Category: Beer Industry

my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.

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Altus

Hopsteiner has introduced a newly named hop to the world, “Altus™ is dank with spicy tangerine and herbal, grassy notes.  Booming with high alpha and oil content, Altus™ is the perfect dual-purpose flavor-forward bittering hop and has changed the way we typically look at high alpha varieties. From a Mexican Lager all the way up the pike to a triple IPA, Altus™ can repurpose itself in many recipes for those who dare to explore the creative potentials behind this variety.”

Altus™ is derived “from an Apollo and Wye Target cross.”

Notice that the graphic includes a pepper along with the fruit.  That is where my interest is piqued. Will it add the effects of heat?  Or will it spin as something lighter?  Spicy tangerine are not a pairing I have seen before. 

And if any other names are unveiled, I hope they aren’t forced to use the same five letters as Talus and Altus.

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For All

It can be easy to fill with rage or despair when it comes to the blatant racism out in the world. But I would say it is better to channel that emotion into education. And the beer world is lucky to have the Learning Center website to turn to.

There are paid courses, a reading room and a blog to gather information from. Once you are an ally, you can get your friends to be allies and then the momentum can start rolling into policy and law and then we can move to the glorious point in time where there is no inequity in taprooms or anywhere.

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Virtual Hop – Week 1

Chalk up another W for pivoting to computer screens. Even the hop picking season, the spring training of the beer calendar has moved online. Here is what I learned from the first week of the Yakima Chief Virtual Harvest…

  • Hops can combust so hop warehouses have a fire watch system
  • Newly named hop, Talus has a spa like quality to it
  • Genetic testing is a big deal
  • Coconut fiber is used for the bines to climb and the workers who knot it at the top are highly prized and so good at their job that no machine can do the work faster
  • The logistics of which hops to pick first and when to switch to a different varietal is daunting
  • Data from this harvest is already being used for the 2021 harvest
  • I want to work at the Yakima Chief Aroma Dome
  • A hop delivery can be offloaded, tagged and tested in thirty minutes
  • There was a hop that had a Hefeweizen aroma to it but it did not make the cut
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Talus

We have a newly branded hop to be on the lookout for.  Talus.  Sounds like sport utility vehicle but is a new hop that is a cross between Sabro® brand and neomexicanus.  It was bred by Michael Ferguson of John I. Haas and Jason Perrault of Yakima Chief Ranches. 

What does Talus bring?  According to the press release, “big aromas of pink grapefruit, citrus rinds, dried roses, pine resin, tropical fruits and sage.”  To me, the descriptors that leap out are the roses and sage which sounds intriguing. 

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North Coast to Davis

Another positive step in creating a more diverse craft beer world, read the below snippet from UC Davis….

“A $50,000 endowment from North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California will launch the Mark E. Ruedrich North Coast Brewing Diversity Scholarship for the brewing program at UC Davis. The gift ensures that, by supporting education and opportunity, North Coast Brewing Company furthers its goal of promoting diversity in the brewing industry in perpetuity.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to improve our community,” said Jeff Ottoboni, CEO of North Coast Brewing Company. “The tumultuous events of 2020 reinforced the need for us to make this significant commitment and lead efforts to promote diversity in the brewing industry. Twenty-four hours later, we were on the phone with UC Davis.”

Recognizing UC Davis’ commitment to inclusion and diversity and its reputation for brewing education, the brewery partnered with the Master Brewers Certificate Program at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education to support aspiring brewing professionals. “We have an obligation to our employees, our community and our world to do what is right at all times and in this case, the best way to do that – to create meaningful, long-lasting change – is through education,” said Ottoboni.”

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Virtual Hop Picking

Yup, every damn thing I see going to have the word “virtual” in front of it. But, this virtual harvest is making me look forward to September. Check out the SCHEDULE and you will see som technical stuff but they are going g to name a new hop and other fun stuff too. If you are a hop fan, this will make you bitter in a good way.

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Ups & Downs

Since lockdown I have found the pleasure in small things, one of which is the happy hop newsletter (what I call it) from Stan Hieronymus that pops into my inbox.

The latest missive had the usual science deep dives but what caught my eye was this set of planting statistics….

Going up:
Variety                      2019                 2020             % change
Citra                          9,035              11,201            +24%
Mosaic                      4,225                5,559            +32%
El Dorado                    993                1,605            +62%
Strata                          253                   764             +202%
Sabro                          724                 1,175            +62%
Idaho 7                        473                   904             +91%
 
Going down (some more than others):
Variety                      2019                 2020             % change
Simcoe                     4,365                4,140            -5%
Amarillo                    2,369                2,112            -11%
Cascade                   5,280                3,998            -24%                                              
Centennial                3,680                2,891            -21%
Willamette                   889                   802             -10%              
 
Comparing five years ago to today:
Variety                      2015                 2020             % change
Cascade                   6,952                3,998            -42%
Centennial                4,463                2,891            -35%
Amarillo                    1,700                2,112            +24%
Simcoe                     2,916                4,140            +42%
Mosaic                      1,800                5,559            +209%
Citra                          2,993              11,201            +274%

As you can see, don’t be expecting many single hop Cascade IPAs and ready your palate for Citra and Mosaic. The bright spot for me is the growth in Strata which is a hop that I have taken a liking to.

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TTB v AB

When people ask me why I am not fond of SABInBev, I do mention that the beer is the equivalent of tacos to Taco Bell but that primarily they seem to enjoy being the bully.

Sometimes bullies get popped on the nose though. Case in point the $5 million compromise fine levied by the TTB.

The payment is for alleged violations of the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act occurred way back in time between July 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Most involving stadium and arena concessions which they sure aren’t making 5 million on right now.

Shitty little actions such as giving sponsorships but only if they can be the sole vendor, providing equipment in exchange for sales, paying for new draft systems, giving product for less than market value, hiding behind a third party to do the same.

Now, this fine is not much to SABInBev. But they do need to be reminded, like bullies everywhere, that they have to toe a least “a line”.

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Scholar

This announcement is a fantastic building block to creating a base of great brewers who can then go out and become brewery owners and creating a virtuous cycle that we need.

Two more screen shots to get some history and extra information…

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Contessa

Looks like the folks at Hopsteiner have settled on a trade name for the experimental hop 01490. And Contessa is as good as any but I would say that the major flavor components are more the draw. Lemon and lemongrass can be found in other hops but the combo of pear and green tea is really intriguing and I think could really work in a lower alcohol hazy.