Mon, 26 Jun 2017 18:55:00

Ok hop fans here’s the skinny.

We’re fielding alot of questions on why we are not bottling or canning Strata IPA. The Indie Pale Ale, as well as it's namesake hop, are both developing fan clubs. It’s an Indie Pale Ale, as opposed to India, because as previously reported the hop is the brainchild of Indie Hops and Oregon State.

Some beer lovers say it’s the uniquely satisfying grapefruit, mango and pine flavor. For others it’s the smooth, dank finish. The brewers are loving it’s one-stop-shop versatility, whether as an aroma or bittering hop.

But everybody - the brewers and the hop heads – agree that they want more. The rub is that the supply is limited. In 2016, Indie Hops harvested from it’s Goschie Farms and Coleman Farms lots in the Valley about 18,000 pounds from about nine total acres. The harvest was a “baby” harvest, which means it was the first harvest after the establishment year. In 2017, we'll  be harvesting the first mature crop.

And we’re jazzed. Reports from the farms are glowing. Strata is growing like a weed, which makes sense botanically if not herbally. All of which means we should see a substantial bump in the yields above the stunning average of around 2,000 pounds an acre last season.

Until the 2017 harvest in September, Worthy will be offering Strata IPA as a draft only treat. If you can’t find Strata IPA on tap, ask your bartender to contact us, or click here for a list of where it’s currently pouring.

In September, we’ll put Strata IPA in a 22 ounce bottle. Check out the label above. What do you think? A cross between Jimi Hendrix’s electric day glow and the hand drawn musings of counter culture icon Robert Crumb? We love the purple haze pop and the concert lights glow and the phantasmagoric layering.

After we big bottle Strata IPA, then what? Are we going to can it? We’ll have to wait and see. Indie Hops this spring planted another 60 acres in the Willamette Valley so the future certainly looks bright for all concerned – the farmers, the brewers, the insatiable ‘give me the latest greatest” hop heads and your basic beer lovers.

Let us know what you think about Strata IPA. Strata is a pioneering hop – it’s the first new hop to emerge from the OSU-Indie Hops breeding program, and it’s the first independently owned hop ever designed, tested and grown in Oregon. Want to support Oregon hop research, Oregon hop farmers, and Oregon real craft breweries? Drink Worthy!

Enjoy.

RGW
6/26/17