The development of new hops, and the health of existing crops, play an integral role in the beers we brew. Here, Barth Haas share their latest crop update detailing acreage and plant development in Germany, as well as the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and the USA.
The area under cultivation in Germany decreased by 1,101 ha (-5.8%) to a total of 17,861 ha.
As was already the case in 2025, the world’s largest variety by area, Herkules, continued to decline, with its cultivation area decreasing by 202 ha. In contrast, the high-alpha variety Titan showed a further increase of 158 ha (+28 %).
Aroma varieties continue to decline. The largest absolute decline is recorded by the Perle variety at -337 ha (-14%), followed by Hallertauer Tradition at -299 ha (-15%). Flavor varieties are also continuing to decline: Amarillo, Hallertau Blanc, and Mandarina Bavaria all lose acreage in the double-digit hectare range.
In addition, the varieties Opal (-59 ha), Hallertauer Taurus (-39 ha), Hersbrucker Spät (-33 ha), Northern Brewer (-24 ha), and Nugget (-15 ha) were grubbed up.
As in previous years, the number of active farms continues to fall on 904 (-62) active growers. As was the case in 2025, not all of the land becoming available is leased to neighboring farms, meaning that they are no longer in production.
Weather conditions and plant development – Germany
Sufficient rainfall in the fall and winter of 2025/2026 filled the soil with water. In addition, a very cold January ensured good frost penetration in the upper soil layers, thus creating favorable conditions at the start of the growing season. Following a rainy February, mostly dry weather in March and April provided good conditions for spring work.
Warm temperatures in late April promoted growth, and most of the crops could be trained starting in late April, a few days earlier than usual. May was also very dry and warm throughout the Hallertau region. Localized rainfall did not occur until early June, but overall, the spring was significantly too dry.
The hop crops have currently reached BBCH stages 39 to 41, meaning the hop plants have now reached 90% or full trellis height. This is about in line with the long-term average. Downy mildew is not currently present.
In affected areas, the first spots of powdery mildew have been found. The immigration of aphids has ended. The first plant protection applications are currently in progress. Red spider mites are present in many crops. Acaricide treatments are planned for the coming weeks on most farms.
Hop Acreage Czech Republic
In the Czech growing regions, the area under cultivation was reduced by a further 26 ha (-0.5%) to a total of 4,786 ha. Despite a good harvest with equally good alpha yields last year, the Saazer aroma variety was reduced by 10 ha (-0.3%). This is largely due to rising production costs and uncertain production conditions caused by weather.
For the Sladek variety, an additional 12 ha were planted due to cultivation-related advantages. Other well-known Czech varieties each saw slight reductions.
The development stage of most varieties is in line with the long-term average. As in other European growing regions, conditions have been dry and warm, though there have been occasional isolated showers.
Both diseases and pest infestations have been limited to isolated cases so far. In addition to downy mildew, there have been isolated cases of red spider mite infestation.
Hop Acreage Poland
The area under hops in Polish growing regions has remained very stable due to the structure of the farms and has even seen a slight increase. Although the cultivation of high-alpha varieties such as Magnum and Magnat has declined, new plantings and increases in acreage—particularly of the Lubelski variety—have been seen over the past two years on farms, which are mostly small-scale.
The hop area in Polish growing regions has remained very stable due to the structure of the farms and has even seen a slight increase. Although the cultivation of high-alpha varieties such as Magnum and Magnat has declined, new plantings and expansions of acreage have taken place over the past two years, particularly for the Lubelski variety, on the mostly family-owned farms.
Hop Acreage Slovenia
Since the 2025 harvest, there have been significant reductions in hop-growing acreage in Slovenia. Nationwide, a total of 262 hectares of hops were reduced but 110 hectares were also replanted. This results in a total reduction in acreage of 152 hectares.
The largest reduced variety, at 154 hectares, was Aurora, for which many quantities would not have been contractually bound due to a low pre-contract rate.
For the fourth year in a row, new plantings were made for the Celeia, expanding the area by 48 hectares.
The winter and spring months were consistently warmer than normal for that time of year. This was combined with below-average precipitation; for example, in April, only 25 % of the long-term average was recorded. May also brought high temperatures, reaching up to 32 °C. In early June, a severe hailstorm struck the Savinja Valley, Ptuj, and Ormož.
A large area of Slovenia’s hop-growing region—900 ha—was affected. The damage ranges from a 70 % reduction in heads of the hop bines to complete destruction of the plants, leaving only bare vines. These fields are not expected to be harvested. Undersupply is expected for all varieties.
Hop Acreage & plant development USA (PNW – Washington, Idaho, Oregon)
The hop acerage in the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Washington, Idaho, and Oregon) remains almost constant at 16,853 hectares, compared to 16,857 hectares the previous year.
With an increase in acreage of 182 ha (+6 %), Citra—the most important variety—continues to expand its leading position and will account for approximately 19 % of the total hop acreage in the PNW by 2026. The aroma varieties Krush and Dolcita also saw significant growth, noticeably increasing their share of the total area.
In contrast, the cultivation of Amarillo, Azacca, Simcoe, and Mt. Rainier declined, with their areas being significantly reduced. Among bitter hop varieties, CTZ remains the second-largest variety in the PNW with a 9 % share of the total area, despite a reduction of 384 ha (-19 %). The Apollo variety was completely taken out of production (-296 ha).
In contrast, the Helios variety recorded an increase in area of 458 ha. With an estimated cultivation area of approximately 51,350 ha, the global decline in hop cultivation will continue in 2026. Compared to the previous year, this represents a decrease of about 3 % or 1,300 ha.
