For more than four decades, Hop Products Australia (HPA)<\/a> has been pushing the boundaries of what hops can do\u2014both in the field and in the brewhouse. In 2008, HPA boldly moved its entire crop from alpha hops, prized for bittering, to flavor-forward varieties. It wasn\u2019t just a shift in strategy; it was a bet on the future of brewing. Through a metamorphic transformation driven by a unique triploid breeding strategy, HPA\u2019s gamble paid off, giving the world standout hops like Galaxy\u00ae, Eclipse\u00ae, Vic Secret\u2122, Ella\u2122, and Enigma\u00ae, among others\u2014all of which have become go-to favorites for brewers chasing big, bold flavors.<\/p>\n But innovation at HPA hasn\u2019t stopped there.<\/p>\n As part of the global BarthHaas<\/a> group\u2014including HAAS<\/a>, North America\u2019s leading hop supplier\u2014HPA is now taking its varieties into a new frontier: liquid hop products.<\/p>\n By going beyond pellets and cones to create flowable, cost-effective, and efficient formats, HPA and its sister companies BarthHaas and HAAS are helping brewers achieve intense hop character with less waste, more consistency, and greater flexibility.<\/p>\n With products like Spectrum\u00ae and Incognito\u00ae already making a splash\u2014and new ones like Euphorics\u2122 on the horizon\u2014it\u2019s clear that liquid hops aren\u2019t just a trend; they\u2019re a smart, sustainable evolution in hops.<\/p>\n As brewers continue experimenting and pushing beer in new directions, HPA and HAAS\u2019 commitment to flavor, efficiency, and creativity ensures they\u2019re again leading the charge in shaping what\u2019s next for hops.<\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For over 200 years, since hops were first planted in Australia in 1803, bittering has been the focus.<\/p>\n Take Pride of Ringwood, for example\u2014the highest-alpha hop in the world when it launched in the 1960s. That hop became the mainstay of Australian hop growing for nearly fifty years. Then came Super Pride, a 13.5 percent alpha hop released in the early 1990s. \u201cWe\u2019ve got this lineage of strong releases,\u201d points out HPA\u2019s former Head of Sales and Marketing and newly appointed CEO, Owen Johnston.<\/p>\n But by the late 2000s, HPA\u2014which accounted for ninety percent of Australia\u2019s hop acreage\u2014faced significant hurdles.<\/p>\n HPA Head of Agronomic Services Simon Whittock, who joined the company in 2007, explains that all of HPA\u2019s contracts at the time were alpha-focused. \u201cThe business was really struggling,\u201d he says. \u201cThe price was such that there was little or no margin in those contracts, and the future volumes were looking wobbly. So we had to find another way.\u201d<\/p>\n After so long prioritizing bittering hops, the market had changed. Flavor-forward hops like Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Amarillo were making waves. \u201cPeople started to see that hops could do something other than bittering and European aroma\u2014and make a profit for a brewery,\u201d says Whittock. \u201cThe market was primed.\u201d<\/p>\n Whittock, who holds a PhD in quantitative genetics and previously worked in forestry breeding, joined HPA to run its breeding program. Now one of the most recognized Australian hops worldwide, Galaxy was first created by HPA in 1994 and hit the commercial market in 2009. Amid the transition, Galaxy became the star.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n When Whittock took over the breeding program, he had twenty hectares of idled land filled with trial material.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first major job was to go through all that and figure out what we had,\u201d says Whittock. \u201cDo we kill it? Do we keep it? Do we cycle it back into a selection system? How do we move forward?\u201d<\/p>\n For the next three or four years, Whittock sent experimental hops out to brewers. \u201cOf the top three or four choices,\u201d he says, \u201cone became Eclipse; one became Vic Secret.\u201d<\/p>\n Through its breeding program, HPA began establishing itself as a leader in flavor-forward, innovative hops.<\/p>\n And brewers around the world were paying attention.<\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie, Social Media Manager, Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOur breeding program is pretty phenomenal,\u201d admits Johnston. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty rare in the world.\u201d One thing that has always set HPA\u2019s hops apart is its triploid breeding strategy.