In order to promote Belgian hops, Flanders developed and introduced the ‘Belgische hop – Belgian hops’ or ‘Houblon Belge – Belgian hops’ logo back in 2011. Its launch took place at the local event ‘Tournée générale’, which is now called ‘Lekker Westhoeks’. Only breweries that use at least 50% Belgian hops when brewing their quality beer can label their bottles with the logo. The main requirement for using the logo is that the brewers officially confirm that at least half of the hops used for that beer are of Belgian origin.
The H.O.P. vzw owns the ‘Belgische hop – Belgian hops’ logo, which is granted to Belgian hops that are produced and controlled under strict conditions. The label confirms the origins and high quality of the hops. Hop growers make great efforts to ensure optimal hop quality. In 2017, they signed a specifications agreement describing the quality requirements they have to meet to be able to use the ‘Belgian hops’ logo when marketing their hops.
In January 2017, a variant version of the “Belgische hop – Belgian hops” or “Houblon Belge – Belgian Hops” logo was introduced: the ‘gold label’ logo. Brewers that label their bottles with this logo, officially confirm that their beer contains 100% Belgian hops.
Are you a brewer who is proud to use Belgian hops in your quality beer?
Get in touch with vzw H.O.P., ask for the ‘Belgian hops’ logo and label your bottles. It’s a great way to highlight to beer-lovers that your beer is made from high-quality hops. The label further shows that you adhere to the three basics of sustainable entrepreneurship:
- Profit: boost economic sustainability, both for hop growers and for breweries;
- Planet: foster eco-friendlier cultivation (less use of crop protection products, by applying controlled crop protection systems to reduce diseases and infestation) and eco-friendly distribution (the transport of raw materials is reduced to the max).
- People: support a small, yet increasingly dynamic sector by, e.g. migrating to more aromatic hop varieties
Requests to use and digitally represent the logo, which are completely FREE of charge, can be made via the website: Aanvraagformulier voor het gebruik van het logo "Belgische hop" - Poperinge .
