As summer fades and the Pumpkin Spice Latte once again holds residence in a coffee shop near you, farmers in Yakima Valley take to the hop fields. As harvest begins, the vivid and bold aromas float through air and fill every nose with fragrance. Scents like rich pine and strong citrus and potent dank wrap their way around the valley, marking the turn of the season and the budding excitement of a new crop of hops.

It’s common in the craftbrewing industry for new trends to emerge from the creative brainwaves of brewers. One of the latest emerging trends however, has left people scratching their heads. Meet the Cold IPA.

New Zealand Hops Ltd. is a cooperative of Master Growers, built on family values, whose legend and cultivars have been crafted for over 150 years with creativity and passion.

Across the fields and farms of Germany, hop bines begin their climb towards the sky as the summer rolls on. Here, we have a glimpse into the 2020 German hop crop, and updates from HVG regarding them. 

Fact; 80% of German hop production gets exported all over the world. That level of hop coordination, quality management, and commitment requires intense dedication and reliability  to German hops. This is easily found in one such cooperative in Germany.

We thought it would be worthwhile to revisit some public hop varieties, their history, and perhaps suggest why they are surviving in the current culture. In this series, we will take a look at a few public cultivars and try to answer these questions.

It’s a new year, a new decade, and a great time to reevaluate some of your brewery SOPs. As craft brewers, many of us have adopted a brewing-inspired version of the ”day you stop learning...” mantra: “The day we stop improving, is the day we turn in our boots.” Inspired by that attitude, maybe it’s time to reconsider your dry hopping procedures, or at least take a hard, educated look at them.

BSG Hops is an independent hop processor and merchant based out of Wapato in the Yakima Valley. Set in the heart of the US hop region, we source hops directly from our grower partners around the world. Freshly dried whole cones are received by our expert staff and immediately evaluated against our strict quality standards. Hop quality does not end in the field however, and this is where BSG’s hop processing expertise shows through. 

Colin Oldham’s Granddad Jack founded what would become New Hoplands in 1953 when he bought a dairy farm that included one acre of hops.

Founded in 1820 by Johann Schlagbauer (although, as is the case with many farms in Hallertau, hops were already being grown here) Anton and Beate are the 6^thgeneration to farm Plank. 

In the world of hop growers and merchants, it’s said that “All roads lead to Harvest,” harvest. Inevitably, harvest winds down for the year and you’re left standing in the empty fields among the barren trellises. This is the time when growers reflect on the year’s growing season and harvest while looking forward to the 2020 crop and it’s challenges and hopeful rewards.