Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
THE NEW HOP ORDER: Launching Luna®, Australia’s New Flavour Hop.
421 Plays16 days ago
In this exclusive series - The New Hop Order, presented by HPA - The Crafty Pint Podcast explores what’s happening on the cutting edge of hop innovation from breeding and processing to brewing.
In this episode, we’re celebrating the launch of Luna®, a new flavour hop from HPA’s powerhouse breeding program, tracking its fascinating 20-plus year journey to commercialisation with HPA’s Head of Breeding & Research Dr Simon Whittock.
We also talk with Bright Brewery’s Operations Manager Lewis Kerr, for his insights on the new hop.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Luna - A New Hop Innovation
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the new hop order presented by HPA, our new series which explores what's happening at the very forefront of hop innovation from breeding and processing to brewing. Today, hpa launched its long-awaited new hop, Luna.
00:00:14
Speaker
I say long-awaited as this hop was first created by HPA's powerhouse breeding program back in 2003 and it's been an epic journey to bring this next chapter in beer flavor to market.
The Journey of Luna - From Breeding to Market
00:00:25
Speaker
To talk more about Luna, how it came to be and how it can best be used in your beers, I'm joined by HPA's Head of Breeding and Research, Dr. Simon Wittick and Bright Brewery's Operations Manager, Lewis Kerr. Guys, welcome.
00:00:39
Speaker
Yeah, thank you. Bit of excitement. we're We're talking about the launch of a new hop today, guys. Come Yeah, it's very exciting. it is right this It is very exciting.
The Science of Hop Breeding - Insights from Dr. Wittick
00:00:50
Speaker
Now, Simon, I'm going to start with you. For those of us, let's let's take it back a little bit. For those of us new to the world of hop breeding, I understand there's quite a science and an art to it. Can you just break it down for me in in layman's terms?
00:01:04
Speaker
Yeah, thanks, Craig. I think the the science comes in at a few levels. So there's you obviously... we're working in field trials. So you need, there's an element of experimental design and sort of scientific practice that unblies the whole program.
00:01:18
Speaker
Um, then you need to overlay, a knowledge of genetics and inheritance, you why certain things get passed down through the generations and how to, how to, um, how to manipulate that in a way. Uh, and then it' specific to hop, you need to understand the, the chemistry of hops and bitter acids and the flavor.
00:01:41
Speaker
compounds and then some of the the brewing chemistry as well. You know, having a horticultural commodity that's actually filtered via another process is kind of unique. And the artistry to it? So the the kind of, where does the where does the creativity and the the creative license come into play?
00:02:00
Speaker
Yeah, I think I like, so whether in in science and in art, one of the key things where people succeed is that application of discipline. over time. And so I think, you know, in our case, we're out there, we're trying to breed, you know, a selection of hops that have interesting flavor potential, but we're out there um performing crosses and measuring and assessing these plants year in year out.
00:02:29
Speaker
So you've got to have the right to assessment methods in place, and you've got to have the right eyes on the ground, so to speak, you gotta to be able to pick these plants out.
00:02:40
Speaker
from thousands of other ones in the field and um and sort chaperone them through a 10 year process. So um is that the the the artistic, I think that's really sort of the artistic equivalent of this, you it's just that discipline that you have to have to apply over a long period of time to be successful.
00:03:01
Speaker
I love it. It's such a, it's like watching your child grow
Luna's Unique Agronomic Features and Early Maturation
00:03:04
Speaker
up. I guess at any one time, you know, HPA has a large cohort of numbered varieties going on through their beating breeding program. what What made Luna stand out to you?
00:03:16
Speaker
So the there's a backstory here in that um when I took on the HPA program way back in 2006 and 2007, we had this huge swathe of material that had already sort of been partially selected it wasn't that well documented and it was taking up too much space so one of my first jobs was to um grab the records and trim that down and make it fit um and a couple of the very first things to shake out of that process were um what ended up being Ella big secret and then Eclipse
00:03:49
Speaker
So they they were identifiable. There was enough data to suggest that they were um they were probably good enough to make it as bittering hops, which was the target and target at the time. They later got shown to have the flavour potential as well.
