A beer produced only in NZ has flowers as the main ingredient – 1News

Every year it's a race against time for Hop farmers and brewers as they attempt to make beer only found in New Zealand.

Nestled away in Tasman, Hop Farm Brewery are running a complex operation.

The team produce very unique beers made with fresh hop flowers, often just hours after theyre picked.

Freestyle Hops Director David Dunbar told 1News, hops are so like any other flowers, once its picked its not going to last for very long and its really important that we treat those flowers carefully because theyre not being dried, theyre not being preserved in any way so we have to be very gentle in terms of getting them to a brewery.

The flowers are picked in Nelson and immediately flown to Wellington where they're taken to Parrot Dog Brewery.

Matt Eats, sales manager at craft beer shop Beer Jerks, told 1News they have a completely different characteristic.

"So you're getting all of those wet hop compounds that are going in, they produce a completely different flavour profile and we're really lucky that New Zealand hop farmers allow us to do this because it creates a product that's unique in the world.

Only New Zealanders get to drink these kinds of beers and they only get to drink them now, Eats says.

Within 48 hours, the flowers are ready to be made into fresh hop beer.

Sadly, the annual Bar Hop to taste test the beers is cancelled due to Covid-19 but they can still be ordered online to be enjoyed at home.

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A beer produced only in NZ has flowers as the main ingredient - 1News