<\/p>\n As Whittock explains, to breed a hop, you usually take one chromosome set from the \u201cmom\u201d and one from the \u201cdad,\u201d combining them to create a diploid embryo. HPA\u2019s polyploid technique takes two sets of chromosomes from the mom and one from the dad to form a triploid.<\/p>\n With this approach, \u201cYou get more flowering plants, and you get more fruit production per plant,\u201d says Whittock, noting Topaz as a prime example. \u201cIt has a really high standing yield potential. You\u2019ve got to grow it just right, but what it can produce is pretty remarkable.\u201d While he doesn\u2019t have a measured explanation, he guesses that triploids influence everything from plant structure to pickability, yield, and possibly genetics that \u201csupport the accumulation of the flavor-active metabolites as well,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about those really simple essential oil profiles.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds, \u201cI haven\u2019t run the numbers, but I\u2019m pretty sure if I did, there\u2019d be a strong bias toward flavor-positive attributes in the polyploids we screen.\u201d<\/p>\n HPA is one of the few hop companies in the world using a triploid breeding strategy because it\u2019s technically challenging. \u201cIt\u2019s a really specific skill set that not many people around the world actually have,\u201d says Whittock.<\/p>\n Once again, the gamble paid off.<\/p>\n Just look at the triploid-bred hops HPA has introduced since the turn of the century. We all know Galaxy, but varieties like Eclipse and Vic Secret have also impressed.<\/p>\n In fact, Whittock speculates that if you swapped the release dates for Eclipse and Galaxy, \u201cI reckon Eclipse would have caused more trouble,\u201d he says. \u201cEclipse\u2019s mandarin [orange] character is just so reliable in beer. And that\u2019s a tough challenge, but I think it really stands up.\u201d<\/p>\n If Johnston had to pick a favorite child, Eclipse would top the list. Though he admits it has an unfair advantage: \u201cThe first time I tasted Eclipse, it was memorable,\u201d he says. \u201cEclipse, for me, is just a winner.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, HPA raised the innovation stakes again, bringing Galaxy, Eclipse, and Vic Secret into something entirely new.<\/p>\n Photography courtesy of John I. Haas and HPA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While Galaxy, Eclipse, Vic Secret, and other Southern Hemisphere hops may be the new flavor frontier, HPA\u2019s U.S. partner, HAAS, has been pioneering liquid hop products for the past seven years.<\/p>\n HAAS is no stranger to innovation, with its own track record of breeding world-famous hops through the Hop Breeding Company (HBC). Now it boasts a lineup of flavor-focused products supported by proprietary hops from HPA and HBC.<\/p>\n HPA Marketing Manager Grace Irwin notes that HPA intentionally skipped intermediate products like T45 or Lupomax\u00ae pellets, moving straight from T90 pellets to liquid products.<\/p>\n \u201cOur hops are already so high in oils and alphas, which means brewers wouldn\u2019t experience any significant benefits from enriched Aussie hop pellets,\u201d she explains. \u201cNaturally, the next step was to go straight to liquid products.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnston agrees, emphasizing, \u201cWe don\u2019t believe enriched Aussie hop pellets would actually deliver enough for the brewer to justify the cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Liquid hop products, on the other hand, make far more sense.<\/p>\n For instance, Eclipse is available in Spectrum, a liquid product that replaces traditional T90 pellets in the cold-side dry-hopping process. First released by BarthHaas on July 12, 2021, Spectrum has steadily entered the market.<\/p>\n Made from hop pellets without additives or solvents, Spectrum is a fully dispersible liquid hop product that delivers true-to-type hop flavor.<\/p>\n BarthHaas currently offers Spectrum in nine varieties, including three Australian hops: Galaxy, Eclipse, and Vic Secret.<\/p>\n Buffin notes that HAAS designs all its hop-derived liquid products with two goals in mind: \u201cFlavor and efficiency have been our driving focus with everything we\u2019ve developed,\u201d says Buffin, a PhD chemist and professor who joined HAAS in 2019 to lead development of new products like Spectrum and Incognito.<\/p>\n Incognito, another flowable CO2 hop extract designed to replace dry hopping, was introduced by HAAS and BarthHaas to replicate hop flavor and aroma while reducing beer loss.