Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, Pennsylvania, has already contracted for virtually all the hops—approximately 175,000 pounds, or 80,000 kilos of them—it will use while brewing about 100,000 barrels of beer this year.
At Segal Ranch in the Yakima Valley, John Segal knows exactly how many pounds of Mount Hood hops Tröegs will buy from him after the 2025 harvest.
That’s called visibility, and it’s something the hop industry could use more of right now. Farmers around the world have produced more hops than brewers can use for a variety of reasons since the onset of COVID in 2020. That surplus has been great for brewers without contracts, who can find almost any variety they want, often at a lower price than what brewers with contracts are paying.
However, it has not been great for growers. Fifty years ago, 250 hop farms operated in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, there were fewer than 70 of them harvesting hops. Not all of those may turn on machinery in 2025, and more will likely be gone before supply and demand are back in balance.