Germany’s hop industry reported a significantly smaller harvest on 11 November 2026. At a press conference held alongside the BrauBeviale in Nuremberg trade fair, the Association of German Hop Growers put the preliminary total at around 34,400 tonnes. That would be just over 20 per cent less than in 2025. According to the industry, final figures were not yet available.
The poor harvest is hitting growers in particular. Nevertheless, the industry does not expect a general supply crisis for breweries in the short term: stocks from previous years can make up for some of the shortfall. The growers’ association believes the smaller harvest is also unlikely to have any noticeable effect on beer prices for now. That is not a guarantee about future price trends.
The industry cites two reasons for the losses: the weather and a smaller area under cultivation. Heat and drought took their toll on the plants. In the Hallertau, Germany’s most important growing region, there were 46 days of extreme heat between May and August, according to association president Adolf Schapfl. At the same time, he said, the region received only about half its usual rainfall. Conditions nevertheless varied depending on location, variety and irrigation.
Figures from the Bavarian State Office for Statistics show how concentrated hop growing is in Bavaria. According to the figures, around 84.6 per cent of Germany’s hop-growing area was in the state in 2026. In September, on the basis of an earlier estimate by the association, the office had forecast a significant fall in the harvest in the Bavarian regions of Hallertau and Spalt compared with 2025. That estimate and the nationwide harvest total now reported relate to different areas and stages of data collection.
For breweries, alpha-acid content is important as well as volume: it affects the hops’ brewing value. These levels were also low, according to the associations. This is adding to the financial pressure on growers. Schapfl expects the poor harvest to cause substantial income losses and warns that more farms could close unless hop prices rise.
The market is also showing diverging trends. According to the German Hop Industry Association there are still substantial stocks of hops with a high alpha-acid content. By contrast, there are supply gaps for some aroma and fine aroma varieties. Walter König of the Bavarian Brewers’ Association pointed to long-term contracts, stocks and processing into pellets and extracts that can be stored.
The associations are also looking to more resilient varieties for the future. Whether these are grown more widely depends, however, on breweries trialling and ordering them. The Bavarian Brewers’ Association points to the work involved in changing recipes and to customers’ habits. Existing reserves give breweries some breathing space for now; they do not resolve the financial impact of the harvest on growers.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).