Quick hop post for y’all.
Remember these two hop names because I bet you will be seeing them in beers next year and more I need 2022.
First up is Australia- Eclipse. Then to New Zealand for – Nectaron.
Beer Book Review – Hops by Kenneth Helphand
History. Beer has plenty of it if you look behind the curtain of hops. Kenneth Helphand has compiled some really cool photographs including some Dorothea Lange ones in his book about the hop world way, way back in the day.
This is a specific book. You are not going to get what varietals were made or even much talk about the end product. This is first and foremost a curated set of photos of the people in the hop fields. You also get recollections from people who went picking and from newspaper mentions as well. It does lead to a certain sameness. A group of people in front of a row of hops or surrounding a barrel filled with the days pick. But then you look a little closer and you see Chinese faces, Native American faces, recent immigrant faces.
You see, the everyday racist slights in the advertisements for workers. Or a YWCA camp set- up as a safe haven for women working the fields. You also get a glimpse into camp life with dances, movies, company store and living in tents until the harvest is complete.
It also leads me to want a similar book but of the current hop season. Let’s see the faces who grow and pick and bale our hops now.
Also, love to see my last name in a book…even if he is just standing around
Scented
I have seen images of a chicken scented face mask from the fast food chain, Jack in the Box. I’m sure KFC has their version. Which got me to thinking. Why is there not a hop scented face mask? Citra on Saturday, Sabro on Sunday.
Or you could try to mimic the smell of a brew day as all the grains are mashed in. I bet more masks would be worn up around the nose if that were the case.
Come on Science, get us beer scented masks!
Virtual Hop – Week 4
More hop news from Yakima Chief via the interwebs and the virtual hop season… plus some extra tidbits from perusing what competitor Hopsteiner has going…
- Hop blends were initially created to mimic single hops that had low supply but now tend towards charity or group blends such as Pink Boots or Falconers Flight
- The next blend evolution may be in Cryo
- The employees who seam up bales are really good at what must be a loud and repetitive job with high throughput pressure
- Sad comment on fires, one of the Carpenter clan made the rueful joke, “had to light up a cigarette to get a breath of fresh air”
- Will hop extracts be celebrated like fresh hop and whole leaf. Just doesn’t seem to have the It Factor.
- Hop scientific research seems to be a growing field
- Weird fact, there have been studies that show music has an impact on flavor perception
- I really want to visit this magical Sports Center bar I never Yakima
- Hop selection may seem fun but having two or three days where you smell nothing but hops is tiring
- Why are there no fresh hop Festbiers or Kolsches?
Virtual Hop – Week 3
This week the hop news focuses on Fire and hop creep. Virtual Harvest from Yakima Chief via Zoom… plus some extra notes from what competitor Hopsteiner has going…
- Wind blowing down bines was an issue as was smoke stopping work in Oregon
- The picking schedule had to be changed on the fly.
- Thankfully aroma hops were already picked. Alpha hops the last to get and are less sexy so small favors.
- Dara collection and access to that data are super important. Really trying to create a continuous (almost) feedback loop.
- Brewers can have access to lot specs nearly immediately.
- Hop terms – Dribble Belt and Money Belt. The first cleans matter away, the latter is just the hops being moved on.
- Hop Creep – secondary Fermentation brought on by hops. Causes off flavors and delays beer being done. Wasn’t really a problem until hazies and massive hop loads came into being.
- The Creep can be combatted in the brewing process by timing when hops go in and clearing yeast. Some hops may cause it more so variety selection is important.
- Before 2007 80% of hops were UN-contracted. Now 80% are contracted.
- In 2018, 154 hop varieties were used in beers per the Brewers Association.
- High Kiln hops might be a new term to look for.
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.
2Dank
The Modern Times Dankness Dojo drops a lot of cans and bottles. They are busy people in this brewery chain. But of special note is a Double Dry-Hopped version of their opening beer, Finally Open in LA!
It has Cryo Citra and Strata during the ferment and then more Citra, Strat and some Centennial later.
Christmas Beer Review – Sierra Nevada Celebration 2019
Let’s dive into the second Christmas beer review and we head to another California standard, Celebration from Sierra Nevada. Filled to bursting with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops.
Lovely cascading pour. Nice dark red Christmas color. I would classify this more as a red ale rather than Fresh Hop IPA. Big hoppy Cascade hop bite. That lovely hop note really lingers on the palate with a mix of pine and citrus.
HopTea
While grocery shopping last weekend, I ran across these in the tea aisle…
…not only do the cans look like a hoppy IPA release, they have the hop names prominently listed. But this is sparkling tea and they give you the general tea varietal too. It is the first time that I have seen HopTea. It is a brand from the Boulder, Colorado based Hoplark.
Here is my take on this new hop beverage…
I like strong tea. Even milder flavors like Orange Pekoe or Chamomile, I prefer bold and the Calm One which features Citra hops with Chamomile is brash. Big spicy tea notes hit hard. The hops add a layer underneath that strengthens the flavors and the sparkle of carbonation us bright. To me this is not calm. But it is damn tasty. It says Wee Bit on the label but this comes at you.
The Hoppy One is really powerful tea as well. The Simcoe and Citra hops do battle with the darker tea and it comes out a little spicy and woodsy. It is a triple hit of a big sparkle push followed by a mid section of hop and then the black tea takes over. I think the tannins from the tea are working against the hops here. Overall, it is a bold brew which I appreciate even when it doesn’t fully click.
These two versions make me want to try the full range and I would really want to visit their taproom.
Farm Label
Every once in a while, I shout out cool label designs and Cloudwater of England gets the nod this month with the simple but agriculturally effective photos of hops and the fields that grow them that also includes the hops used in big enough type to read. Below is a closer look…
