S.2 E.5 - Breeding Hops & Growing Crops

The highest quality beer can only be made when there is a connection between farmers and brewers. 

Today we talk about the importance of this connection while also hearing insights into hops growing and beer brewing from today’s guests; Yakima Chief Ranches CEO Jason Perrault and supply chain ‘hoperations’ manager Joe Catron, and Bale Break Brewery co-owners Kevin Smith and Kevin Quinn. 

We open our conversation by asking Jason how hops brewing has changed over the decades. After discussing Yakima Chief Ranches' focus on improving the quality of every link in their supply chain, we explore Bale Breaker Brewerys' origins. We then unpack the mad science that goes into hop breeding and why consistency and not the effects of terroir are valued in brewing. Later, we chat about why “the best fertilizer is a farmer's footprints in the field,” highlighting the need for growers and brewers to nurture their relationships. We round off our discussion by touching on why contracting hops is so vital in stabilizing the market, why new hops varieties tend to have funky names, and which hop combinations our guests most prefer. In this episode, we share insider information that’s been brewed over four generations of hops farming. Join us to hear from some of the top growers and brewers in the Yakima Valley.