Hops

The Noble-hop tradition isn’t disappearing—it’s evolving. U.S. varieties and innovative blends now offer brewers classic floral, herbal character with modern consistency, efficiency, and dependable sourcing.

Could a fresh perspective on hops inspire new and continued growth?

With a burst of Lórien hops in the whirlpool and more in the dry hop, the team at Sunriver Brewing in Sunriver, Oregon, describes this hop-forward pilsner as “distinctly crisp, with elegant hoppy notes of wildflowers, lemongrass, and black tea.”

It seems like every day a new hop variety or new hop product is launched into a market already flooded with a plethora of incredible options. How then, do you as a brewer discern which of these new varieties or products might have the potential to distinguish and differentiate your existing beer brands or new brands in development?

As today’s brewers explore the subtleties of hop-forward lagers, they’re finding ways to balance proper fermentation time with the brightest possible hop expression.

From Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, this recipe is a celebration of Strata hops and the people who pick them.

For the team at Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, this mountain-style IPA is a tribute to the Rocky Mountains. They select its modern hop varieties to achieve a complex profile of juicy and tropical notes.

In this first article in a Deep Dive series, Indie Hops’ Jim Solberg discusses how they screen new hops for brewing and market potential.

Whether it’s selecting very different lots of Nelson Sauvin or trialing new hop products to see what they can contribute, North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair says he’s always looking for ways to squeeze in more hop flavor—but without leaving the realm of the familiar.

To brew a beer that’s bursting with great hop aroma and flavor, it’s critical to choose and use the very best you can get. North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair explains their own discriminating approach.

You don’t want your water to get in the way of hop-saturated flavors. Here, North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair sketches out a few different water profiles that depend on style—and why he might adjust those profiles, depending on choices made elsewhere.

North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair shares his approach and various techniques for achieving fully saturated hop flavor in IPA, West Coast pilsner, or any hop-forward style.

It’s true. Strata has a nephew who is a stud. Breeding stock that is. Most males in the hop world die a sudden death once discovered to be males . . . unless they have something of value for future generations.

Intense, complex, and punchy, the hops of New Zealand are special—so, making the best beer you can with them deserves some special consideration. From Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud—or Middle Earth, if you prefer—here are specific tips from the brewers who know New Zealand hops best.

In recent years, the brewing world has learned a lot about terpenes, thiols, biotransformation, survivables, and more. Now, let’s zoom out to consider the essence of hop aroma—the oils that contain all those compounds—and make sense of them in a way that any brewer can use.

Here’s how homebrewers can punch up their pale ales with the bright flavors of New Zealand hops. Plus: a method for getting a whirlpool-like flavor burst without having to whirl anything.

Taking cues from modern Belgian pale ales such as Taras Boulba and XX Bitter, Sanguine is a balanced expression of ample hops and yeast character. “We chased this beer for four years, trying to find the flavor profile,” says Halfway Crooks cofounder Shawn Cooper. “This is where we ended up.”

Saaz, Kazbek, and ... Juno? Whether punching up lagers or adding interest to IPAs, newer Czech hop varieties—little known outside their country—are an overlooked source of distinctive flavors.

This style-spanning yearly celebration of the harvest is brewed in many ways and in many places—but the best place in the world to appreciate fresh-hopped beers is the Pacific Northwest.

As the lager category continues to expand beyond its historic roots, hops like Hopsteiner’s Contessa™, Lemondrop™, and Delta™ represent the future of thoughtful, domestically sourced innovation. When today’s brewers pair them with the functional benefits of Tetra additions, they can craft lagers that are not only true to style but are also uniquely their own, offering drinkers both tradition and modernity in every glass.