Žatec Converts Its Hop-Processing Line to Type 90 Pellets

In 1973, the Chmelařství operation in Žatec, then Czechoslovakia, converted its hop-powder line to produce Type 90 pellets. The line had opened in 1971, but breweries found loose powder awkward to store and handle. Compressing milled hops into pellets answered those practical demands and established a documented stage in the commercial development of processed Czech hops. Pellets reduced bulk and made hop transport, storage, and dosing more manageable. Their production was mechanical: dried hops were milled and compressed, rather than having their bitter substances and oils separated by a solvent. As protective packaging improved, excluding oxygen and light also helped preserve hop quality. Pelletization connected agricultural production with the increasingly standardized handling needs of industrial breweries.