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(0) Cashmere: The Late Addition Stunner

Cashmere is a relatively "new" hop variety that was first introduced to the market in 2013. It was developed through the Washington State University breeding program, aiming to create a variety with a unique flavor profile that could be used in a wide range of beer styles. Cashmere is known for its complex aroma and flavor characteristics, which include notes of lemon, lime, peach, and melon. (What's not to like about that lineup?) 

 

It is typically used as a late addition or dry hop. This allows its delicate flavors and aromas to be preserved, as the high heat of the boil or active fermentation can destroy these compounds. 

Cashmere can be used in a variety of beer styles, but it is particularly well-suited for IPAs and other hop-forward beers that emphasize juicy, fruity flavors. When used in combination with other hop varieties, Cashmere can help to enhance and amplify their flavors and aromas, creating a more complex beer. 

Overall, Cashmere is a valuable addition to the brewer's toolkit, offering a unique and versatile flavor profile that can help to create a wide range of delicious beers. Whether used on its own or in combination with other hops, Cashmere is a great way to add depth, complexity, and character to any brew.

 

SHOP IDAHO-GROWN CASHMERE

 

(0) Hop Acreage Reductions and What That Means for Brewers

This year’s American Hop Convention in Santa Rosa, California was packed full of useful information that highlighted the opportunities, and the impeding hurdles that both brewers and farmers should prepare for in the coming years. Brewery challenges, inventory accumulation, and future hop production plans were the primary topics of the weekend as we heard from multiple hop merchants about plans to reduce American hop production in 2023. Internationally, Germany saw a 29% decrease in production from 2021 to 2022, and the Czech Republic was faced with a staggering 49.4% reduction from 2021 to 2022, resulting in major supply issues for German varieties, and specifically a significant shortage of Czech Saaz. Now it seems it’s the US market’s turn to reduce acreage, and what it means affects all levels of our industry.

Brewers faced their share of challenges this past year as well. Between staffing issues, aluminum order minimum increases, and CO2 shortages, the avenues to get beer in a sellable format have become increasingly difficult for some. Beyond that, with the 30% increase in barley costs, and over-contracted hops piling up, brewers are forced to consider their surplus of inventory before seeking out new hop varietals, stifling innovation efforts and creativity.

Since 2015, the US has produced more hops than were shipped to breweries for 6 out of the 8 years. From 2017 to 2022, it’s estimated that American farms overproduced by a total of around 40 million pounds, the majority of which are considered “sold”, but not yet shipped. In efforts to address this growing inventory issue, farms are expected to reduce acreage by over 10,000 acres. This reduction will bring hop production down by 10 - 20 million pounds and will continue until inventories return to a healthy level.

What does this mean for brewers?

This reduction in hop acreage will bring production well below the demand, creating a short market on current crop year hops for breweries. This will likely create a very competitive market for contracting current crop years and force spot buyers into purchasing older crop year hops. This isn’t all bad, as it’s a great opportunity for over-contracted breweries to use up old inventory and renegotiate future contracts.

Unfortunately, this change is inevitable for the US hop market, but we are very optimistic that it will create a healthier market for both brewers and farmers in the future. Now is the time to support your farmers, and let us know what you need going into the new crop year so that we can continue to supply the market with a healthy supply of the hops you need, so that consumers can drink the beers they love, without compromise. We look forward to getting things back on track and are dedicated to helping our brewery and farm partners every step of the way.  

 

(0) Idaho Saaz: More than just a lager hop

Long known as a hop “made for lagers”, Saaz has become much more than just a lager hop in recent years as we have unlocked the possibilities within its oils containing 2 polyfunctional thiols. 

Today, Saaz is used in multiple different areas of the brewing process to contribute Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, and Lemon thyme characteristics to a variety of beers. 3MH is the primary Thiol produced by Saaz. Data shows that 3MH is at its highest when there is no dry hopping, although the difference is only around 5%; so you can dry hop, but it’s recommended to dry hop below 1lb/bbl. When mash hopping is around 2lbs/bbl, it will increase 3MH, giving you the desired fruity flavors in your final brew. Mash hopping will typically only contribute around 30% of the bitterness that a 60 min addition would of an equal amount of hops. So over hopping and making a bitter bomb is a low risk, unless you want to Bill Nye your beer.

