Raw materials, liquid magic.
There’s an often-tossed around idiom in business that you never want to know how the sausage is made. Well, we don’t believe that Upton Sinclair-isms really apply here.
For one, we don’t even make sausage. But also, we’re beyond proud of all the hard work we put into our beers, and we want to share and highlight the dedication, processes, and people that make every Firestone Walker Brewing Company beer as consistently delicious as it is.
That’s why we’re proud to share our journey into hop farming and the 2024 hop harvest with you today with our latest Firestone Walker video feature, “Hop Harvest.” Watch it in full below now, and then read on to learn more about our farming practices, hop selection process, farming to brewing techniques, and generations-long relationship with hop farmers and the Hollingbery and Son Hops farm in Yakima, Washington.
FROM FARM TO GLASS
“Hop Harvest” follows Firestone Walker Head Brewer, Dustin Kral, Hollingbery and Son Owner and Operator, Matt Hollingbery, and a team of Firestone Walker brewers as they take on the six-week hop harvest window at Matt’s farm in Yakima, Washington. Along the way, the film showcases the people, heritage, and innovations that drive one of the world’s most important and prolific hop-growing regions.
“We’re out here with a bunch of other brewers, essentially competing for the best hops,” says Dustin. “Every year, it’s a race to rescue the highest-quality hops for our brewers.”
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON: A HOP-BED OF FLAVOR
Over the years, Firestone Walker has formed relationships with a variety of Yakima Valley growers who are setting the pace for new-age IPA hops and beyond. Our annual journey to the region is no rote exercise, it’s a quest of continued inspiration and innovation.
But why Yakima, and Hollingbery Farms in particular?
“We like working with the Hollingbery’s because they’re are a family-owned and operated business,” Dustin continued. “Like Firestone Walker, it’s a family-owned and operated business.”
“Every farm in the Yakima Valley has been owned by multiple generations,” says Matt. “Everyone wants to see their work in to the future. And I don’t know a single farmer that doesn’t care about the sustainability of their yard, their crops. So, we work with growers who can make things happen and care.”
It only just so happens that Yakima is one of the most fertile, flavor-packed hop-growing regions. And as Matt explains in the video, those hops are only used for brewing beer. So, what happens when you take some of the most flavor-forward hops out there and focus that identity into beer? The math isn’t too hard to follow, and the end result is great beer.
PERFECT HOPS, PERFECT BEER
But now, let’s get into the tastier details and break down some highlighted hops we harvest, their flavors, and what beers we feature them in.
Citra: grapefruit, melon, lime, gooseberry, passionfruit, and lychee.
Citra Incognito: grapefruit, gooseberry, passionfruit, and coconut.
Mosaic Cryo: tropical fruit citrus berry, herbal, earthy, and pine.
Strata: passionfruit, strawberry, dank, and grapefruit.
There are also other hop strains like El Dorado, Idaho 7, Simcoe, Strata, Comet, Citra, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo, and Cashmere. But let’s hear what beers they go into too.
Firestone IPA: Mosaic, Strata.
Union Jack IPA: Comet, SImcoe, Citra, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade.
Luponic Distortion: El Dorado, Mosaic, Comet, Idaho 7, Simcoe, Cashmere.
Hopnosis IPA: Chinook, Mosaic, Simcow, Cashmere.
You can find all these beers in our IPA Mixed Pack today, and taste the full spectrum of hop flavor for yourself. Find the closest mixed pack by you with our Beer Finder today.