Carlos Aviles, 45, responsible for the installation, is seen on a crane during the harvest of indoor-grown hops at the Ekonoke company facility in Chantada, northern Spain. Experts say rising temperatures and increased droughts have made Europe’s hop harvests increasingly unpredictable, lowering yields and – more worryingly – reducing the quality of the resins and oils, the alpha acids, so crucial to the taste and character profile of different beers. Normally farmed outside, these hop plants are part of a unique indoor farming project. — AFP
OUTSIDE the warehouse in northwestern Spain, it’s a freezing, foggy morning but inside it’s balmy, the warmth and LED lights fooling 360 hop plants to flower as if it were late August.
Mounted on a soaring grid system of cables and wire, these vigorous climbing plants are in full flower, covered in delicate papery-green hops which are prized for giving beer its unique aroma and crisp, refreshing bitterness.
