History of Hops in Spain
It’s not until the Middle Ages that we find the first document mentioning hops in the Iberian Peninsula. We have to go back to the 15th century. Inside León Cathedral, in the chapel of the Apostle James—by Juan de Badajoz—we find the first depiction of hops in Spain. It is a frieze decorated with hop flowers, a consequence of the ties between Castile and Flanders, where hop cultivation was common. It’s no coincidence that, to this day, León is the province where 99% of Spain’s hops are grown.
The first widespread cultivation began in 1861 at the hands of the Marquis of Murrieta, who devoted several hectares on his Rioja estate of Ygay to this crop. However, it was not until 1915 that production for commercial purposes began at the Agricultural Experimental Station of La Coruña and in Betanzos. Trials were also carried out in Navarra, Vizcaya and Granada.
Later on, during the Spanish post-war period and World War II, breweries had supply problems with hops because imports were halted. Some time later, a decree was issued in 1945 to promote hop cultivation through an administrative concession granted to S.A. Española de Fomento del Lúpulo, made up of practically all the breweries in the country at that time.
Fifteen years after it was founded, the initial goal of supplying hops to the national beer sector was achieved, and cultivation was concentrated in the provinces of León, Asturias, and La Coruña. Then, during the 1970s, hop growing became popular in several regions of León, especially the Ribera del Órbigo. This boom can be explained by the fact that it provided guaranteed income, since breweries contracted production several years in advance.
In 1986, with Spain’s accession to the European Union, hop imports were liberalized, changing the role of S.A. Española de Fomento del Lúpulo, which became a trading company setting its purchasing targets according to shareholders’ needs. Around this time, hop processing companies were also established in Spain. After a few years, customer interest grew in varieties that were not produced in our country. In 1992, S.A. Española de Fomento del Lúpulo began a new phase by launching a research project that culminated in 1996 with a varietal conversion program for its specialties. The H-3 and H-7 varieties were replaced by Nugget and Magnum.
It is as a result of this reconversion that the industry prioritizes quality (alpha acid content) over quantity (kg of cones). At this point, the aging processing equipment of producers, mainly kilns, limits the sector’s competitiveness.
In 2007 a new processing plant was built in Villanueva del Carrizo, bringing together all the crops in the area. The new plant helps improve the preservation of Spanish hops. With an investment of 1.2 million euros and an area of more than 3,000 m2, the new building houses modern cold-storage rooms and a packaging control area, which contribute to marketing a higher-quality raw material and add significant value to the final product.
Since 2015, Hopsteiner has taken over the company. The multinational has introduced new hop varieties and upgraded the processing systems (selection, drying, packaging) in order to boost the competitiveness of the Spanish sector.
