Why everyone’s talking about the Strata hop
Strata, an American hop variety that was developed in Oregon, is having a bit of a moment. db finds out why. The post Why everyone’s talking about the Strata hop appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Strata, an American hop variety that was developed in Oregon, is having a bit of a moment. db finds out why.
This week, Strata, a hop created by Indie Hops in 2018 from an Oregon State University-based breeding initiative, is about to get a lot more exposure owing primarily to the beer collaboration known as Oregon Homegrown which launches on 23 May.
The event, which sees more than 20 breweries collaborating to produce beers using Strata hops, has been organised by the nonprofit Celebrate Oregon Beer which was formed by the project’s executive director also known as the beer writer Jeff Alworth.
Now, with multiple breweries set to take part, Strata hops are going to be heralded during the statewide initiative to reveal both their potential and versatility.
The hops, which have been said to have notes of passionfruit, melon, strawberry, and grapefruit are understood to be hugely versatile and also offer hints of cannabis and, as such, beers made with them are often described as “dank”.
In a recent OPB report it was noted that Oregon is one of only three states, along with Washington and Idaho, that commercially grows hops. Added to this, Oregon and Washington are also the only two states that have their own USDA-supported breeding programmes in a bid to further the movement and ultimately develop new varieties of hops for brewing.
Despite recent forward moves in craft beer from other US states, only Oregon alone can lay claim to Strata hops, which is understood to be a variety that, even today, are still being grown by as few as nine family farms in the Willamette Valley.
To draw attention to the local growers as well as the skillset of the state’s brewers, Oregon Homegrown will take place over two weeks and is anticipated to show ways in which Strata hops can lend their flexibility and unique flavour profile to an array of beer styles.
Speaking in a recent Think Out Loud broadcast, Alworth pointed out that Oregon has a rich brewing heritage, but one that many overlook since locals have really gotten used to the quality of what is available locally.
Alworth explained: “We’ve had continuous brewing here in Oregon since the 1860s, but more people drink local beer in Oregon than in anywhere else in the country and you’ll find local beer in more places than anywhere else in the country. Oregonians are by nature very proud of their local culture and Oregon has had such good local beer for so long that I think we’ve kind of forgotten that it’s special.”
Describing what makes Strata unique, he added: “It’s an unusual hop and it has really three components that I think a taster might recognise. One is a gentle citrussy quality…it also has a little cannabis note… then it has this really big, bright strawberry note. It’s the only hop that has a strawberry note that is as bright and as clear and just tastes like strawberry.”
Highlighting its cannabis quality, Alworth admitted that this is “a savoury note” and noted how “the hop plant is distantly related to the cannabis plant” and agreed that people often call this “dankness”.
He said: “Dankness is a term you hear in the craft beer market that confuses a lot of people, but it points to that cannabis quality, so that makes it work really well in traditional ales and lagers where you want a more herbal quality.”
Alworth observed that combining the flavours that Strata has to offer means there is broad potential for a wide range of styles to be produced. He added: “Brewers have techniques of pulling out flavours from the different hops from the brewing process and really arrange them how they want to”.
This week, Strata, a hop created by Indie Hops in 2018 from an Oregon State University-based breeding initiative, is about to get a lot more exposure owing primarily to the beer collaboration known as Oregon Homegrown which launches on 23 May.
The event, which sees more than 20 breweries collaborating to produce beers using Strata hops, has been organised by the nonprofit Celebrate Oregon Beer which was formed by the project’s executive director also known as the beer writer Jeff Alworth.
Now, with multiple breweries set to take part, Strata hops are going to be heralded during the statewide initiative to reveal both their potential and versatility.
The hops, which have been said to have notes of passionfruit, melon, strawberry, and grapefruit are understood to be hugely versatile and also offer hints of cannabis and, as such, beers made with them are often described as “dank”.
In a recent OPB report it was noted that Oregon is one of only three states, along with Washington and Idaho, that commercially grows hops. Added to this, Oregon and Washington are also the only two states that have their own USDA-supported breeding programmes in a bid to further the movement and ultimately develop new varieties of hops for brewing.
Despite recent forward moves in craft beer from other US states, only Oregon alone can lay claim to Strata hops, which is understood to be a variety that, even today, are still being grown by as few as nine family farms in the Willamette Valley.
To draw attention to the local growers as well as the skillset of the state’s brewers, Oregon Homegrown will take place over two weeks and is anticipated to show ways in which Strata hops can lend their flexibility and unique flavour profile to an array of beer styles.
Speaking in a recent Think Out Loud broadcast, Alworth pointed out that Oregon has a rich brewing heritage, but one that many overlook since locals have really gotten used to the quality of what is available locally.
Alworth explained: “We’ve had continuous brewing here in Oregon since the 1860s, but more people drink local beer in Oregon than in anywhere else in the country and you’ll find local beer in more places than anywhere else in the country. Oregonians are by nature very proud of their local culture and Oregon has had such good local beer for so long that I think we’ve kind of forgotten that it’s special.”
Describing what makes Strata unique, he added: “It’s an unusual hop and it has really three components that I think a taster might recognise. One is a gentle citrussy quality…it also has a little cannabis note… then it has this really big, bright strawberry note. It’s the only hop that has a strawberry note that is as bright and as clear and just tastes like strawberry.”
Highlighting its cannabis quality, Alworth admitted that this is “a savoury note” and noted how “the hop plant is distantly related to the cannabis plant” and agreed that people often call this “dankness”.
He said: “Dankness is a term you hear in the craft beer market that confuses a lot of people, but it points to that cannabis quality, so that makes it work really well in traditional ales and lagers where you want a more herbal quality.”
Alworth observed that combining the flavours that Strata has to offer means there is broad potential for a wide range of styles to be produced. He added: “Brewers have techniques of pulling out flavours from the different hops from the brewing process and really arrange them how they want to”. 
