Hops (Poperinge, Belgium)

Aug. 18, 20201901 weergaves Poperinge, West Flanders 7 min read

Hops and quality beers are inseparable. The lupulin granules from the fruit cones of the female plant(hop cone) are used as a raw material for beer because of their alpha acids and essential oils (aromas). Hops are also referred to as "the green gold." In the local dialect of Poperinge, there is no mention of hops, only "bumblebee." Who in the June-September period drives through our region, especially around Poperinge, can see the slanting poles around which hops grow from afar. They are typical of Poperinge's summer landscapes. Since the 8th century, the month of September has been dedicated to picking the hop harvest. There are 18 hop growers, all family farms, cultivating a total area of 155 hectares. Want to know more about it ? Visit the hop museum in Poperinge. It is located in the town scale complex. This is where hops used to be weighed, inspected and stacked.

Hallmark/logo of Belgian hops.

Or visit one of the many breweries in Flanders. In our region, for example, we can recommend a visit to Brewery St. Bernardus in Watou. They have a good infrastructure to receive tourists, even in large numbers. So you have the rooftop Bar Bernard (yes, with 360° view), a factory store where you can purchase the brewed beers, you can visit the brewery on request, etc. . Right next to this brewery, which is nice, you have a hop field. There you can see live how the hops are grown.

Did you know that at the beginning of the year, say from mid-February to the end of March, you can obtain young hop shoots? Hop shoots are young, underground offshoots of the hop plant. A real delicacy. You can get this in many Poperinge restaurants but of course also in our restaurant of Hostellerie Kemmelberg ****.

There are certain beers where there extra many varieties of hops in are processed. For example, there is the Poperinge regional beer "Bumblebee" brewed at the "Leroy Breweries" from Boezinge. No fewer than 4 hop varieties are used in it. This bumblebee beer is widely poured at local receptions. Ask about it.

The large, international beer brewer AB InBev also uses Poperinge hops in certain varieties of its "Leffe." In 2015, they started brewing the "Leffe Royal Whitbread Golding". The Whitbread Golding is a high quality hop variety typically grown in Poperinge.

Did you know that some wines are even made with hops in them ? One of the regional pioneers in this field is winemaker Filip Decroix of the "Wijndomein Zilver Cruys" in Steenstraete (Boezinge near Ypres). This domain can be visited. Ask about the Steenstraetse Hoppewijn: it is a sparkling wine enriched with two kinds of hop cones, the flavoring of beer. Quite original nonetheless.

Tip: Also read our info on Flemish Estaminets and Beer Culture.

Google Maps: Bar Bernard - Hop Museum.
Designation on the map of Top.Flanders: Rooftop Bar Bernard - Hop Museum .
Official web site of Saint Bernard Brewery.
Official web site of the Hop Museum.
Information on hops on Wikipedia.
Official web site of the Tourist Office of the city of Poperinge.
List of products containing hops.
Web site of the church fraternity "The White Ranke".
Video report on Flandres Télévision on Morbecque's organic hops, F (29/8/2018, 8m 34s).