RESEARCH ON HOPS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29459, 10 March 1961, Page 19

RESEARCH ON HOPS

Three Varieties Produced

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 9. In a comparative test conducted recently by a panel of brewers, 10 of 11 tasters were very satisfied with the flavour of beer made from varieties of hops recently released by the hop research station according to the D.S.I.R. Three new varieties of hops, the subject of the test, were bred by the station superintendent, Dr. R. Roborgh, to offset root rot, a disease which severely reduces the hop yield. The new varieties, First Choice, Calycross, and Smooth Cone, produce early, mid-season, and late crops, respectively. All have been released to Nelson hop growers who can now combine increased yields with a prolonged picking season. The three new varieties were submitted to a worldrenowned British brewery, which considered two of them—First Choice and Smooth Cone—to be of ‘‘very good quality and of world market standards.”

Lager brewers prefer hops with low seed, content and as New Zealand hops are heavily seeded, D.S.I.R. research workers are now experimenting with a chemical control which induces sterility in the plant.