Raw Materials

Independent brewers are prolific consumers of malt, increasingly nudging growers and maltsters into more characterful varieties. What’s lacking is wider adoption of programs that can evaluate and analyze that character—and then communicate it to drinkers.

In this ongoing series that looks at hop-related issues that will matter to brewers in the years to come, Stan Hieronymus spotlights the need to think ahead when it comes to securing the future of some valued hops from the past.

Terroir in hops is real. Even the same varieties grown in nearby fields can wind up with different attributes, and beloved varieties can vary from farm to farm and lot to lot. Some drinkers are interested, too—and might pay a premium.

Quality, price, and scalability remain drawbacks for small-batch local malt, but many small breweries argue that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

There are “cheater” hops and there are “cheaper” hops, but the latter can also offer the big exotic aromas and flavors that are popular today. Stan Hieronymus has specific suggestions for varieties and how they might be employed in the brewhouse.

Have a plan—but build it with a cushion that will allow your business to adapt to the unexpected and take the occasional risk. Here, the planners at North Carolina’s Highland Brewing share their evolving approach and best advice.

The pandemic’s unpredictability also affects the laborers, farmers, and dealers who supply breweries’ raw ingredients. Their experience, flexibility, and optimism are helping to buffer a potentially volatile market.

From online hops selection and virtual harvest to Craft Malt Week, producers and brewers are finding new ways to connect while travel is limited.

Labor Day windstorms damage up to 5 percent of Yakima Chief’s remaining crop in Washington and Idaho, with the response complicated by wildfires and apple harvest.

What began as an online shop run from a garage joins the world's largest hops supplier.