We have been collaborating with a local brewer in Landskrona, Sweden, by testing different indoor alternatives for growing hops, in a greenhouse adjacent to the brewery, says Barry Ness, Associate Professor at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, who is leading the project.
The sustainability aspect of beer production
Beer production is a resource-intense industry, and the environmental costs are large due to the high use of water and energy, as well as transportation. Hops, which is a crucial component in beer brewing, is transported from around the world to local breweries in Sweden. The last years have also revealed a vulnerability within the global supply chain. Intense heatwaves in hop producing states in the US have decreased the harvest, while in Germany, the second largest hop producing country in the world, floods have destroyed parts of the crops. This has resulted in a global shortage of hops.
The dependence on globally produced hops make the sustainability aspect of beer production a challenge, especially for small scale breweries. For the Swedish local brewery, Brygghuset Finn, the project of finding ways to grow hops in Sweden is not only a possibility to reduce climate costs, but also to explore ways of securing their production line.
- You can grow some hops in Sweden, but not the aromatic kinds that comes from the US or Australia. If we can find ways of growing the hops we need here, locally, it would help us a lot, says Joacim Larsen, directing manager at Brygghuset Finn.
Since 2019, the researchers have tested different types of indoor growing systems, as well as growing different varieties of hops. Despite some challenges with e.g., infestations of spider mites, along the way, the researchers were able to harvest three types of hops, which have been grown hydroponically in the greenhouse. Although on a small scale, this shows that it is possible to locally produce resources needed for beer production in Sweden – a key factor for improving the sustainability of the industry, according to the researchers.
Successful collaboration between academia and societal actors
The researchers collaborated with experts, both within and outside of academia, throughout the project: from improving ways of growing techniques to gaining insights in beer production.
- During different parts of the process, we have realized that there is knowledge that we never knew that we needed. It’s exciting to be part of the process as it unfolds and together with different people discover new ways of looking at a problem, says PhD candidate Darin Wahl.
For Brygghuset Finn, the collaboration with academia has provided them with new perspectives on how to increase the sustainability of beer production.
- As a company we have a lot of learning to do, that’s why the cooperation with the University has been valuable. It has given us new perspectives and knowledge that we have been able to test here at the brewery, says Joacim Larsen.
What is the next step?
- The next part of the project will focus on enhancing the growth rate of the hops in the greenhouse. By using waste heat and access carbon dioxide from the beer brewery, we will test the possibility of adjusting the climate in the greenhouse, and in that way securing a year around growing of the hops, concludes Barry Ness.
After testing different solutions on a small scale, the researchers will investigate how the knowledge they have gained can be used on a more commercial scale and in the long-term contribute to the sustainability of the craft beer industry globally.
