Bavaria Hop Tour Recap – Thanks to Pink Boots!

In early September I was lucky enough to join five other Pink Boots members on a whirlwind
tour of Bavaria, thanks to the support of the Pink Boots Society and the brilliant organising
efforts of Trip’s Beer Trips.

Alongside my husband, I own Margaret River Hops, a small but growing hop farm in Western
Australia. We supply the local craft beer sector with premium, locally grown hops and are
building a sustainable, quality-focused business, alongside growing an industry for locally
produced hops in a region where hops have not been grown on a commercial scale for more
than 50 years. Being able to see and learn directly from Bavaria’s best — and to share that
experience with such a great group of Pink Boots women — was invaluable.

Over the course of a week we became deeply immersed in the German hops industry during
their harvest season. We met and exchanged ideas with growers across the three major hop-
growing regions — the Hallertau, Tettnang, and Spalt — as well as gaining insight from
researchers, agronomists, and marketers who shape the industry. The level of openness and
exchange of information was incredible — they were as keen to hear our perspectives as we
were to learn from them.

A true highlight was seeing the Bavarian hop harvest in action. All of the farms we visited
were family owned over many generations, (one with a 9 th generation young farmer at the
helm!) balancing centuries of knowledge with modern research and agronomy. These farm
tours provided a wonderful mix of tradition and innovation that will lead to tangible changes
back home in how we approach nutrition, pest management, drying and processing on our
own farm.

It was amazing to see how deeply ingrained the hop industry is in Germany, with brewers
fiercely passionate about using and supporting their local farmers, not to mention the
amazing level of government support available to the agriculture industry. That kind of pride
and connection between farming, brewing and community was inspiring — and something I
hope we’ll continue to build here in Australia as our own hop industry grows.

Beyond the farms, we also had the chance to experience the breadth of the German brewing
world — from huge breweries like Spaten, to iconic names like Schneider-Weisse, to small
local and even farmhouse breweries. Along the way there were tastings, traditional Bavarian
meals, authentic guesthouses, and unexpected moments like a tractor ride through a hop
yard and even a Volksfest with 4,000 locals which we likened to a ‘mini-Oktoberfest’. It was a
busy, full-on week, but unforgettable and invaluable in terms of developing my knowledge
and understanding of the industry.

Huge thanks again to the Pink Boots Society for making this possible, to Trip for pulling
together such a well-structured and informative tour; and to my fellow travellers listed below,
for making this such a memorable experience.

• Claire Winder from Texas Quality Lab (Texas USA)
• Vanessa Pillon from Wolfhead Distillery (Ontario, Canada)
• Megan Eplin from Schlafly Brewing Co (St Louis, Missouri)
• Savannah Roberts from Triple Crossing (Richmond, Virginia) and
• Morgan Clark from Wayfinder Beer (Portland, Oregon)

I’d encourage any Pink Boots member to apply for scholarships like this — it was a fantastic
experience that will continue delivering value well into the future.

Cheers,
Tara