00:04:04
Speaker
And there was a cohort behind those that went into you trial tier back and Luna was in that. So it was identified quite early. yeah Good agronomic performance and I think By 2012, we had sensory data in beer on it as well.
00:04:24
Speaker
That was um yeah very encouraging. So it stays in the program and gets evaluated on those basis. And then lastly, growing a lot of galaxy, there's pressure on our harvest window.
00:04:39
Speaker
So we don't really want to bring another later maturing variety through, something that is that wants to be picked in the third week of March.
00:04:50
Speaker
We'd rather focus that window on galaxy for quality reasons. So um something that matures early in March um and does so, can be harvested sustainably is very appealing to us. So that was when we came to evaluate our opportunity to release another variety, that was a a big tick in favor of Luna.
00:05:14
Speaker
Yeah, nice. So art, science and growing windows are are important important elements there. Market opportunity is the other one. Absolutely.
Naming Luna - The Space Theme and Trademark Considerations
00:05:24
Speaker
um Can I ask about the name? I think, you know, when it comes to hops, names can be based on a range of aspects. You've got your aroma profile, obviously your geographic origin, ancestry or brand. Which of these was the inspiration for Luna?
00:05:39
Speaker
I think, you know, obviously we're carrying on the the space theme from the, yeah Yeah. Echoes of galaxy, if you like. um Personally, I like to see a feminine name on hop varieties that they are female plant.
00:05:55
Speaker
So that that fits with that one. And then yeah that obviously gets filtered through all of the the trademarking registrations and things like that as to what you are allowed to use. So yeah, it's good to pick a theme and it's nice to be able to follow on a thing and, you know,
00:06:13
Speaker
follows on the Galaxy theme and the Eclipse theme quite nicely. Yeah, nice. It's often one of the hardest things with any new product is coming up with the name. i don't i don't know. were Were there a lot of ideas and brainstorm sessions that went into this? It's probably the wrong end of the program to be asking.
00:06:32
Speaker
That really... that That sits with the marketing team and they have to they have to wade through those workshops. and Yeah. Well, Lewis, let me come
Showcasing Luna in Brewing - Bright Brewery's Experience
00:06:42
Speaker
to you. a Bright Brewery, you guys have brewed a ah hazy pail to celebrate the launch of Luna. Can you tell me more about what was the idea for the beer? How did Luna perform as part of the brewing process?
00:06:54
Speaker
Yeah, look, we certainly did brew a hazy. Over the last few years, we've actually been lucky enough to brew with multiple unreleased hops from HPA. um Ironically, we've put them all into hazy pails. I think ah a hazy pail is ah a great benchmark beer. There's a lot of beers out there that you can compare it to. I think the the beer, the malt bill itself is clean enough and subtle enough that it allows the actual hops to shine through without overcompeting. with the ABV or the complexity of the malt build. um So yeah I really think it allows the hop to bring some big main character energy to the beer. Very nice. What's what's the beer called?
00:07:34
Speaker
We're calling it Lunar Hayes. Yeah, nice. Very cool. A bit of an ode to space haze as well. Yeah, cool. Nice one. I love the idea of a hazy being the perfect sort of testing ground to really see what a hop does.
00:07:48
Speaker
Mate, like most Australian hops, Luna's got this high aroma intensity. um I guess now that you've used it, do you have any advice around dose rates or addition points for brewers to get the best results from the hop?
00:08:00
Speaker
Yeah, look, um I think you're right there. With internal trials, we rated it ourselves at about eight out of 10 in terms of intensity, like a rub and sniff kind of panel in our lab.
