Research activities on sustainability and climate protection in focus
Wolnzach/Hüll, April 3, 2025 – To kick off the new hop year, the Gesellschaft für Hopfenforschung e.V. (GfH) traditionally invited its members to the German Hop Museum in Wolnzach.
In his report, Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Möller took stock of the 2024 financial year and gave an outlook on future research activities and challenges for hop growing in Germany.
Changes to the Board of Directors
A central topic of the meeting was the appointment of two new members to the
Board of Directors: Dr. Stefan Lustig, already a member of the GfH Board of Directors, was unanimously elected by
the General Meeting as the new Treasurer and thus also
as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. He takes over this role
from Sylke Mörke, who left Flensburger Brauerei last year.
Marc Böttner, Head of Production at
Brauerei C. & A. Veltins, was newly elected to the Executive Board. In future, he will represent the brewing industry on the board of GfH.
“With Dr. Lustig, a long-time committed colleague is now also taking over
responsibility for the finances of our company. And with Mr. Böttner,
we are gaining a new driving force from the brewing industry – a very good combination for the
future work,” emphasized Dr. Michael Möller.
Research focus on water
A highlight of this year’s general meeting was the guest lecture by Prof.
Dr. Thomas Baumann from the Chair of Hydrogeology at the Technical University
Munich. He presented the new research project “Infiltration wells – coupling
flood protection and drought prevention”, which is being implemented in close cooperation with the GfH, the
LfL and the newly founded Hallertau Irrigation Association at the
Hop Research Center Hüll. An additional well and a measuring point were drilled on the grounds of
GfH and
modern measuring and filter technology was installed.
Knowledge transfer and sustainability
In addition to topics such as variety protection, sustainability in plant protection and innovative
communication formats, the working group leaders of the
Hop Research Center reported on current research results. These were summarized in the newly published
“Annual Report – Specialty Crop Hops 2024” and presented to the
members.
In his conclusion, Dr. Möller emphasized the importance of the close interlinking of science
and practice:
“Especially in turbulent times, we need efficient, independent
hop research. Our task is to provide impetus – for hop production
as well as for the brewing industry.”
Looking ahead to 100 years of hop research
An important anniversary is already casting its shadow: In June 2026,
the Society for Hop Research will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. A specialist symposium,
a ceremony and an open day are planned – all in the spirit of dialog
between research, practice and the public.
