“We were all kind of surprised to see a record crop last year, after the spring heat dome, which hit when the vines were vulnerable,” said Maggie Elliot, science and communications director for the Hop Growers of Washington regarding the data showing more than 84.6 million pounds of hops were grown in Washington in 2021, a 14.1% increase over 2020.

A historic heat wave took over the Northwest in June 2021, with temperatures topping 115 degrees, threatening to stunt the crop.

Fortunately, record snowfall in the Cascade Mountains filled the Yakima reservoirs in early June, allowing growers to nurture hops using precise irrigation practices and reducing the impact from the heat wave.

“The aroma varieties took the hardest hit from the heat,” Elliot said.

Aroma and alpha are the two kinds used to brew beer.

Alpha varieties provide the distinctive bitter bite to beer. Alpha varieties are often processed into extracts used by major brewers.

Aroma varieties contribute to the aromatic depth that craft brewers use to create unique flavor profiles. Aroma hops are often added to the beer near the end of the boiling process, providing the beer with a final layer of finish. Sometimes brewers will add the aroma varieties after the boil is complete, when the mixture is fermenting, which is a process known as dry-hopping.

Elliot said just a few years ago, Washington’s hop acreage was almost evenly split between alpha and aroma varieties. But with the expansion of craft breweries throughout the world, demand for aroma varieties has spiked.

“Now about 80% of the hops grown in Washington are aroma varieties,” she said. “Aroma varieties are one of the key areas of innovation for the U.S. hop industry and the American varieties meet the need and are highly prized around the world.”

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Photo courtesy of Hop Growers of America