opinion and analysis
A BREWER’S PERSPECTIVE:
BSG CRAFTBREWING’S HUMULUS U 2013
The BSG Craftbrewing’s Humulus U 2013 bills itself as an insiders guide to the 2013 hop crop. It is attended by
many breweries and classes include: 2013 Harvest Hop Report, Quality Assurance Programs on the Farm, Dry
Hopping Research and Technique and Understanding Whirlpool Hopping.
By Ryan Graham
M
y original article on the 2013 Hop
Harvest was originally written as a personal narrative about my experience
with my business partner Geoff Scott
and the crew from Knee Deep Brewing Co. during a
mid-September trip to Yakima, WA. While the dayto-day happenings of the trip would be worth the
read, I’ve opted to focus this article instead on what
I learned from Humulus U (BSG’s name, not mine).
First, hops are fun! In a beer industry that is still
dominated by the impetus to cultivate hops with
more alpha acids, the craft beer industry has
grabbed the attention of the hop growing community. Farmers are actively engaged in hop breeding
programs designed to generate the next aroma/flavor hop that will be all the rage. Simcoe, Amarillo,
Citra and increasingly El Dorado have added to the
brewer’s arsenal and the consumer’s experience.
COMING SOON!
Conveniently Located in Midtown at 24th & K Street
Nothing could showcase this sentiment more perfectly than our experience at Bale Breaker’s Brewing Co in Yakima, WA. This amazing up-and-coming
brewery only opened in April 2013 in the middle
of a field of Cascade hops. The whole article could
digress into a piece about the amazing brewing
facility. But their beer says it all. The three year
round releases include a Pale Ale, IPA and a Double IPA. All three featured generous amounts of
hop flavor and over-the-top aroma. While the Top
Cutter IPA was a thing of beauty, all of us marveled
at the sessionable simplicity of Field 41 Pale Ale. It
brilliantly showcased all that Ahtanum, Mosaic and
Simcoe have to offer. When we tried to figure out
how they were able to obtain such large amounts
of these amazing hops so soon after being open,
the answer was more impressive. The great-grandparents of the owners have been growing hops in
the region for 81 years and have been active in the
hop-breeding program that has resulted in Simcoe,
Citra and Mosaic. Super cool, right?
Second, hops are more than a commodity. Sure,
the public and us brewers both have an affinity
for our lupulin-laced gift from Ninkasi. The modern craft beer movement would not be the same
without copious amounts of these beautiful green
nuggets thrown in at all phases of the production
process. And more is never enough. Yet with all
the love we feel for hops and the pleasure we derive from their amazing array of flavors and ability
to overload our olfactory senses, the craft beer
industry has a propensity to buy, sell, hoard, and
barter hops as a matter of routine. And in an up
market with hop prices on the rise and availability
Featuring Lite German Fare with 25 Handles of
Great German, Belgian and Local Brews
Page 23
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of certain types scarce, there is evermore economic incentive teetering on the edge of contractual
over-exuberance.
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