262: Eric, Claire, and Alex of CLS Farms Discuss the Past, Present, and Future of Hop Farming

The current hot market for hops that has persisted for about a decade now is a bit of a historical blip. From the 60’s through the 00’s, the hop market experienced structural decline as reduced demand for bittering hops and increased alpha acid levels and extraction methods hit growers from both sides. But the craft brewery acceleration around 2012 ushered in a new set of demands and opportunities for hop growers. In the ten years since, growers have planted roughly 18,000 new acres of hops in Washington State, higher prices mean growers finally have the resources to make significant upgrades to farm operations, and the outlook is far different than it appeared just a decade and a half years ago. But with this comes challenges. The lifespan of fields has shortened dramatically, the cost involved with turning over fields has increased, and the market has become more dynamic than its ever been. In this episode, Eric Desmarais, his daughter Claire Desmarais, and technical advisor Alex Nowell, discuss the state of the farm right now, including: changes in harvest timing strategy the impact of picking time on aroma and flavor evaluating hop readiness for harvest the challenging state of the 2022 harvest and what that means for brewers managing risk in planting new varieties dialing back speculation on new varieties like Sabro how to be effective as a brewer when selecting hops getting through the lag between initial brewer experiments with new hops and sustainable farming volumes And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers ( https://gdchillers.com ) : G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com Probrew ( https://www.probrew.com ) Still emptying those overflowing wastebins full of low-fills, crushed and damaged cans, or under carbonated beer every canning day? It’s time to Fill Like a Pro with ProFill Can fillers from ProBrew. Email ContactUs@probrew.com today! Old Orchard ( https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer ) : Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Fermentis ( https://fermentis.com ) : Hey nano-brewers! Fermentis offers dry ale and lager yeasts in flexible 100g packaging. To learn more about how Fermentis can improve the quality of your fermentation, visit Fermentis.com . Brewmation ( https://brewmation.com/cbbpod ) : Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. Visit them at brewmation.com/cbbpod to get started. Arryved ( https://www.arryved.com ) : Get 25 percent off all hardware when you launch with Arryved before December 1st, 2022. Go to Arryved.com/cbb to set up a free, customized demo. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast