WA craft breweries are experimenting with wet hop beers to tempt drinkers and help sustain farms in a region which lost its local hop industry decades ago.
Boston Brewery head brewer Ben Bunker said he had a beer unlike any other, which was an achievement in an experimental industry where it was difficult to create something unique.
He has made a wet hop beer using freshly harvested hops right off the bine rather than the dried and pelletised hops used in every other commercial variety.
"Once upon a time all beer was made with fresh hops but they were only really good at that first time of the year when they were picked."
He said brewers would leave the hops hanging over rafters or pipework for the rest of the year.
"They would get this blue cheese or feet kind of smell and that would affect the quality of the beer as the year went on," he said.
That issue led brewers to develop dried, pelletised hops which were used year-round.
Bringing farms back to WA
WA's commercial hop farms collapsed in the 1980s after Perth's Swan Brewery closed and the brand moved to South Australia.
There were almost no hop farmers operating in the state for decades.
WA hop farmer Trey Gee said the market completely fell out when Swan Brewery shifted their capacity to demanding pelletised hops in 1978.
But a handful of commercial farmers have started selling to local craft breweries, including Aaron Alexander who has a small farm between Denmark and Albany.
He picked his third hop harvest by hand in March.
Drinkers were enjoying his produce a month later in the wet hop beer aptly labelled Cream of the Hops.
"The breweries are starting to acknowledge there are local hops now."
He said locally-grown hops offered different flavours and aromas.
"Hopefully with time, it will become normal to see WA hops in our beers," he said.
Unique brews
Brewers at the hundreds of craft breweries scattered across regional Australia can have a tough time creating beers that stand out.
Wet hop beers grown, harvested and brewed in the same region are a way to create something unique without turning to aggressive flavours or additives.
"People often expect a wet hop beer to be super hoppy, like a hop bomb," Mr Alexander said.
"It's generally more subtle, more rounded and fresher."
Mr Alexander said he loved that wet hop beer tasted "like the harvest".
Meanwhile, Mr Bunker said he looked forward to using something hyper-local.
"It's really good to be proud of something from the area that excites people," Mr Bunker said.
Bartender Callum McCamley said the beer attracted a diverse range of customers.
"Everybody wants to try it," Mr McCamley said.
"I personally have sold mainly to people in their 30s."
He said customers tended to have "a really good knowledge of beer".
"In fact, a lot of young ladies now are really enjoying the craft beers," he said.
"It's good to see a lot of young people enjoying something different at the pub."
A tasting event was planned in Perth in April to celebrate wet hop beers grown and brewed in WA's south-west region but it was cancelled after COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in WA.
Mr Alexander said growers were eager to promote the harvest again next year with more wet hop varieties.
Until then, the remainder of his 2022 harvest has been dried and pelletised for use in local breweries' less time-sensitive offerings.
