Washington Grown Magazine - September 2024 by wa-potatoes

Washington's hop varieties are a worldwide hit

Why is Washington such a prolific place to grow hops?

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For over 100 years, Washington has been the center of the known universe for hops growers, which means that it's also been an epicenter for great beers!

Washington is a haven for beer lovers everywhere, thanks to our prolific craft breweries and the farms across the state that grow the bulk of the country's hops. And it's remarkable to think that these 150 years of hoppy history can likely be traced back to two 19th century farmers who cultivated some plants and changed the state's agricultural landscape for good.

In 1852, pioneer Ezra Meeker and his family traveled from Iowa to Washington along the Oregon Trail and founded the town of Puyallup, where they began farming the land. Thirteen years later, Meeker and his father, Jacob, planted a few hop cuttings a friend had given them — and the hops took off, becoming, for a short time, the Puyallup Valley's biggest crop.

A few years later, an East Coast hop farmer named Charles Carpenter planted the first hop fields in Ahtanum, in the Yakima Valley, using plants from his family's farm in New York. They took well to the region's desert climate, fertile soil, and abun-

dant irrigation — and, unlike on the East Coast, the crops could produce a yield in their first year.

More hop farms began sprouting up all over the valley and the state, and Washington quickly became known for the crop. In the fall of 1891, the New York Times published an article about Washington's booming hop production, writing that "there is no State in the Union where hop growing is carried on with more success than in Washington... The industry has passed beyond the experimental stage and is steadily gaining ground."

These days, Washington is the No. 1 producer of hops in the country, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we grow about three-quarters of the nation's hops, mostly in the Yakima Valley. Washington has nearly 40,000 acres of hop farms, and countries worldwide clamor for Washington-grown hops, especially Belgium, Germany, and Canada. In 2023, Washington exported $319 million worth of hops around the world.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, local breweries began taking advantage of easy access to the crop, and the beer industry blossomed, with breweries like Seattle Brewing & Malting Company, the Capital Brewing Company, and Schade Brewery in Spokane opening around this time. In 1916, however, Prohibition forced all the state's breweries to cease production.

"Prohibition nearly killed the industry," said Michael F. Rizzo, the author of "Washington Beer: A Heady History of Evergreen State Brewing." "Almost every brewery closed; hundreds of jobs were lost. Several larger breweries made near beer, and some tried making other food products."

Hop growers in Washington have always innovated new technologies (like this early combine) to make growing and harvesting more efficient.

After the end of Prohibition in 1933, Rizzo said, only a few wealthy businesspeople were able to restart their breweries, but smaller companies often failed to get off the ground. In addition, new laws banned any beer and wine above 3.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), which stymied production.

Some breweries thrived despite that restriction, and one example was Rainier Brewing Company, under the new leadership of Fritz and Emil Sick. While the brewery had operated before Prohibition and sold soda and other nonalcoholic beverages from 1916 to 1933, the Sick family re-energized the brand, paving the way for Rainier's iconic, unhinged 1970s ads and its eventual status as a cult classic.

In 1982, the legal ABV limit was raised to 8%, and Washington's craft beer movement officially began. A

month after the new law, Bert Grant opened Yakima Brewing and Malting Company, the first post-Prohibition brewpub, and in the subsequent years, breweries popped up all over the state, winning national awards and garnering worldwide attention. In 2023, the state's 459 craft breweries produced more than 560,000 barrels of beer, according to the Brewers Association, and in March, Washington breweries took home 27 Best of Craft Beer Awards.

"It is a big industry in the state, creating jobs and revenue," said Rizzo. "We were an industry leader for many years."

And all along, the partnership between Washington's craft breweries and its hop farmers has benefited all parties, including beer lovers. In addition to the environmental benefits of using local ingredients, Washington brewers are also able to brew fresh-hopped beers using local hops. By brewing the beer within 24 hours of harvest, breweries create ales that retain the bright, nuanced flavors of the fresh hops.

"The fresh-hops beers that come in early fall are always something unique and sell well," Rizzo said.

So the next time you order a delightfully hoppy Washington beer, raise your glass to the farmers and brewers who made it all happen.

A series of clever television ads in the 1970s and 1980s helped Rainier Beer to locally outperform Budweiser, Miller, and every other brand of beer.

