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Spring is On…but the craft beer biz isn’t slowing down any time soon. No worries, the Beer Buzz is always on the case, keeping you up on all the beer news and lifestyle that matters. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately and you don’t want to miss that.
2018 In Hops (Yakima, WA) – The Hop Growers of America recently released its 2018 Statistical Report and here are some last year’s hop highlights…
Hop production, which is so dependent on just the right weather, was up last year in spite of declining yield. Average yields per acre declined slightly to 1,943 lbs. per acre in 2018 the “result of growing conditions and newly planted acreage combined.” But in spite of those “yield per acre” declines last year’s production still surpassed 2017’s by 910,200 lbs.
Washington State’s hop production represented 72.7% of the Pacific Northwest, followed by Idaho with 15.2% and Oregon with 12.1%
US hop acreage has increased 94.6%, from 29,683 to 57,772 acres in 2017. And Citra Hops commanded the most acreage in 2017.
Words To Drink By (England) – “Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed.” King Henry VIII
New York Brewery/Creamery Mixes Things Up (Barker, NY) – We thought that a brewery/creamery movement might eventually end up here, and now In The Mix Brewery & Creamery is offering New York State’s first beer frozen custard.
According to In The Mix, ‘the custard accentuates the flavor of the beer with each playing off of each other without hogging the spotlight. And the beer frozen custard can be enjoyed as a flight, a milkshake or even take a pint to take home.”
What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Hood River, OR) – The pFriem Family Brewers carry a great line of Flanders-Style Ales including this favorite of ours. Aged for more than eighteen months in oak Pinot Noir barrels, pFriem Flanders-Style Blonde Ale is a 7.1% ABV ale that’s bursting with fresh green apple notes.