<\/p>\n Currently available in eight U.S. hop varieties, Incognito will be available in an Australian hop soon.<\/p>\n Incognito started with Citra, Mosaic, and Ekuanot. \u201cBut ever since launch, we\u2019ve been expanding the lineup,\u201d shares Buffin. \u201cThe plan is to have Galaxy available in the not-too-distant future.\u201d<\/p>\n Buffin explains that adding a new hop to Incognito isn\u2019t a simple decision, but Galaxy was an obvious choice because it\u2019s \u201csuch a hugely popular hop,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it goes without saying we like using an HPA hop\u2014it\u2019s something that sets us apart. While they\u2019ve created Incognito mimics, our competitors can\u2019t do it with Galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n Photography courtesy of James Davidson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n From pioneering Australia\u2019s most iconic hop varieties to embracing cutting-edge liquid hop products, HPA has repeatedly proven that innovation is in its DNA. By shifting its focus from bittering to flavor, the company didn\u2019t just adapt to a changing beer market\u2014it helped shape it.<\/p>\n Galaxy, Eclipse, Vic Secret, and HPA\u2019s other standout hops have become essential tools for brewers crafting flavorful, aromatic beers worldwide.<\/p>\n Now, with liquid hop products like Spectrum and Incognito, HPA and HAAS are giving brewers even more ways to get creative while improving efficiency and sustainability. These products don\u2019t just deliver big flavor\u2014they make brewing smarter, reducing waste and giving brewers flexibility in how they use hops.<\/p>\n As the craft beer world evolves, HPA and HAAS are ensuring hops stay at the heart of brewing innovation\u2014whether it\u2019s a juicy hazy with Galaxy, a West Coast IPA with Vic Secret Spectrum, or a crisp lager with Eclipse.<\/p>\n \u201cBeer isn\u2019t going away; the craft movement isn\u2019t going away; and brewers innovating and doing crazy things with hops isn\u2019t going away,\u201d says Johnston. \u201cThe form in which the hops are delivered to the brewery may change, but we embrace that\u2014and we\u2019re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For more than four decades, Hop Products Australia (HPA) has been pushing the boundaries of what hops can do\u2014both in the field and in the brewhouse. In 2008, HPA boldly moved its entire crop from alpha hops, prized for bittering, to flavor-forward varieties. It wasn\u2019t just a shift in strategy; it was a bet on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":268274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[3733,8482,2105,1804,273,85932,2209,63603],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-268273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beer","tag-culture","tag-eclipse","tag-frontier","tag-galaxy","tag-hop","tag-hpas","tag-secret","tag-vic"],"yoast_head":"\nA History of Innovation<\/h2>\n
![\"hpa](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/hpa-rostrevor-gardens-showcase-block16-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x667-1.jpg\")
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At the time, Whittock says they mainly targeted high-yield alpha varieties for bittering. But he also inherited something different\u2014a flavor-forward hop called Galaxy.<\/p>\n
A cross of high-alpha Australian and Perle parents, Galaxy changed everything for HPA.<\/p>\nA Triple Threat<\/h2>\n
![\"hpa](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/hpa-rostrevor-gardens-showcase-block11-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x667-1.jpg\")
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Over the last ten years, Whittock says nearly every hop they\u2019ve selected for commercialization has been a triploid, while \u201cwe\u2019ve had diploid plants in the selection program that haven\u2019t made it through.\u201d<\/p>\nHops\u2019 New Frontier<\/h2>\n
![\"spectrum](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/spectrum-credit-hpa-and-haas-1000x667-1.jpg\")
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\u201cThe feedback we\u2019ve gotten from Eclipse Spectrum is just awesome,\u201d shares HAAS\u2019s former Director and Manager of R&D and current VP of Technical Solutions, Brian Buffin. \u201cIt\u2019s their favorite hop right now, especially in Spectrum.\u201d<\/p>\nNot the Final Frontier\u2014Just the Beginning<\/h2>\n
![\"hpa](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/hpa-Vic-Secret-Hop-Cones_James-Davidson-1000x667-1.jpg\")
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