Germany: Hop crop expected to be slightly smaller this year - HVG

So far, weather conditions have been very favourable throughout winter and spring for the German hop industry, HVG said in their April report.

For 2022, HVG expect a slight decrease in Germany’s hop acreage. The area under varieties Herkules and Polaris will increase moderately while it will decrease for most other varieties.

Due to exploding energy costs, variable production costs on hop farms have risen by 20-30%.

Beer production recovered slightly in 2021, however, HVG do not expect it to reach the pre-covid level in 2022.

Assuming an average crop, the world and German hop production 2022 will be lower than in 2021, especially with regard to alpha acid quantity.

The worldwide alpha acid surplus from previous crops ins not affecting HVG’s major varieties (Herkules, Perle, and Hallertauer Tradition) that much.

Due to the uncertain situation, there is hardly any activity on the pre-contract market at the moment. Pricing (especially for long-term contracts) has become more difficult than ever.

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