 

 

CZ Saaz is limited this year across the US due to supply issues. But luckily growers have been growing Saaz in the US for quite some time now. If you’re looking for affordable thiols to go into your beer and replace the EU Saaz that brewers have been relying on for years, 3MH is still very much available inside of our US Saaz. 

Cheers to continuing to make great beer!

 

 

PURCHASE US SAAZ →

 

(0) The Origin Story of YQH-1320

In the fall of 2015, while hiking in northern Idaho, Tim Sattler stumbled upon a hop. The hop was growing in an area cultivated by 19th and 20th-century minors and loggers, and it caught Tim’s attention. The average person may never have noticed the plant, but Tim had founded Yakima Quality Hops two years earlier. Tim knew hops.

Tim also knew that tiny breweries and home brewers operated out of that area of Idaho in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In those days, this part of Idaho was known for mining, with its neighboring woods having been dubbed the Silver Valley for its deep silver deposits. Beer and brewing were integral parts of the mining culture. Brewers back then grew their own hops, mostly using rhizomes imported from the UK in addition to whatever (often unappetizing) indigenous hops they could find. The odds of this hop being anything new were slim, and the harsh growing conditions in which it was found did not portend a buzzworthy hop anyway. Tim walked away, leaving the hop where he found it, untouched.

And why wouldn’t he? From a supplier standpoint, developing a new hop takes a lot of time and money, often for little or no gain. Contemporary brewers have nearly 300 hop varieties at their disposal, most of them forgettable.

As a former professional brewer, I remember the days when I was excited to use an experimental hop. Following the release of Citra (2008) and Mosaic (2012), we were all looking for the latest, fruity, maybe even affordable hop to set our beers apart from those of our competitors. With only a couple of experimental hop releases annually, I had fun playing roulette every six months. But by the mid-to-late 2010s, I couldn’t keep up with the number of new hops coming out and being advertised as the “next big thing.” After a few years of mostly humdrum results from brewing with new hops, I was done being the guinea pig. I wrote off experimentals.

Tim continued to return to that same piece of land, as he had for nearly 40 years since his father introduced him to it. After two more years, he finally pulled off some cones to rub and smell. A couple of years later, after repeated rubs suggested bright, tropical notes, he wondered if he were on to something special. In 2020, he brought the hop back home to Yakima to undergo genetic testing. Much to his surprise, Tim had discovered a brand-new, genetically unique hop, its parentage unknown.

In 2021, Tim enlisted Leo Gasseling & Sons (Wapato, WA) to grow half an acre of this new hop, now dubbed YQH-1320 EXP (the numbers indicate the birth dates of Tim’s children). Test batches produced by selected breweries showcased its clean, bright, and tropical-citrus character. The hop was a hit among the test brewers, and beer industry insiders took notice.

A year later, Tim went all-in on YQH-1320 EXP. CLS Farms (Moxee, WA) and Leo Gasseling & Sons combined to plant more than 60 acres of it, a big bet for an experimental hop that had yet to receive significant national recognition!

Meanwhile, YQH hired me to launch their sales wing, hoping to capitalize on the buzz that YQH-1320 EXP was generating. Having been burned by experimental hops for years, I was skeptical and nervous. Like YQH, I have a reputation for being candid with my industry mates. Hyping up a hop I had never used nor tasted in beers felt more difficult than any 70-hour production week.

But at the 2022 harvest, my own sensory analysis of the hop, both on the bine and in bales, surprised me. It was intensely tropical, with strong notes of bubblegum and citrus fruits. When I compared the YQH-1320 EXP leaf to other notable, popular hops, I discovered that YQH-1320 EXP matched or exceeded their fruit characteristics. My skepticism abated. I was a believer.