Find more great stories at wagrown.com

"Their family came to Red Mountain on a coin flip. But their success here has nothing to do with chance."

Watch the show online or on your local station

KSPS (Spokane)

Mondays at 7:00 pm and Saturdays at 4:30 pm ksps.org/schedule/

"We've got a responsibility to take care of it for future generations."

PUTERBAUGH FARMS MABTON

The

Puterbaugh family were pioneers in the hops industry in the Yakima Valley –now

they're e-commerce pioneers,

selling hops products online to brewers around the world.

According to Puterbaugh family legends, their ancestor, Noel Charvet, moved to the Yakima Valley to start a hop farm after receiving a note from a relative in the area claiming that they had "found the land of milk and honey." In 1932, he began the family farm outside of Mabton, and it has remained in the family ever since.

Drew and Levi Puterbaugh are the latest generation to take on the family legacy, growing quality hops alongside their father, Stacy, in the heat of the Yakima Valley. Their days are filled with planting, tending, harvesting, and drying — using many of the same methods and tools that were pioneered by their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Unlike their predecessors, though, the brothers have a new wrinkle to deal with: in addition to growing the hops, they also run HopsDirect.com, which has functioned as the merchant side of the family farm since 1997. The foresight of their mother, Diana, allowed the family to blaze a trail on the World Wide Web, and the website has grown into a major player in the direct-to-consumer hops market, with thousands of unique visitors each month. By handling both the growing and the distribution, the family is able to cut out the proverbial middleman between them and the customer.

"We're growing 19 varieties (of hops), and they're all wonderful, and people love all of them," said Drew, noting that all 19 varieties are available on the site. "It's kind of like children — you can't pick a favorite, but there are a couple that rise to the top."

Even if Drew can't play favorites, most of their customers online do. The Puterbaughs have been directly supplying brewers and beer makers around the country for decades, and customers come to them again and again to order their high-quality hops, extracts, and pellets. The Puterbaughs are famous in the hops world for developing the BelmaTM variety of hops, which is a favorite among brewers for its bright, fruity flavor and versatility.

feel test. According to the Puterbaughs, the cones are ready to pick when they sound crinkly and the green core (called the strig) feels papery rather than rubbery.

The Yakima Valley in southern Washington is the "promised land" of growing hops in the United States, accounting for most of the hops grown in Washington, which, in turn, grows nearly 75% of all the hops in the nation. Ideal growing conditions and technically advanced processing plants make it possible for farmers to produce high-quality hops at a lower cost than anywhere else in the world.

But that ideal climate and technology would be nothing without the experience of the farmers. Hops have to be picked at the perfect dryness. Farmers shoot for a moisture content of around 8-10%, but harvest waits until the the cones are dry enough to pass the

"There's a lot of 'feel' aspect to it," said Drew. "There's some nuance to drying, which makes it one of the more important jobs on the farm. You can work all year and then mess up on the drying and not have a quality product."

Once the hops are harvested, they're brought into one of the family's processing facilities, where they're first dried out even further with fans and hot air. After they reach the right moisture content, the hops are processed in one of three ways: some customers prefer to buy the kiln-dried hop leaf (the most classic way to brew), while others prefer the more modern pellets or hop extracts (made with alpha acids and essential oils).

"On a good day, the whole operation is a beautiful thing," said Drew. "Poetry in motion, and there are no two days alike."

Levi Puterbaugh works in the kiln. Stacy and Diana (above) have brought an inventive and enterprising spirit to the family farm.

DID YOU KNOW?

With a trellis system, hop plants can grow up to 12 inches a day in Washington's ideal growing conditions. The head of the plant "follows the sun," winding itself around the trellis twine as the sun moves across the sky.

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ACROSS

2.U.S. law that ended in 1933

5.A building where hops are dried

6."The most popular hop in the U.S. craft brewing industry"

9.An alcoholic beverage brewed from hops and malted barley

DOWN

1.The SW Washington valley where hops are grown

3.Washington's classic brewery, famous for "unhinged" ads

4.The cone-shaped flowers used in beer brewing

7."The current superstar of the hop world"

8.The family that brought hops to Puyallup in 1852

OTIS RESTAURANT OTIS ORCHARDS

In reviving the beloved Otis Grill, Mario and Belky Ruiz are blending small-town hospitality with a new fusion of flavors.

Every small town needs a hometown diner, a hub where locals can share a good meal and connect with other people from around town. For nearly 20 years, the Otis Grill had served that function in the town of Otis Orchards, just east of Spokane. So when the Otis Grill closed in April of 2022, the residents of Otis Orchards were devastated. Not only were they losing a great option for a family meal, but it felt as if they were losing a piece of their community.

Luckily, at that very moment, Mario and Belky Ruiz were looking for a place to open their next restaurant. In the time since, they've reopened that hometown diner (now called the Otis Restaurant) and added a lot of their own personality and cultural heritage — and the community loves it.

"I always want to go somewhere where they treat me like family," said one guest, gesturing around the full restaurant. "This whole community is so close. I know I'll be here again."

Mario and Belky met in college in California 37 years ago after emigrating from Guatemala and Ecuador, respectively. According to Mario, they sat next to each other the first day of school and were married the following year. After living in Los Angeles for 15 years, they moved to Spokane in 2001 to raise their children.

The Ruizes previously owned Marandos Bar & Restaurant in Spokane Valley, which closed in December 2022 after nearly five years. When they were preparing to open the new

Otis Restaurant, they knew that the character of the restaurant would be a combination of the old Otis Grill and Marandos.

The menu is a hybrid, combining classic diner specialties with Mexican favorites. The popular Otis Burger and chicken-fried steak share a page on the menu with enchiladas, pupusas, and carne asada. Belky has also been experimenting with fusion dishes that combine the best of both worlds, like the Birria Burger.

"I don't think I have tried a plate I don't enjoy. They have a very unique style of Latin American food," said one customer. "Their fusion is pretty cool. I come for the burgers, but stuff like this (flautas platter) fills me up pretty good too."

Mario takes special pride in saying that everything on the menu is made from scratch every day, which is a difference that customers can taste. Dishes are made with fresh, Washington-grown ingredients to ensure that every flavor is as vibrant as possible. Customers constantly rave about the "home-cooked" quality of each dish.

"We wanted to expand the home-cooking flavor — that's what we provide in the whole experience," Mario said, smiling at his wife.

Belky agreed, leaning over him to add, "When you see an empty plate, you know they enjoyed our food. When you see the face of the people and they say, 'Thank you; it's good,' there's a lot of joy in sharing it."

OTIS RESTAURANT'S

Estofado Pollo de Ecuadorian

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs, or legs will work – bone-in and skinon is preferred)

• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced

• 1/2 cup of peas

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

• 9 ounces of uncooked rice

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 red onion, diced

• 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

• 2 cups of chicken stock

• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons of ground ají panca chili pepper

• 3 cilantro stems

• Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Complexity: Medium • Time: 1 hour • Serves: 8

This hearty chicken and potato stew makes a wonderful comfort food on a fall evening. The ají panca chili gives the stew a rich, complex, smoky and sweet flavor without a lot of heat, but you can always add more if you want a little spice. If you can't find ají panca chili, ancho powder or chipotle powder make an acceptable substitute.

Cook the rice according to package directions, adding a teaspoon of salt.

Heat the vegetable oil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Fry the chicken pieces over medium-high heat for a few minutes until they are seared but not cooked inside –about 5 minutes. This searing prevents the chicken from breaking up and also improves the flavor of the meat. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same oil, saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the tomatoes and ground ají panca chili pepper and saute another 3 minutes.

Add the carrots, chicken pieces, and the chicken stock, potatoes, peas, and cilantro stem. Bring to a boil, then cook at a low simmer for roughly 25 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and cumin to taste.

Serve with a generous portion of rice and decorate with chopped cilantro.

PRO TIP

The sweet, smoky flavor of estofado de pollo pairs really nicely with a citrusy beer like Brick West's Sun Doggy Lager or Westbound Train IPA.

"Each hop variety offers nuanced flavor profiles for brewers to play with, including bitter, citrusy, woodsy, spicy, and floral notes."

It's the hoppiest time of year! In the Yakima Valley and other hop-growing areas in Washington, these crops reach maturity in the late summer and early fall and are harvested for brewers worldwide. During harvest season, the smell of hops fills the air, and hop season is widely celebrated with festivals and events, including the Yakima Valley's Fresh Hop Ale Festival in October.

