Brewing behind the scenes: Hop selection

Every September, a few of our brewing staff take a trip to the Pacific Northwest for the end of the North American hop harvest. Once the most of the harvest is completed by Sebago’s two major hop suppliers — Crosby Hops in Woodburn, Oregon and Yakama Chief Hops in the Yakima Valley of Washington State —  present brewers with multiple samples of hops of the same variety to choose from.

We sat down with Peter Dahlen, our Director of Brewery Operations (far left in the picture below), to learn more about the art and science of hop selection.

Why is hop selection so critical?  Hops are an agricultural product and a growing conditions, weather, harvest timing, drying processes, and more all impact the qualities of the hops year to year, grower to grower, and even within each grower’s own fields. Each hop has a range of characteristics, and brewers select harvested lots that match the specifics of what they’re trying to get out of them. The hops are already evaluated by the growers to make sure they are of acceptable quality, but the specifics of who likes what comes down to a matter of preference and consistency.

Can you give an example?  Frye’s Leap IPA is mostly driven by Centennial hops, so we’re looking for Centennial lots that lead with lemon and grapefruit qualities. Other brewers may be drawn to lots that are more herbal and piney. Having the chance to put time and effort into differentiating what you want out of each hop and sourcing it accordingly can be the difference between our beer tasting like our own or like someone else’s.

How long have you been doing this with Sebago?  We’ve been doing hop selection for close to10 years now! It takes a commitment to purchasing a significant amount of hops and planning it out ahead of time to make it logistically feasible to select specifics lots. Over the years we’ve found the opportunity to select hop lots can make an enormous difference in the beers that we brew to keep them tasting like we want them.

What do you like about the yearly trip?  I really enjoy connecting with the growers to see how and where some of the most influential ingredients to our beers are being produced. It really makes a difference to have an exchange between growers and brewers to try and better connect the dots with challenges and goals between our industries because we are so reliant upon each other. It’s a real social and relaxed opportunity to be with growers and other brewers from all over the world who are there to do the same thing.

Do you have a favorite part?  Watching the mechanical agricultural picking and processing of the hops is like something out of a Dr. Seuss book and it never gets old. My favorite part, though, is stepping into the kilns where the hops are being dried. It’s like a massive steam room with tons of fresh hops and the feeling is unbeatable.

What came of this year’s selection?  As always, we ended up selecting some really great hops to continue to keep our beers tasting better and better. At Crosby Hops we selected more hops grown and processed from their own estate than ever. At YCH we ended up selecting our Citra lot from Gasseling Farm. Tricia Gasseling had just given us a tour of her operation earlier that day.

What are you excited to make?  Several growers have programs to develop new hop varieties, and it’s always exciting to try out what they are working on. We had the chance to sample beers produced with these hop trials and will have the chance to make some more as they grow further the growing trials and begin reaching out to brewing partners for additional feedback. Getting to participate and help with new hops or hop products really lets our brewers get creative and inspired for the endless possibilities there are in brewing.