Sip Northwest, Fall 2018

The Yakima Valley located in southern Washington State grows 75 percent of the nations hops In the summer fields of bines reach for the sky Each September the city of Yakima throws a big party Fresh Hop Ale Festival to commemorate the end of the harvest But farmers dont just sow any old hop seed all of those healthy plants are the product of years of research and testing that ensure each unique variety will be strong resilient aromatic and flavorful We caught up with Rachel Jones hop researcher for Hopsteiner one of the largest hop growing trading breeding and processing firms in the world to find out about the humble beginnings of hops What exactly does a hops researcher do My work focuses on variety development In the summer I collect hop pollen which is used for making experimental crosses Then 88 S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M thousands of two inch tall seedlings come to my greenhouse for disease screening Seedlings with disease resistance are then planted in a nursery In their second year we spend a lot of time identifying plants that are unique in terms of aroma or chemical profile I also maintain a virus free library of hops in vitro in the lab where we store hundreds of hop genotypes Whats the work like Its a very long process It takes about 10 years for a hop to go from the breeding and selection process to a named commercial variety There are moments when I feel like I cant possibly screen another seedling which is right when I think But this plant in my hand could be the next great hop The industry will always be looking for new hops whether its for a hop with disease resistance great agronomics unique aroma or maybe all three Why is research and testing such an important part of the hop farming process Were trying to provide the best product for our customers Market trends change 10 years ago there was very little interest in aroma hops Craft brewing transformed the industry and now we seek out hops with unique aroma Other changes that make our research important have to do with plant disease Powdery mildew is an example of a disease that keeps evolving a plant that is resistant to a strain of powdery mildew will likely have its resistance broken over time We keep working to identify plants with new resistances so that we can provide hop products that come from sustainably grown plants with reduced pesticide use Whats the beer culture in the Yakima Valley like and do you have a favorite local brew Yakima has had a strong hop culture for generations after all we grow 75 percent of the countrys hops Our beer culture is starting to catch up and really take off New breweries continue to open joining the ranks of awardwinning breweries throughout the valley My favorite local beer is Lemonade Rocketship by Single Hill Brewing Co a brewery that just opened up this summer in downtown Yakima This beer is refreshingly delicious and it features Hopsteiners Lemondrop hop l The industry will always be looking for new hops whether its for a hop with disease resistance great agronomics unique aroma or maybe all three T W O C E N T S BY ALISHA McDARRIS Q A with Rachel Jones Experimenting with Hops in the Lab TOP PHOTO BY ALISHA McDARRIS