The goal of Washington Hop Mob is to celebrate the state’s vibrant brewing community. Today, Washington is home to over 400 breweries. We have a tradition of great craft beer in Washington and it dates back to the very birth of the modern craft beer revolution. Some of America’s very first craft breweries were Washington breweries.
Of course, Washington is also the home of North America’s most prolific hop-growing region. Farmers in the Yakima Valley grow 75 percent of the nation’s annual hop crop and approximately 25 percent of the world’s annual hop crop.
The link between Washington-brewed beer and Washington-grown hops is inextricable. Washington Hop Mob celebrates that relationship.
About
In the past, Washington Hop Mob focused on Triple IPA, an exceptionally challenging style of beer. In 2020, we changed direction to showcase beers of any style as long as they meet the following criteria:
- Designed and created for Hop Mob. Not an existing beer or recipe that otherwise meets the criteria.
- A beer featuring a complete expression of hop character.
- Minimum of 50 IBU (International Bitterness Units).
- Any style of beer is acceptable.
- Ready for consumption in early February.
Interested in brewing a beer for Hop Mob? Email Kendall Jones – kjones @ washingtonbeerblog.com.
Washington is currently home to more than 400 breweries. That’s no accident. Proximity to the hop fields played a key role in the birth of the craft beer revolution. That’s why Bert Grant opened the nation’s first post-prohibition brewpub in Yakima in 1982; he wanted to be as close as possible to the hop fields. Washington was an early leader in the craft beer revolution that started more than 30 years ago and it is still one of the nation’s hotbeds for good beer.
In Washington, hops are more than an ingredient, they’re a way of life. The Yakima Valley produces between 70 and 80 percent of the nation’s hop crop each year, and about 25 percent of the world’s annual hop crop. Beyond the beer, Hop Mob is a celebration of hops and the relationship between hop farmers and brewers. It’s a bond that is particularly strong here in the Pacific Northwest.