Factsheet S50: Hops

The earliest written evidence on hop cultivation dates back to 736 AD in Germany, although there is a Finnish saga, 3000 years old and passed down orally for 2800 years, mentioning hops in brewing. From Germany and central Europe the practice of growing and using hops spread to the rest of Europe and eventually to the rest of the world. Hops were not cultivated commercially in England until about 1524, when Flemish planters introduced their techniques. From Europe the cultivated hop was introduced into North America in 1629 (although wild hops are native to north America and have recently been placed as a sub-species of Humulus lupulus).