By Blake Jackson
At Cornell AgriTech’s Gates East Farm, doctoral student Nathan Lewis is spending the late summer harvesting hops and evaluating how different varieties perform under New York growing conditions.
According to Laura Reiley of Cornell Chronicle, Lewis works beneath rows of plants covering the three-acre research yard, checking individual hop cones for maturity, dryness, and aroma.
The research is part of a program led by Larry Smart, a professor in the Horticulture Section of Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science.
Smart and his team are studying hop varieties developed in the Pacific Northwest to determine which ones could offer reliable production and quality for New York growers.
The research could help farmers avoid costly investments in varieties that may not perform well locally or attract interest from brewers. “It’s very expensive to establish a new variety in their hop yard. To put in 1,000 plants not knowing if any brewer will buy them is a huge risk,” Smart said.
The Cornell program evaluates varieties for yield, disease resistance, cone quality and, ultimately, brewing performance.
“Part of our mission is to plant those varieties in our hop yard, grow them using industry best practices, get a valid estimate of their yield, their disease resistance, the quality of their cones,” Smart said. “But the quality of the beer is what matters. You’ve got to get them into hands of brewers to evaluate in beer.”
This season, Lewis and the research team began harvesting August 10, 2026, and expect the work to continue through September 25, 2026. Their evaluation includes 38 commercial varieties, seven experimental lines and 16 heritage varieties. Nine varieties are also being tested by breweries through pilot brewing trials.
The project is expanding its infrastructure as well. Researchers are installing six rows of a 21-foot trellis, made possible by donated Harvest Pillar posts and hardware from Jensen Precast.
The taller structure could help accommodate varieties that exceed the height of Cornell’s conventional 18-foot trellis, although researchers are also assessing challenges involving harvesting, string length and spraying.
The team is particularly interested in the lupulin glands inside hop cones, which produce essential oils and bitter acids responsible for beer’s distinctive flavors, aromas and bitterness.
Cornell researchers have identified eight varieties that have met production and quality expectations and may appeal to brewers.
The program recently hosted a Craft Brewer Open House and plans to make fresh hops available to brewers at harvest, with regional breweries expected to use them in upcoming competitions and new beer releases.
Photo Credit: pexels-elevate
Categories: New York, General