Each hop variety offers nuanced flavor profiles for brewers to play with, including bitter, citrusy, woodsy, spicy, and floral notes. Because Washington is a worldwide hub of hop growing — we produce nearly 75% of the country's hops — we have plenty of options to tantalize our palates.

Hops are the green, cone-shaped flowers that grow on the climbing vines — called bines — of the perennial Humulus lupulus plant. After they are harvested, they are most often dried and compressed into bales, which are sold to brewers around the world. Fresh hops can also be brewed into beers within about 24 hours of

THE HOPS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

harvest, creating delightful fresh-hop brews.

Hops have been used to make beer since the ninth century, and they give beer unique flavors and aromas, counter the sweetness of other ingredients like malted barley, and also help the brews stay fresher longer. Hops are generally divided into three categories — bittering, aroma, and dual — and are added at different times in the brewing process depending on their function. Bittering hops have high levels of alpha acids, which give the beer its pleasantly bitter taste, and they are generally added earlier in the brewing process. Beta acids and essential oils contribute more to the beer's aroma without adding bitterness; those hops are usually added later in the brewing process. Dual hops include both alpha and beta acids and can be added at any point, depending on the desired effect.

In Washington, the top five varieties of hops that were grown last year were CTZ (Columbus/ Tomahawk/Zeus), Citra, Mosaic, Cascade, and Simcoe, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Here's a bit about each of these popular Washington hops, what makes them so interesting, and which Washington beers are made using them:

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THE MOST POPULAR HOPS VARIETIES IN WASHINGTON

CTZ (Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus)

These hops are often grouped together but are given different names depending on who grows them. These are considered super high-alpha varieties, and according to Hop Growers of America, CTZ hops have notes of fennel, citrus, aniseed, and nettle and are commonly used in American pales and IPAs, as well as to add bitterness to American stouts and lagers. No-Li's Born and Raised IPA is an example of a Washington beer brewed with CTZ hops.

Citra

Marketing Director

Brandy Tucker

Editor-in-Chief

Kara Rowe

Citra is — you guessed it — known for its citrusy flavor and aroma, along with its floral and fruity notes. According to Yakima Valley Hops, it is "the current superstar of the hop world," and it is a dual-purpose hop that can be added at any time in the brewing process. Fremont Brewing Company's Lush IPA is an example of a Washington beer brewed using Citra hops.

Mosaic

Mosaic hops are an aroma variety that Yakima Valley Hops describes as "floral, tropical, fruity, and earthy," with aromas of "tangerine, lime, peach, passion fruit, and blueberry." These hops are often added at the end of brewing to give a beer a fruity flavor and smell. Bale Breaker Brewing Company's Topcutter IPA is an example of a Washington beer brewed with Mosaic hops.

Cascade

Cascade is another aroma hop that has been around since the early 1970s. According to Hop Growers of America, it is the most popular hop in the U.S. craft brewing industry and the most widely grown nationwide, with "citrus, grapefruit, floral, and spicy notes, along with well-balanced bittering potential." Elysian Brewing's Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale is an example of a Washington beer brewed with Cascade hops.

Simcoe

Simcoe is a dual-purpose hop with high alpha acids, so it's great to use early in brewing to add bitterness, but it can also be added later to give a beer some fruity notes. "Alongside its fruity and slightly earthy aromas," writes beer review website Beer Maverick, "specific descriptors of the Simcoe hop include grapefruit, passion fruit, pine and berry characteristics." Stillwater Artisanal Shoegaze Pale Ale is an example of a Washington beer brewed with Simcoe hops.

The Washington Grown project is made possible by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program, through a partnership with the state's farmers.

Assistant Editors

Trista Crossley

Elissa Sweet

Writers

Jon Schuler

Editor and Art Designer

Jon Schuler

Elissa Sweet

Images

Tomás Guzmán

Jon Schuler

Puterbaugh Family

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Washington Grown

Executive Producers

Kara Rowe

David Tanner

Chris Voigt

Producer

Ian Loe

Hosts

Kristi Gorenson

Tomás Guzmán

Val Thomas-Matson