Fresh hop product developed for craft beers

Fresh hop craft beer has been growing in popularity across the US. Brewed with whole wet cones within 36 hours of harvest, the beer is designed to represent hops in their most natural form. However, with the high perishability of an unprocessed ingredient, fresh hops are difficult to access for brewers further from the farms.

Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) has now launched a frozen fresh hops product, which could help brewers access fresh hops and bring fresh hop craft beer to the world.

In partnership with Wyckoff Farms, YCH’s Frozen Fresh Hops program is designed to ship raw, un-kilned, flash-frozen whole cone hops produced in a BRC-certified food processing facility.

Unlike traditional freezing, flash freezing is designed to retain the delicate nuances of un-kilned hops by protecting lupulin gland integrity, preserving fresh hops from both a physical and aromatic perspective.

YCH claims this results in a product that delivers better storability and logistical flexibility.

The Frozen Fresh Hops have sub-freezing shipping and storage requirements.

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