Food always tastes better when it comes from your own backyard. The satisfaction after the hard work put in to growing it combined with that freshly picked taste simple cannot be beat by store-bought foods. And while most people don’t grow their own hops and brew their own beer, there are a number of breweries out there that do. The beers produced are completely unique to each brewery, as they feature hops and wheat that only they have access to. That means that with each sip of any beer on this list, you will be reminded of the first time you tasted a homegrown tomato, or picked your newly ripe raspberries.
Agrarian Ales || Kashyyyk || The Crossroads Farm, upon which Agrarian Ales was founded, has a rich history of hop-growing. Since 1867, the surrounding area in western Oregon has fluctuated in its production of the crop until finding highs after World War I and becoming known as the “Hop Center of the World.” Crossroads has been at the hop-growing game only a short while in comparison, but it has already established itself as a premier supplier of the necessary brewing crop. Along with producing the supplies, they also make a damn good beer. The Kashyyyk, named after the home of the hairy race of aliens that Chewbacca from Star Wars calls his own, is a dry-hopped black strong ale that features three of the ten different hop varieties grown on the farm. This beer is truly crafted with a “grow it yourself” mentality.
Rogue || Brutal IPA || Rogue is a brewery that is mentioned often in general beverage coverage. They are a group of people that are not afraid to try something completely new in an attempt to shake up the market. However, during these moments of, should I say, rogue mentalities (get it?), they continue making consistently good beer. The classic Brutal IPA features Rogue’s own Dare and Risk malts, their alluvial hops and free range yeast. For a brewery that continues to rise in popularity, their beers sure taste like they were tapped from nature’s own pub.
Bale Breaker Brewing Company || Field 41 Pale Ale || Although Bale Breaker is relatively new to the brewing scene, the family behind it is practically the forefathers of hop growing in the Yakima area. Back in 1932, a year before prohibition ended, the Smith family began to plant hops on the land they owned. 82 years later and the great-grandchildren have begun using those hops to create equally good beer. The Field 41 Pale Ale features the farm’s own Simcoe and Ahtanum hops in this award winning beer (among others it won our own Best of the Northwest 2014 Pale Ale category).
Worthy Brewing || Hop Gusher Fresh Hop Pale Ale || While not strictly sticking to the theme of GYO, the Hop Gusher does call out to the spirit of it. Worthy Brewing is a brewery that works hard at creating a beer that is, well, worthy of drinking. They take pride in their brewing process and understand the importance of freshness. The Hop Gusher Fresh Hop Ale is an ode to this mentality, focusing on capturing that freshly picked taste in a glass. This low ABV session IPA features Meridian hops that are freshly picked and grown in the brewery parking lot mini hop field.
