Washington state grows 70 percent of the nation’s hops on any given year (80 percent in 2014). This year’s harvest in the Yakima Valley was nearly 75 million pounds. The rapidly growing bines can be seen throughout the valley, climbing to more than 40-feet high on specially-designed trellises. Love ’em or loathe ’em, hops—specifically their pungent bittering agents—are a chief flavoring ingredient in aromatic and sharp craft beers like IPA. But hops aren’t just for beer.
3 Howls Distillery in Seattle opened in 2013 with a portfolio of products ranging from blood orange and Bananas Foster-flavored vodka to unaged rum. The following year, the distillery released its aged rum and whiskeys, including a hopped whiskey.
Will Maschmeier, owner and distiller at 3 Howls, explained his process. “I vapor infuse our rye whiskey through hops in our column, which pulls out the beta acids, but not the alpha acids,” he says. “You get the nice aromas from the hops, but not the bitterness most people expect. For some people that are really into IPAs, it’s not as hoppy as they would like but I’m trying to make something with broader appeal.”
Maschmeier uses a combination Amarillo, Horizon and Chinook hops to create a whiskey that has a strong citrus and floral aroma, yet remains smooth with just a touch of spice. Maschmeier recommends mixing the hopped whiskey in a whiskey sour, or better yet, with ginger beer. He’s created a twist on the Moscow Mule, but mixes hopped whiskey, instead of vodka, into the cocktail. The creation is dubbed, appropriately, the Yakima Mule, in honor of the hops’ origins.
Yakima Mule by 3 Howls Distillery
4 ounces Bundaberg ginger beer
1 1/2 ounces 3 Howls hopped whiskey
1/6 ounce fresh lime juice
Combine hopped whiskey and ginger beer in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice.
