What's growing up there? That's right - it's hops! The plants climb up high scaffolding made of wooden trunks and wire. Here in the southern Eifel, in the Prüm valley near Holsthum, lies the only hop-growing region in Rhineland-Palatinate. And hops of a very special quality grow here: it's not for nothing that the Bitburger brewery likes to advertise with the unique "Bitburger Siegelhopfen"!

"Hops need wet feet and a warm head", as the saying goes. This is exactly what the Prümtal can offer: A deep, nutrient-rich, moist soil and the weather-protected location between two ridges. Under these conditions, hops can perform amazingly well: It can grow up to 30cm a day from May/June before being harvested in August/September at a height of 7m. Meanwhile, its roots penetrate up to 7m deep into the soil.

The hops and the Irrelwaterfalls The fact that the soil here in the Holsthum Prümtal reaches such a thickness and is so perfectly suited for growing hops has to do with the "Irrel waterfalls". How is that? The rapids of the Prüm were once a natural dam, created by ice-age rockfalls from the edge of the Ferschweiler plateau and the Wolsfelder Heiderück ridge opposite. The dammed-up water of the Prüm formed a lake that reached as far as today's Holsthum, with meters of nutrient-rich sediment deposited at the bottom. These remained when the "dam wall" dissolved and the water flowed again, and are the perfect soil for the certified Holsthum hops.

If you would like to find out more about hops, their cultivation and processing, we recommend a visit to Hopfenhof Dick in Holsthum. There are hop experiences of all kinds - from a tour of the farm to beer tasting or a brewing course. Hop farmer Andreas Dick is happy to provide expert information on everything to do with hops! www.derhopfenbauer.de