Been looking through some old government reports on hop growing at Coranderrk mission station (near Healesville in Victoria), which was established in 1863. Haven't found anything on the variety of hops first planted there when hop production began in 1872. Perhaps by this time local hops were known simply as 'Victorian hops' with no reference to their original source overseas.
Here's a desciption of how hop growing began at Coranderrk from the report of John Mackenzie, Vice-Chairman of The Board for the Protection Of The Aborigines, to Sir George Ferguson Bowen, Governor in Chief of the Colony of Victoria', published in the 10th Report of the Board for the Protection Of The Aborigines in the Colony of Victoria - 1874.
"At Coranderrk a great many different crops have been grown ; at one time it was expected that tobacco would yield largely ; grain has been grown ; fruits of various sorts have been cultivated ; and at some expense an attempt was made to establish a dairyall these, however, failed to give such results as were satisfactory to the Board. It was not until the assistance of Mr. Frederick Search was obtained that any fair prospects presented themselves. He examined the lands at Coranderrk and recommended that a hop-plantation should be established under the care of a competent hop-grower. Owing to his skill and knowledge, and with the assistance of Mr. Burgesswho has proved himself thoroughly competent to manage hop-grounds and prepare the produce for marketsuccess has at last been achieved. The crop sent to market during the season just passed, 15,244 lbs. in weight, has realised good prices. The first lot was sold at auction for 1s. 10 1/2d. per lb., and the condition in which it was presented to buyers elicited the highest praise from experts. The gross sum derived from the season's crop was 1,140 6s. 3d. From this has to be deducted commission, discount, &c., and the wages of the hop-pickers, leaving a net sum of 983 5s. l0d. The cost of the experiment has been small. Next year the results will, it is anticipated, be far more satisfactory. The plantation has been extended ; and arrangements will be made for drying the hops rapidly, and for sending them earlier to market. Other steps will be taken which, it is hoped, will lead to still greater profits being derived from the labors of the Aborigines. As a rule the natives labor cheerfully in the hop-grounds ; the work is light, and they are paid reasonable sums in proportion to the time they give."
(This report and others in the series are available online in .PDF format at
http://asset0.aiatsis.gov.au . Just search for Coranderrk or hops and you should find them.)
Just after the turn of the century, an article by a D. McAlpine titled ' 'The Hop Industry in Victoria' was published in The Agricultural Journal of Victoria (vol. II, 1903-4) in which he described an agricultural trial then underway. The trial aimed at assessing the suitability of growing imported hop varieties at Coranderrk and other Victorian mission stations. The varieties that were imported from England for the trial included "Bramling, Early Bird, Cobb's Hop, Fuggle's Hop" and "Canterbury Golding"; from continental Europe came "Bohemian" and "Bavarian (Spalt)"; and from California a variety called "Large Gray American".
Here's an extract from McAlpine's article
"As regards quality it is well-known in the trade that the Victorian hops do not generally compare favorably with the imported ones, especially the choicest Bohemians, and this is the principal reason why some of the brewers, at least, are willing to pay two or three times as much for these choice hops as for the Victorian. The use of these hops is likewise an absolute necessity for the production of lager beer, on account of their special flavor and aroma, and the same may be said of Kent hops. They are used only for the better class of beers, and when it is desired to produce an article similar in some degree to English beer. This question of aroma and flavor is a most important one, and although these qualities are not capable of exact definition yet the best prices are only paid for those hops with an agreeable odour. They vary with each variety of hop, the country in which they have been grown, and very often the same, variety will produce hops varying greatly in quality and value, even when grown in adjacent parishes.
It is evident, therefore, that the first step towards improvement will be to import some of the best varieties from those countries producing superior qualities, and test them in various hojj-growing centres, with different soils and varying altitude. Of course, it does not necessarily follow that these imported hop-plants will produce here hops of the same high quality, but it is quite possible that one or two varieties may be found exactly suited to our special conditions. Hitherto the trials in this direction have not extended beyond a few varieties of English hops, and in some districts Goldings alone are grown. No doubt the better hops are generally grown in the cooler climates, but there is such a great variety of climate in Victoria, at different altitudes, that I see no reason why we should not find the exact place where some of these varieties could be grown to perfection.
That this is quite possible is shown by what has been done in America. American hops were formerly very inferior and particularly coarse in flavor, but now, by improved cultivation, better curing, and improvement in the varieties grown, great advances have been made and some samples from that country are at the present day everything
that could be desired.
IMPORTED VARIETIES.
Accordingly steps were at once taken to secure sets of some of the best varieties for plantings including Bohemian, Bavarian (Spalt), Kentish, and Californian. The Agent-General consulted with several experts at Canterbury and Maidstone in Kent, and acting upon their advice the following varieties were sent out :Bramling, Early Bird, Cobb's Hop, Fuggle's Hop, Canterbury Golding.
The sets on arrival in February, 1901, were placed in charge of Mr. Boyce, at Deepdene Nursery, where they were carefully planted out and rendered available for distribution in July.
A large number of hop-growers made application for sets, and they were supplied as far as possible, but six stations were chosen in different parts of the State for special planting, in order to have as great a variety of soil, climate, and altitude as possible, viz. : Bairnsdale, Harrietville, Timboon, Milawa, Coranderrk and Leongatha
Labor Colony.
Several consignments of Bohemian and Bavarian hop-sets have arrived here, but in every case they were dead. However, instructions were sent as to the best mode of packing and treatment in transit, and it is to be hoped they may yet reach us in a fit condition for planting.
The sets, used in California have also been obtained, particularly the variety known as the Large Gray American, and since the climate there is somewhat similar to our own, their introduction is likely to prove successful."
McAlpine's article also includes a photo of metal hop cylinders "4 ft. 4 in. deep, and 2 ft. 4 in. in diameter" in which Fosters Brewing received hops from European suppliers. The cylinders held about 100 kg of hand-pressed hops and were gased up with "sulphurous acid" (sulphur dioxide gas?), and returnable to Europe for reuse.
