Brian: I’ve heard from some brewers that, when you pick—let’s say Simcoe—it can lean more piney or more fruity depending on where it gets picked. And I guess that has to do with the oil concentrations in there and that dry matter.
Brock: Simcoe is actually the one of the first varieties we pick. We have 22 different varieties. So we start picking Simcoe, then we’d pick Amarillo, then we’ll move to Chinook, and then we’ll pick Citra, then Mosaic and Cascade.
We also raise a bunch of other high alpha varieties like Zeus, or Apollo, which is a Steiner variety. We have Cashmere, and we have all kinds of experimental varieties. It just goes on and on.
Brian: American hops used in the industry are grown in the Pacific Northwest, and people may know of Yakima Valley and Willamette Valley. Recently, Idaho has become the second-largest hop producer out of all states. What do you think led to to that boom and growth in Idaho hop production?
Brock: Obviously, the craft industry has experienced a lot of growth. People are using a lot of the newer varieties. Between Washington and Idaho, you can plant a baby hop and get 70%-100% of a full crop. When you want a new variety, you can change out faster. You can be nimble and fill that demand. We’re a little faster to change the markets. Hops grow really well down here.
Brian: Is that a climate thing? Is that a soil thing?
Brock: It’s soil and climate. Hops have to grow on the 45th parallel. They’re going to be between [the 40th parallel or the 50th parallel]. You know, that’s the range around the world when they’re all grown.
Isaac: Do you have a favorite hop?
Brock: Yeah, I have quite a few of them. I love Mosaic, it is my favorite hop; it grows very well. It’s great to pick and it dries nicely. It’s just a beautiful hop. Citra is another amazing hop. El Dorado is amazing. Cascade is amazing. Chinook grows better in Idaho than probably anywhere in the world. I think Simcoe is tough to raise. Centennial is one we don’t raise here. They’re just a little too tough.
Isaac: How many of the hops you produce are turned into pellets?
Brock: I would say 95%. We sell all of our hops to brokers who come in. They go from there all over the world. So some hops, if they ended up at, say Victory Brewing in Pennsylvania—they use whole leaf hops, or if they end up at Sierra Nevada—they use whole leaf hops. But that’s very few pounds. Most of it is pelleted.
I love Mosaic, it is my favorite hop; it grows very well. It’s great to pick and it dries nicely. It’s just a beautiful hop.
Isaac: Is there a range of the most expensive hop to your lowest-priced hop?
Brock: I think Mosaic and Citra have the highest demand right now. … Hops range anywhere from $3 to $15. One could yield way more in the one field, and one could be in demand.
Brian: So demand and average yield is usually what is driving those prices?
Brock: Yeah, and I mean our growing cost as well. With inflation and everything that’s happened, it’s really that our cost of production has gone way up.
Brian: When I was actively homebrewing, Amarillo was always expensive. Citra was always expensive. Mosaic was always expensive, and it seemed like those, for lack of a better word, ‘cool’ hops were the most expensive.
Brock: They were in demand. And, you know, hops cost a lot of money to raise.
