Southern Cross Hops

with Ian Thorn, Hop Grower, Ngatimoti

Three generations of Thorns have lovingly tended their 100-acre hops garden at Ngatimoti, on the banks of the Motueka River, since 1928. As a child, Ian remembers carting hops around on his toy trucks while his mother hand-picked the crops.

Now he runs the garden and grows seven varieties of hops, including the variety used exclusively in Monteith's Single Source, Southern Cross.

Hops are used as both a bittering and flavouring agent for beer. The alpha acids balance the sweetness of the malt and the subtle oils offer an aromatic quality. Usually a selection of hop varieties are chosen for their specific bittering or aromatic qualities and added at different stages to get the right balance.

Ian's Southern Cross hops, however, are a bit of a rarity in the hops world. These little superstars can be used on their own because they deliver a perfect balance of both bitterness and aroma.

“I guess I was born into it really. My grandfather used to grow hops, my father grew hops and then I took over about 40 odd years ago.

The single-minded hop

Hops are rather sensitive little souls. In fact, the Nelson/Motueka region is the only place they grow in New Zealand, because of its ideal latitude - 41-42 degrees south of the equator. Here they respond enthusiastically to the temperate climate, high number of sunshine hours, regular rainfall and relatively wind-free conditions.

They were once considered a gambler's crop but in Ian's hands, nothing is left to chance. The hop plant is a vigorous climbing herbaceous perennial that knows its mind. It must be trained in a clockwise direction or else it will simply fall back down. Ian begins training his crops around Labour weekend after a ten day rigging period, during which he gets through 400kms of string and a fair bit of no.8 wire. Once the hops are trained they grow at a phenomenal rate, up to 6 inches overnight.

Ian Thorn, Hop Grower

“I really love growing Southern Cross hops because it's such a nice variety to grow and they look such a nice hop. They're a big green hop.





Sleeping with the hops

Harvesting hops necessitates extreme focus. It's essential that the hops are picked at the right time or you risk losing them. Equally crucial is the drying period. Ian's drying kilns are heated by a vintage Scottish boiler, which holds 2,000 gallons of water and is manually fuelled with coal. Because the temperature is absolutely crucial, Ian must constantly monitor the process, day and night.

“I actually sleep out here. The system I've got is to get up every hour to have a wander around to make sure everything is alright.

Ian's Alarm Clock

A hop of many talents

Once they're picked, dried, cooled and bailed (all in the space of two to three days), these delicate beauties are ready for brewing. Because of Southern Cross's unique characteristics, and with the help of an experienced brewer, this wonder hop is used solely, at varying stages, throughout the brewing process. The result is a delicate aroma of lemon peel and pine needles, layered beneath a clean spiciness and soft herbaceous undertone.

There's nothing else like this talented hop on the world market at the moment and Monteith's Single Source is proud to place it centre stage.

 

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Where to drink it

Monteith’s Single Source is available for purchase here, or you can enjoy a glass at a Monteith’s Craft Bar.

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