Hop Class

For the 2nd year in a row,  Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) is taking their Hop & Brew School virtual. It is a five-day event taking place in cyberspace from August 30th through September 3rd.

I listened in on many presentations last year and learned quite a bit but lets have the press release convince you…

“For nearly two decades, YCH has hosted this comprehensive hop harvest experience for the brewing community complete with a behind-the-scenes look at the hop industry as well as educational seminars. Now in its 18th year, Hop & Brew School® is considered to be a highly regarded event among craft brewers and one of the most in-depth hop education programs in the industry.

Due to COVID-19, YCH will be holding this event in a virtual format for a second year, as safety remains their first priority. This year’s schedule features sessions surrounding new discoveries in advanced hop research, hop application best practices, hop sensory training, a deep dive into the beyond beer beverage category and homebrew tips. Participants will also receive an inside look at organic hop growing and experimental hop development. Speakers include both hop industry experts and veteran brewers.”

Pop Goes the Hop

Washington’s  Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) has a new frozen innovation for breweries “called Cryo Pop™ Original Blend. Since helping to pioneer and launch their advanced product line, Cryo Hops® four years ago YCH has learned a lot, this new hop blend uses groundbreaking research to solve the common brewing problem of how to carry raw hop aroma into finished beers.”

Quite a few acronyms later, YCH describes how their lab testing got them to this new product, “The data is utilized to engineer a hop pellet that contains high concentrations of the most beer-soluble compounds, or compounds that survive the brewing process. The result is a supercharged pellet that provides brewers with a dynamic solution for juicy, fruit-forward, highly aromatic applications, showing massive tropical, stone fruit, and citrus aromas.”

Now we wait to taste IPA’s that pop.

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.

Ales for ALS

One of the many great charity campaigns is the Ales for ALS. You will mainly see these beers on draft but some, like this from L.A. Ale Works

…is canned. This year Yakima Chief has a new hop blend that features Mosaic, Simcoe, Sabro, Loral and HBC 630. Be on the look-out to support this cause.