00:08:11
Speaker
The aroma definitely hits you from the beginning, um a lot like Vic's Secret and Galaxy, but you're getting a big waft of, for me, I get grapefruit, berry and mango. um For Lunar Hayes, what we really wanted for this particular beer we wanted Luna to pop so we chose to brew it as a single hop beer which can often at times be contentious um we've layered in Luna at multiple points throughout the brew though so we've got it in the whirlpool we've got a day zero dry hop and we've got another dry hop at 12 degrees and what that's really done is layering some complexity into a single hop beer that isn't often achieved um it's equivalent of around nine grams per litre Um, yeah, rather than being one dimensional, like many single hops, uh, I really think the multiple addition points has helped us with this one. Um, look, it's a dual purpose hop, um, as, as well, um, meaning that it's high in alphas as well as oil content. Um, so it's quite diverse. Um, we didn't use it in the kettle, uh, but you could use it for hot side for effective bittering as well. Um, or could just plunk it all in dry hop.
00:09:20
Speaker
Yeah. Nice. Um, One of the things we're liking about Luna is that its aroma profile seems suited to that wide range of styles.
Luna's Flavor Profile and Versatility in Beer Styles
00:09:29
Speaker
So you've mentioned Hazy's, but anything from Lagers to IPAs. um I guess now with that experience, again, any thoughts on what you'd like to brew with it next or even other hops that you would pair it with outside of a single hop beer?
00:09:43
Speaker
Yeah, look, as a brewer by trade, I think you'd be remiss to skip a lager. Yeah, okay. I'd really like to brew a lager with it. Here at Bright, our flagship beer is Alpine Lager, which is a dry hopped New World style lager. So we are used to working with significant hopping loads in our lagers. I think Luna would really pop in this. We've got a lot of galaxy and eclipse in it I think the the mango, I think, would work better.
00:10:10
Speaker
Working really nicely with the elements of those two hops, especially on a clean base, like a clean lager base. um Pairing-wise, I'm pretty keen to get my hands on it and pair it up with Vic Secret, I reckon. I reckon they're going to be ah a ripper combo into some bigger beers. So a beer like ah an IPA or a bigger, fuller, hazy pail of some sort.
00:10:34
Speaker
Mate, you've got me excited. Sounds great. yeah um So tell me now now to to bring that home. In your view, why should brewers be giving Luna a try? Look, it's it's new, it's fresh, it's something different. And essentially as a brewer, we're always looking for something new, fresh and different.
00:10:52
Speaker
um It brings together the mango, the grapefruit and the berry into one neat little hop, which I'm struggling to kind of think of another hop that does that same job. um And the variety, like I've already touched on it, but as a dual purpose hop, you can get a lot out of one single utilization of it.
00:11:12
Speaker
I think you're right, that versatility, not only, you know, from aroma to bittering to flavor, but also across those different styles, like, yeah, like you mentioned. Yep.
Future Availability and Production Plans for Luna
00:11:24
Speaker
Simon, um to bring us home, I'm told HPA will have a limited quantity of Luna available for the 2026 crop. Do you have plans to grow more for 2027 crop and beyond? Yeah, we certainly do.
00:11:38
Speaker
We've chosen to have a yeah fairly steady scaled approach to launch this time. I think the last time that we brought Eclipse through, we had a very ambitious um sort of expansion. We tried to put a fair volume on the market But the world is a little is a different place now. So we've we've got some available, and you a launch volume available for 26 and we're aiming to have increasing volumes each year subsequently from that to to hopefully follow the brewers who are interested and able to to take Luna up and do something with it on a year on year basis.
00:12:15
Speaker
Yeah, we're certainly going to... I can't remember the exact numbers, but there's there's increasing quantities in the planning. The moral of the story is that if you'd like to get your hands on Luna, you want to jump in quick. Is that is that the case?
00:12:30
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Certainly for the first few years, we won't have huge quantities, but hopefully small quantity of high-quality material. Awesome. Thanks so much, guys. And brewers, if you'd like to get your hands on Luna, the new flavor hop from HPA, be sure to talk to your rep ASAP as right now stocks are limited. And stay tuned for more episodes in the new hop order series presented by HPA looking at the latest hop innovations. Cheers.