Are Frozen Fresh Hops the wave of the future?

Washington based global hop supplier Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) has launched a product that claims to make fresh hops available to brewers world-wide and year-round. Sounds good right? Not so fast…

Hops used in brewing are harvested once a year and kiln dried to compound volatile substances and bitterness while making the leafy cones viable for use at refrigerated temperatures over the next year or more. Fresh Hops are the cones that are picked fresh and undried which are greener, stickier and oilier, but are more difficult to use in brewing and provide an almost unattainable freshness to a beer when used right. Because fresh hops are only available once a year in the fall and must be used within about 36 hours of picking they have become a hot commodity that showcases the precious flavor and preservative nature of the flower to a select few around hop growing regions, or those who can afford to have them flown in overnight. In recent years some brewing companies have mounted a campaign to call these beers “wet hop” instead of fresh hop in a transparent attempt to be able to market “fresh hop” beers using so-called “freshly kilned hops.” Learn more about this in our in-depth research/opinion piece “Fresh Hops vs. Wet Hops.”

YCH’s new year-round “fresh hops” come with the caveat that they are flash frozen to seal in the moisture and volatiles, and that is unique in that they have never been dried and may impart some extra green flavors…BUT, anyone walking down a grocery aisle knows that the flash frozen green beans in the frozen foods aisle are a far cry from the fresh ones in the produce section no matter what technique they are using. Even YCH’s own press release compares them to flash frozen blueberries.

Calling something fresh that has been stored frozen is confusing (Imagine asking your grocery clerk for fresh fish and being directed to frozen.) Even worse then that it threatens to degrade everything that makes the pacific northwest (and other select hop growing regions) special and the hop harvest season memorable. In a broader sense its yet another blurring of the line between what is considered “craft” when the ingredients become highly processed and extracted rather than whole and homegrown. Perhaps that is just the natural progression of science and technology but it makes you wonder at what point beer stops being “craft.”

YCH’s frozen Fresh Hops are not the first product to market year-round availability of that fresh hop flavor. Sierra Nevada launched their Hop Hunter IPA made with fresh hop extract in 2018 which is certainly a different product but helps to illustrate the quest to make fresh hop beers less than something seasonal and regionally unique. Over the years many a brewer or brand has attempted to make the ethereal zesty leafy and oily bouquet of hops picked right off the bine a thing that was easily available worldwide.

YCH is correct in coming to the conclusion that:

Fresh hop ales are one of the most celebratory beers in American craft beer. Brewed with whole wet cones within 36 hours of harvest, they represent hops in their most natural form. Dependent upon the unpredictable nature of farming, brewers plan their operations around these seasonal beers. With the high perishability of an unprocessed ingredient, fresh hops are difficult to access for brewers further from the farms.

YCH has partnered with Wyckoff Farms for their experience in preserving quality, frozen agricultural products. To be fair there is something cool about raw, un-kilned, flash frozen whole cone hops produced in a state-of-the-art BRC-certified food processing facility. According to YCH the flash freezing retains the delicate nuances of un-kilned hops by protecting lupulin gland integrity, preserving fresh hops from both a physical and aromatic perspective. The result is a product that delivers the magic of fresh hop season with better storability and logistical flexibility.

“As a northwest brewer, Fresh Hops have a special place in my heart,” said YCH’s Brewery Manager, Jeremy Wattenberg. “Frozen Fresh hops will be a game changer in the way we look at fresh hopped beers.”

Frozen Fresh Hops have sub-freezing shipping and storage requirements. Brewers still have the option to participate in local Farm Pick-Up for traditional fresh hops and while this new product is fun to play with, we hope it never supplants the real deal.

For more information, visit www.yakimachief.com/commercial/hop-wire/frozen-fresh-hops.

Yakima Chief Hops

YCH is a 100% grower-owned global hop supplier with a mission to connect brewers with family hop farms. Operating for more than 30 years, we have become leaders of innovation, quality and customer service. We are a resource for brewers, providing industry-leading research and products. We are advocates of sustainability and meaningful social causes, working to support the communities around us. www.yakimachief.com