Hop harvest in the Yakima Valley is a magical time of year for anyone who enjoys brewing, good beer, and beautiful farms. Every year thousands of brewers come to Yakima from all around the world to rub, sniff, and select the finest hops. And if you are one of those brewers coming to town for selection, then it is important to understand what you are in for and how to make the most of your experience.
That is why the Yakima Valley Hops Crew put together some of our suggestions on how to properly prepare for hop selection and get the most value out of your time in our Valley. Whether this is your first hop selection or your tenth, here are our insider tips on how best to prepare for hop selection in Yakima.
Sensory Preparation and Training
Preparing for hop selection should start well before you even start packing your socks and undies. Since you are going to be smelling a lot of hops (the average lot selection table has between 6-10 lots per variety) it is important to get your sniffer up to snuff.
One of the easiest ways to calibrate your nose and start honing in on a desired aroma profile is with the Barth-Haas Hop Aroma Standards Kit. This kit comes with 12 aroma compounds that are naturally occurring in hops, including citrus, sweet fruit, and even cream caramel. The Hop Aroma Standards Kit helps brewers to establish a common understanding of the most prevalent aromas that they will experience at the selection table.
This is a particularly powerful tool for groups or teams of brewers who are coming to do selection together, because it sets a standard or baseline for everyone to discuss the oftentimes very subjective sensory evaluation process. It starts to lay the foundation for a common understanding of what people mean when they say that hops smell “citrusy”, “floral”, or “spicy”.
The aroma kit can be used on its own or in conjunction with hop samples or even a do-it-yourself aroma kit made up of fruits, herbs, and spices. All these things can work together to help standardize the vocabulary around what you smell and how you describe it. It is also a good idea to learn how to avoid sensory fatigue and reset your brain with certain smells. Experiment with using common palate cleansers like coffee beans or even your own armpit and see what works for you.
If you are going to select hops for an established brand or flagship beer it is also important to refresh your memory on what makes that beer standout. That is why you should spend some time sampling beer alongside the hop lots that were used to brew it. Hop selection has an added wrinkle of complexity to it because how the hops rub and sniff is not always how they present in the final product. Doing some structured or blind tastings help to lock in that mental snapshot of what you are looking for at the selection table.
Oh, and anytime you are doing sensory training or preparation, be sure to take as many notes as possible, but more on that later.
Learning and Education Opportunities
One of the best parts about coming to Yakima for hop harvest is that for those six to eight weeks every year there is such a high concentration of brewers and hop experts that you are bound to learn something everywhere you go. Whether you are grabbing a greasy breakfast to help recover from a long night or are in the midst of a long night and headed to your next dive bar, wherever you go you will be surrounded by fellow brewers. The concentration of brewing and hop knowledge in Yakima at this time of year is unrivaled and not to be overlooked as many of these chance encounters lead to great collaborations and exchanging of ideas.
Apart from late night chats there are also plenty of structured learning opportunities to make the most of. Haas Hops Academy is a top tier hop and brewing training program that keeps brewers up to date on all the latest hop science, best practices, and new hop products. This year the Hops Academy will be hosted on September 6th and 7th, but space is very limited with only 50 seats and is expected to sell out early (so secure your tickets here).
Hopsource, in partnership with the Brewers Association, USDA, and Hop Research Council, is back for its 6th year of hop sensory and evaluation. Hopsource provides brewers an opportunity to influence the future of the public hop breeding program by evaluating the standout varieties from the program’s elite breeding line. It is a relaxed, open house style event on September 26th, 27th, and 28th that is hosted at Yakima Valley Hops (702 N 1st Ave). Every day there are two flights of hop samples and over the course of the three days the most promising varieties rise to the top.
Vista hops are the most recent variety to graduate from the program as brewers at Hopsource fell in love with its aromas of stone fruit, citrus, and tropical fruit. But it truly takes a village to make Hopsource a success as the larger the sample size the more reliable the data is. So be sure to support the public breeding program by finding the next great hop variety. Attending multiple days is also encouraged, so vote early and vote often.
Plan Your Extracurriculars
Coming to Yakima for hop selection is a rare opportunity that brewers need to make the most of, including experiencing our amazing Valley and the surrounding area. The Yakima Valley is home to amazing food, incredible people, and unbelievably beautiful scenery. It is impossible to see and experience everything in a single trip (especially with long days at the selection table and visiting all the farms), but here is our list of personal favorites for the best things to do in Yakima. If you are looking for a Cliffs Notes version of the article it can basically be summed up like this: mountains, Mexican food, and hop museum (yes, that is a thing).
What to Pack
Probably the most important thing to bring, other than your nose, is a pair of sturdy shoes. You will notice a lot of Blundstone and Redback boots out in the dusty hop fields and for good reason. Whether you are trekking through a field or standing at the selection table, chances are that you will be spending a lot of time on your feet, so take care of them with a good pair of shoes or boots.
An often-overlooked item to bring is something for notetaking and documenting your selection process. Typing notes into your phone or laptop usually is not ideal because your hands are going to be plenty sticky from all the hops. That is why a simple paper notebook is preferred by most brewers, but there are also those who like to take audio or video recordings to accurately document each selection. With long days and late nights, it is easy for all of your days at the selection table to kind of blur together, so it is important to take comprehensive notes to refer back to weeks and months after you have left Yakima and are back in the brewhouse.
Between the dusty fields and all the hops up your nose selection time can also be a very sneezy one. That is why it is a good idea to bring some nasal spray to keep all your olfactory glands in tip top shape. Allergy medicine is also recommended if you have seasonal allergies but can still be a good idea even if allergies do not usually bother you.
All in all, hop harvest and selection is a special opportunity that brewers look forward to all year. We hope that this article helps you make the most of your time in Yakima. And be sure to give us a shout if you are in town and want to hang out. Just pop in and say hey, or send an email over to Malissa and she will be able to hook you up with the VIB (very important brewer) treatment.
Enjoy your time in Yakima and happy sniffing!