Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), the grower-owned hop supplier, has made fresh hop ales possible for the global craft beer industry with the launch of a cutting edge Frozen Fresh Hops programme.
Fresh hop ales are one of the most celebrated beers in American craft beer. Brewed with whole wet cones within 36 hours of harvest, they represent hops in their most natural form.
Dependent upon the unpredictable nature of farming, brewers plan their operations around these seasonal beers. With the high perishability of an unprocessed ingredient, fresh hops are difficult to access for brewers further from the farms.
YCH developed a way to offer frozen fresh hops in partnership with Wyckoff Farms, skilled in the art producing and preserving quality, frozen agricultural products.
YCH’s frozen fresh hops are raw, unkilned, flash frozen whole cone hops, produced in a state-of-the-art food processing facility. Unlike traditional freezing, flash freezing retains the delicate nuances of unkilned hops by protecting lupulin gland integrity, preserving fresh hops from both a physical and aromatic perspective. The result is a product that delivers the magic of fresh hop season with better storability and logistical flexibility.
“As a North West brewer, fresh hops have a special place in my heart,” said YCH’s brewery manager, Jeremy Wattenberg. “Frozen Fresh hops will be a game changer in the way we look at fresh-hopped beers.”
Frozen fresh hops have sub-freezing shipping and storage requirements. Brewers still have the option to participate in local farm pick-up for traditional fresh hops.
Inspired by Wyckoff’s fresh frozen blueberries, exported across the globe, YCH now supplies a more accessible fresh hop product, bringing this celebration to beer drinkers everywhere.
