The European Beer Group’s Grain to Glass series is all about showing the life behind the beers we all enjoy. At the start of September, we marked a milestone with our first site visit of the series: a trip to the hop fields of Alsace, just a short drive from Strasbourg, where we were gathering for our European Parliament plenary session. It was an important opportunity to connect with the EU’s agriculture ecosystem.
We launched the Grain to Glass initiative in July to showcase the agricultural origins of beer and highlight the integrated brewing value chain.
The events in Strasbourg began with a hearty dinner in a local Strasbourg restaurant and a policy discussion on the growth and sustainability of Europe’s hop sector, exploring opportunities, challenges and best practices.
The events were co-organised with InterHoublon and Hop France. InterHoublon is a national interprofessional organisation for the French hops industry, whereas Hop France is an Alsace-based growers’ cooperative that promotes certified French hops. The local perspectives from InterHoublon President Bernard Ingwiller and Director-General Matthieu Luthier, and from Hop France Secretary General Antoine Wuchner highlighted the history and unique qualities of Alsace hops, as well as the collaboration amongst growers, traders, and brewers that underpins the French beer sector.
The visit the next day took place in Alsatian hop fields and local processing facilities. Hops are vital ingredients for beer, along with malted cereals, yeast and water. This trip provided a hands-on perspective on why they make beer exceptional. From the beautiful hop bines trailed along high wires, through the harvest and all the way to the facilities where hop cones are added as part of the brewing process – the whole hops journey was truly fascinating.
Seeing first-hand how much effort, expertise and passion go into every harvest was an eye-opening experience. It showed that we need to support a sustainable, competitive and innovative brewing value chain through effective EU and national policies that sustain our agriculture.
This was just the first site visit in the Grain to Glass series, with a number of events still to come. On 30 September, The Brewers of Europe will organise, together with the Danish Brewers, a beer celebration to mark the Danish Presidency of the European Union. On 15 October, the European Beer Group will visit the Oktoberfest in Brussels as Bavarian tradition comes to Parc Cinquantenaire.