The Society for Hop Research Is Founded at Hüll

In 1926, members of the German Brewers Association founded the Society for Hop Research in response to the spread of hop downy mildew, commonly known as Peronospora. The previously unfamiliar disease threatened hop cultivation and therefore the brewing industry’s supply of high-quality German hops. The society acquired an agricultural estate at Hüll near Wolnzach in the Hallertau and established a central advisory and research operation there. Its original priorities included combating Peronospora, breeding improved hop varieties, and conducting scientific and technical research into hop cultivation. The work begun at Hüll developed into a lasting collaboration between growers, brewers, researchers, and the Bavarian state. The research center subsequently produced numerous important German hop varieties and became one of the world’s leading institutions devoted to hop breeding, plant protection, production, and quality.