant from Oregon and can grow it,” he says. The Monocacy hop could be crossed with other varieties to create new ones. “They could end up with all the resistance and the tolerance to our climate with the characteristics of a much fancier hop.” The Western Maryland Research and Education Center will host a farm day in August. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the hops growing and learn more about them, along with other research projects happening at the farm.
Though it seems like the local beer scene is on fire, climate change, pests and diseases could affect growing in the future. The Monocacy hop does seem quite well-positioned to withstand climate shifts and appears to be resistant to diseases so far. The spotted lanternfly, a new pest that is said to love hops, doesn’t worry Butler. He says he’s not concerned the lanternfly will wipe out the hop crop because there is plenty of other food out there.
Breweries that focus on Frederick-sourced hops and other ingredients directly support local farms and businesses. They also bring a finished product to the public that has traveled fewer miles and keeps local dollars circulating in the Frederick area. Though it’s unlikely Frederick-grown hops will regain the important place they once held in the early brewery industry in Maryland, even a small resurgence can help support the significant growth in local breweries. The Monocacy hop will help Frederick and Maryland breweries stand out with unique products.
Brewers Association of Maryland Article 'The Monocacy Hop is at Home in Maryland'