OnTap Magazine

GLOBAL DEMAND After spending hours on Reddit, Facebook and Google, Khaya realised that importing hop rhizomes (root cuttings) would take his entire capital – and the next year or two of his life. Getting the rights to grow local hops was similarly tricky. Then, on one of his mammoth googling sessions, Khaya found Gert Van der Waal. Gert had started growing hops in 2017 on his farm north of Pretoria. He was instantly taken with Khaya’s determination and agreed to supply him with rhizomes and cuttings to finally set up his hydroponic hop farm. Today, Khaya has over 500 plants on his 300-square-metre farm, Afrileap. He grows Kracanup, a high-yielding Australian hop, and Gert’s own variety, NAK, whose exact parentage is unknown. Since we first met, Khaya has completed four harvests and has received orders for his hops and hop oils from as far away as Russia, Germany and Israel. Enquiries have flowed in from more than 50 breweries, including some in South Africa, although at the moment Khaya doesn’t have the capacity to supply them. The city centre rooftop farm was never the endgame though and Khaya still has plans for expansion. “This is just the pilot,” he says, “the experiment, showing the world that it’s possible. The end goal is to have 100 hectares under glass.” And over the past year, Khaya has made great strides towards his ultimate goal. “I have developed partnerships with both private and public sector institutions and now have expansion plans in George in the Western Cape.” There is great interest among South African craft brewers when it comes to using fresh hops rather than the usual dried cones or pellets. And if Khaya can perfect his model, local breweries could feasibly be offering fresh hop beers throughout the year – something unheard of around the world. Until the full dream is realised and the expansion complete, Khaya can be found tending his rows of hydroponic hops on a car park roof in Johannesburg. And while the location might seem a little unlikely at first, if you ever get the chance to visit, I’d highly recommend that you take it. Hops are a delicate crop, their much coveted oils being volatile and prone to rapid deterioration. Hops are usually dried once they’re stripped from the bine to preserve those oils, but of course drying the plant changes its flavour and aroma, just as dried basil has a distinct profile to its fresh counterpart. Always looking for that new flavour profile or brewing procedure, once a year, craft brewers with access to freshly harvested hops use them in brews dubbed ‘fresh hop’, ‘wet hop’ or sometimes ‘green hop’. Using fresh hops brings its challenges – the flavours are more muted than in dried versions, and brewers often have to add four or five times the amount of hops they would normally add. Here are some South African fresh hop beers to look out for this autumn. Look out too for limited edition fresh hop beers from Aegir Project, Folk & Goode and Tolokazi. JACK BLACK FRESH HOP IPA An annual release featuring hops freshly picked from SAB’s hop farms in George and raced back to Cape Town where brew day will be in full swing awaiting the addition. HONINGKLIP GARDEN IPA Brewed with hops and granadillas grown in the brewery grounds. Find it on tap at the Bot River brewery from late March. SOUL BARREL WET HOP CAPE CONE Soul Barrel's all-South African IPA brewed with fresh hops straight off the bine. Look out also for their Harvest Ale, using fresh hops, Chenin grapes and barley malted on site. FRESH HOP BEERS IN SOUTH AFRICA Construction of Khaya's rooftop farm, Afrileap, began during lockdown with the first harvest in February 2021 30 | Autumn 2022 | ontapmag.co.za