Yakima Valley Hops Fuel America’s Brewing Industry In A Big Way

The Yakima Valley harvests 75% of the hops in America. Here’s how hops are grown, harvested, processed, and how they’re used in brewing.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE HOPS?

The flowering cones of a perennial climbing vine. Since the early days of brewing, hops have been used to prevent spoilage from wild bacteria and to bring balance to the sweetness of malts. Hops also help keep the foam on your beer from dissipating. They also create a variety of flavors and aromas.

WHY ARE SO MANY HOPS GROWN IN THE YAKIMA VALLEY?

It's the right climate, with its extra-long daylight hours (we're further up in latitude), fertile soil, and excellent access to irrigation systems.

WHAT PART OF THE HOP IS USED IN BREWING?

The flowering cones of the climbing vine become ready for harvest in late August to late September. NOTE: Hop harvest involves non-stop 24/7 harvesting for over four weeks. This part of the plant, known as the bine, contains oils and acids that are essential for the flavor and aroma in beer.

ODD FACTS ABOUT HOPS

• Like grapes, hops are a perennial vine that doesn’t need to be replanted. Hops come back to life every spring.
• The hop bines are first cut close to the ground by a bottom cutter. Then, a hop truck is pushed through the row by a tractor called a top cutter, which cuts the top of the bine from the trellis. The harvested bine then arrives at the picking machine in the back of the hop truck.

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• Each bine is hand-loaded into the picking machine upside-down.
• After the plant material is stripped, a conveyor belt then transports the cones from the picking machine to the kiln. NOTE: It's in the Kiln that the hops are dried in a hop kiln for storage and brewing in the coming year.
• After the hops are compressed into large bales, they are delivered for hop processing. This is where the hops are then broken down into smaller units and shipped to breweries worldwide, ready to be used in the production of your favorite beer varieties.

What does the Brewer do with a fresh shipment of hops?

Think of your favorite brewers. Mine? Bale Breaker of Moxee (in the heart of the Yakima Valley), Georgetown Brewing Company (Seattle), and Fremont Brewing (Seattle)

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Once any of those three (or add in your favorite brewery) gets the shipment of hops, they then boil them with a malt sugar solution, called wort. Next, yeast is added to begin fermentation. 

How does a Brewery create different types of beer flavors?

The hops’ bitterness counteracts the malt’s natural sweetness, creating a nice balance of flavors.  Adjusting the amount of hops versus the amount of malt will give you different types of beer.  

Craft brewers carefully select from more than 130 varieties of hops to develop specific characteristics, such as tropical fruit, citrus, pine, or spicy flavors. -VisitYakima.com

 

When is the Fresh Hop Ale Festival? 

It happens on the first Saturday in October.

All the beers at the event are brewed with Yakima Valley hops, harvested within 24 hours. That’s the definition of fresh. That's how they roll at the Fresh Hop Ale Festival. Get all the details and plan a visit this fall.