Vermont Hop Project
Celebrating Local Agriculture
In 2021, we launched the Vermont Hop Project to explore the unique characteristics of Vermont-grown hops and how they stand out from the same varieties as grown in other parts of the world. Our goal: build a more cohesive language around Vermont-grown hops and help guide brewers on the best ways to incorporate them into their brews.
1 Vermont hop farm.
13 local breweries.
30 single-hopped beers.
We knew that Vermonters loved local beer. It was time to find out if they loved local hops!
Each of our 13 partner breweries agreed to produce a few single-hop brews to showcase each of the core varieties of our hops. Most beers are made with a combination of hop varieties, so utilizing a single variety for each brew allowed us to focus on its individual characteristics. The resulting 30 beers would help give both brewers and consumers a sense of our unique Champlain Valley terroir and its potential to further strengthen Vermont’s beer identity.
Throughout the brewing process, we asked our expert local brewers to identify and describe all the things that make our hops special. What flavors are unique to our Vermont-grown hops? What makes them different from a brewer’s perspective? How do they compare to the same varieties grown in different regions? Can Vermont provide harvests of comparable quality and recognizable characteristics? Are our hops a viable choice for a craft brewery with demanding standards?
To help reduce bias, a panel trained in sensory analysis from the University of Vermont Agriculture Extension program were recruited to taste the beers and provide feedback. Not a bad gig!
We believe the results make the case that brewers in our state can (and should) support a sustainable, local food system without sacrificing quality or consistency—and even create new and exciting products along the way.
The Results
Overall, CVH hops are often described by brewers as punchier (meaning they have a stronger aroma) than the same varieties grown in other regions.
CVH hops offer more fruity notes across the board. For instance, while Chinook hops grown in the Pacific Northwest feature more pine notes than fruit, CVH Chinook leans much more heavily toward pineapple.
Likewise, our Magnum is distinctly more fruity than our brewer partners were used to. This is extremely exciting for us, because it means that Vermont-grown Magnum is a great choice for dry hopping, not just bittering. This allows for new flavor opportunities which haven’t traditionally been part of a brewer’s toolkit.
Our Nugget hops offer strong stone fruit and citrus notes, with a background of warm spice. They’re less herbal and spicy up front than Nugget hops grown elsewhere, instead leading with a sweeter, fruitier profile.
Crystal hops tend to be quite grassy and light on fruit flavors, but ours offer refreshingly clean grapefruit and peach notes that are bolder than those from other regions.
Our Cascade variety deserves its own pride of place, since it’s markedly more floral and sweet than that of other producers. While Cascade from the PNW tends to lean more heavily on the tangy end of the palate, our Cascade is softer–think orange blossom rather than orange peel. The result is a Cascade beer that isn’t like any other Cascade beers.
We’re still figuring out what our Vermont-grown Centennial will bring to the table, since it’s changed noticeably in the last two years. Overall, it’s more soft and floral than our brewers were used to-reminiscent of Cascade but still recognizable as Centennial. Our 2020 crop was bright and zesty, as you’d expect, with lemon/lime and herbaceous notes. Our 2021 crop surprised us with notes of dark/dried fruit which aren’t typical for Centennial. We’re looking forward to seeing what 2022 brings for our Centennial, as we continue to see our unique terroir shape this classic variety!
Moving Forward
We put a great deal of care into nurturing the structural and biological health of our soil—our terroir—and the results of the Vermont Hop Project clearly demonstrate that it pays off!
Vermont-grown hops from our farm meet the same benchmarks of quality and consistency as more established providers in the PNW. They also bring their own distinctive flavors to the table, so brewers can take these classic varieties in new directions.
We are excited to continue to explore and define the potential of our current hop varieties, and potential future varieties, by continuing to partner with local brewers to brew delicious Vermont-centric beers!
Here are some of the beers brewed as part of the Vermont Hop Project:
