This vertical farm is growing hops because of climate change
Climate change is making it harder to grow the key beer ingredient. So vertical farming company Aerofarms figured out how to grow hops, now being used for Goose Island’s new beer.
Hail Hydro, a new beer from Goose Island UK, is one example that shows how it can work: The beer uses hops that were grown hydroponically by Aerofarms, a pioneer in vertical farming. Inside the company’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, the hops grew next to blue and white lights shining in a “light recipe” to optimize growth. Like other indoor farming companies, Aerofarms also grows salad greens, but it converted the system—which determines everything from how nutrients reach each plant to how the system delivers carbon dioxide—for hops, since the plant grows on large vines.
