In 2024, global hop acreage shrank by nearly 8%, largely driven by cuts in the United States, according to the BarthHaas Hop Report 2024/2025.
The much-awaited report positively found Asian hop acreage slightly increasing to 2,795 hectares from 2,679 hectares the previous year.
Despite this modest expansion, total hop production in Asia declined marginally to 6,452 tonnes, down from 6,703 tonnes in 2023, reflecting lower yields.
China, Asia’s largest hop producer, increased acreage to 2,720 hectares, yet saw its total hop production dip from 6,580 tonnes to 6,325 tonnes, suggesting reduced productivity per hectare.
Japan, by contrast, slightly decreased its hop-growing area to 75 hectares but reported a minor rise in production, up to 127 tonnes.
Asian alpha acid output – a key indicator of hop quality and bitterness – also saw a decline, dropping from 481 tonnes in 2023 to 463 tonnes in 2024. Nevertheless, the average alpha acid content across Asia held steady at 7.2%, consistent with the previous year’s results.
BarthHaas also uncovered a mixed palette in terms of changes beer production across Asian markets, shaped by varying national economic and demographic factors.
Asia’s total beer production dipped from 578.5 million hl in 2023 to 565.4 million hl in 2024, reflecting a regional output decline of approximately 13 million hl.
China, the largest beer market in Asia, saw production significantly decrease from 359 million hl in 2023 to 341 million hl in 2024. This decline was driven by shifts in consumer preference towards low-alcohol and alcohol-free beverages, compounded by economic uncertainty.
Vietnam also recorded a noticeable decline, from 32.8 million hl down to 31.4 million hl, due to cautious consumer spending amid economic headwinds.
Japan’s beer output similarly decreased slightly, from 46 million hectolitres to 44.8 million hectolitres, influenced by an ageing population and growing competition from alternative beverages.
However, India stood out as a growth market, with beer production rising significantly from 29.3 million hectolitres to 32.8 million hectolitres, fuelled by a boom in new breweries and demographic changes that benefit the beer industry (like urbanisation and an expanding middle class), plus increased social acceptability of alcohol consumption.
Positive growth also emerged in Thailand, where beer output rose from 21 million hectolitres to 22.8 million hectolitres, and Cambodia, increasing from 15 million hectolitres to 16 million hectolitres, driven by recovering tourism, legislative changes in the beer industry and strengthened hospitality sectors.
Myanmar beer production was the largest relative change in the region, up by approximately 35.6% (from 4.75 million hl to 6.44 million hl), while Bhutan came in second with growth of 29.7% (from 0.37 million hl to 0.48 million hl) in production output.
The BarthHaas report underscores that Asia’s hop industry remains relatively resilient but faces pressure from declining yields and uneven demand across diverse beer markets.
