Couple go from backpackers to farming hops in the Great Southern

Laura and Aaron Alexander have completed a transformation from backpackers to one of WA’s only hops growers. On a property in Youngs Siding, the UK couple, pictured, have turned their lives around to pursue an idea. With their love of the Great Southern, which flourished years ago when they were backpackers, and a passion for brewing and agriculture, they took a leap and moved to the region to farm hops. While many beer drinkers are well aware their beer is made from grain such as barley or wheat, the discussion around the other key ingredient — hops — is less common. At Great Southern Hops, the couple aim to give professional and amateur brewers a locally farmed product for their brews. “We thought that there wasn’t a lot of hop growers in WA and it would be good to be able to offer breweries locally grown hops,” Mr Alexander said. The couple have lived in Australia for nine years and are now permanent residents, but it was only two years ago that they moved to the south coast and planted their crop. Ms Alexander said the lifestyle change came after speaking to a Youngs Siding famly that she had worked for when she was backpacking years ago. They suggested the family start growing hops, but ended up taking their own advice. “They said they had too much else on already but ‘do you guys want to give it a go?’,” so we did,” she said. “We rented this property off them with a small area that used to be pasture for the cows, but they weren’t really using it, so they said we could put our hops there.” They grow six varieties of hops, each of which give a different flavour to beer. The hops grow on vines and it takes three years before they are ready for commercial harvest. After two years of maturing and establishing their root systems, the plants have just started to grow in their third year. The couple built a trellis system for the plants which grow to a height of 5m. The vines are trained up the trellis — a process which will happen in the coming weeks. Mr Alexander said they expected the vines to reach the top of the trellis around Christmas. “They are coming out of the ground now after they have been dormant in winter,” he said. “As the season progresses they grow to the top and that triggers flowering. They flower in January and February, and harvest will typically happen towards the end of February and start of March. “You have a four-week picking window when the hops are at their prime. If you pick them too late then they degrade quickly.” Harvest is done by hand with the help of family and friends, but the possibility of a picker is something they will look at if it becomes too much for them. The hops can then be used in one of two ways — fresh or dried. To be used fresh, they need to be used within 24 hours of picking. Alternatively, they can be put in a dryer they built, then arranged in bales, lasting for two or three years if stored correctly. The couple are already lined up to supply commercial and home brewers, as well as supplying plant stock to growers. They are also in the process of creating their own tea with a naturopath which uses the hops’ natural sedative properties. Starting up a farm is no easy task, and the former backpackers say they could not have done it without their community. “Our neighbours have been so good to us,” they said. “They share tools with us and come over and give advice. It has helped us a lot. It has made the transition from never farming before easier.”