2017 Crop Summary

The 2017 Pacific Northwest hop harvest is complete and processing facilities have been busy preparing the crop for brew kettles across the globe. The crop can be characterized as a good one with adequate yields to fill contracts and overall exceptional quality.

In Washington, the Lower Valley experienced good yields in most varieties. The Reservation area reported mostly average yields while Moxee had some variability, but mostly good yields. Overall, the Centennial crop was one of the best in years.

In Oregon, Cascade yields were reported slightly down, but other varieties were plentiful and for the most part quality was excellent.

Idaho experienced good yields and excellent quality. It is anticipated that overall volume from Idaho will surpass Oregon in 2017 for the first time.

Alpha yields and alpha percentages were above 5 year averages in most growing areas.

The Citra® crop was the best we’ve seen in recent years. The Mosaic® crop was down a bit, but there still should be adequate volumes to fill contracts. Simcoe® and Ekuanot® quality was exceptional this year. The project to launch viroid-free Ahtanum® was a success and we are in position to meet growing demand for this dynamic variety. Loral® yields and quality were excellent this year.

On an international basis, the UK crop was the best we’ve seen in years. The German crop recovered from lack of rain and excessive heat early in the season, but most reports indicate the alpha crop didn’t finish off as hoped at the beginning of harvest. The Czech crop has been described as normal.