And then, the reviews from brewers started coming in...

"Excellent balance of citrus and tropical fruit aromas with some really nice complexity all on its own.”

"YQH-1320 is complex and well-balanced across tropical fruit flavors, especially pineapple, tangerine, and mango. It has some wonderful New Zealand characteristics, and the alpha acid is in the sweet spot for me.”

“YQH-1320 has a really nice, well-rounded bouquet and offers some sweet/ripe citrus, guava, mango, and light peach. Lemon and tangerine are the dominant citrus notes to me, but without pushing the limits of smelling like Pledge. We're getting some nice floral notes in there, maybe something like fresh jasmine flowers. All in all, we are very excited about this hop.”

“Just wanted to let you know that our beer using the 1320 hops came out great. It's been the top seller both here and at [another brewery], whom we collab'd with for the beer.”

“Our single hop 1320 is on tap and tasting great! I’d say if I had to compare it to a hop blend, it’s like a more lime zest Citra-type hop with a hint of Cascade and some NZ Nelson.”

"YQH-1320 is a home run full of dank citrus rind, pine, and ripe white peach flavors. … Turns out, this new hop is downright delicious."

Clearly, YQH has something special.

YQH-1320 EXP lacks any onion, garlic, earthy, woody, or “off” flavors. Its moderate alpha acids (8-9%) make it an ideal whirlpool hop for citrusy IPAs, and its singular complexity allows it to function as a top choice for single-hop beers. I find that YQH-1320 EXP brightens hop-forward beers, but its subtle, underlying floral and herbal aromas work well in summery lagers and farmhouse ales. Perhaps due in part to its origins, I liken the tasting experience to a picnic on a warm, sunny day in a glade, with fresh fruit as a dessert.

What’s more, its adaptability to those harsh, sweltering growing conditions in which it was found helps it stave off mildew and disease, and we anticipate YQH-1320 EXP being a high-yield hop. That’s great news for brewers because high yields mean lower costs. A clean, fruity, versatile hop at an affordable price? Talk about an incredible find!

Because Tim discovered a hop never before seen or identified, YQH-1320 EXP will soon become a rarity in the hop world – patented. That’s another big bet on the staying power of this delightful hop.

For those attending CBC in Nashville, expect to find a few beers around the Convention Center and the city showcasing our hop. Until then, we look forward to seeing (and tasting!) what talented brewers around the country do with YQH-1320 EXP.

Author: Tyler Cox, Brewery Resource Manager, Yakima Quality Hops

 

Want to get your hands on some YQH-1320? SHOP NOW

 

(0) In the Lab: Quality
Ever wonder what quality checks at a hops mill look like? Here at Mill 95 providing a quality pellet is a top priority. We take several steps to ensure that we are providing the highest quality pellets to our customers possible, from receiving bales to packaging the pellets.
(0) Are Old Hops Still Any Good?

Corey Marshall, Strategy and Development Office at Mill 95 joins Tom Britz, Glacier Hops Ranch, Stephanie Conn, VGF/HopTechnic, and Rob McCurdy, Hollingbery & Son for sponsored BA Collab Hour webinar. This is a straightforward discussion with hop dealers, brewers, and science that breaks down the research and gets to the facts.

WATCH NOW

 

(0) 2022 Hop Harvest Experience
This hop harvest Mill 95 hosted its first (official) Hop Harvest Experience, inviting brewers from across the country for two days of up-close and personal harvest interactions.
(0) Triumph
Triumph is one of the latest and greatest USDA hops to hit the market in the last couple of years. Triumph provides a very diverse flavor profile that can be used in a wide range of beers.
(0) Spring in Idaho Hop Country
Kick-off to the hop season began in early February for Obendorf Hop...
(0) The Power Of Thinking For Yourself
"We are fortunate, as women, sisters, friends, to have the opportunity to thrive in not just agriculture but in hops, which is such a special crop to many around the world." - Diane Gooding, Gooding Farms, Inc.