WORTHY BREWING
541.639.4776
  • Home
  • Beer
    • Brewery
    • Worthy Flagships
    • Worthy Seasonals
    • Heart and Soul Series
    • Hop Love
  • Restaurant
    • What's On Tap
    • Full Menu
    • Gluten Free Menu
    • Wine and Cocktails
    • Beer Garden
    • Cuckoo Wood
  • Beertopia
    • Hop Mahal
    • Beermuda Triangle
    • Star Bar
    • Worthy Green
    • Drink Up. Dream On.
  • Hopservatory
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Concert Series
  • Donation & Sponsorship Requests
  • Distributors
    • Sell Sheets
    • Worthy Merchandise
    • Art Files
    • Logo Files
  • Charity Pint Night
  • Good Times
  • Video Worthy
    • We Are Worthy
  • News Worthy
  • Beer Blasts

In Hop Pursuit:  A 7th Year Progress Report

10/26/2016

1 Comment

 
Here’s a fun story.
 
Not sure about the ending.
 
But it’s looking good.
 
Back in 2009, my hometown buddy Jim Solberg and I decided to build a hop company.  Our goal was to bring new flavors to your beer pint glass.
 
We built a pellet mill that specialized in preserving the lupulin glands, the happy place from which the flavor flows. And we partnered with OSU to breed new aroma hops.
 
At the time, Oregon hop acreage was nearing it’s historical lows. Our goal was to help Oregon hop farmers return to those days of glory 70 years ago when our state cultivated 30,000 acres.
 
Fast forward seven years. Thanks to our farm partners, our scientific advisors at OSU, a small army of brewers, and the Willamette Valley’s hop-hearty pollen rich atmosphere, we are pleased to report the rise of a budding prospect: X-331. Our little darling is the offspring of a German Maiden, Perle, and an open-pollinated Rogue Oregon Hop Stud.
 
Worthy introduced X-331 in our recent LookOut Freshop. Our customers noted it’s dank aroma, reminiscent of weed, and it’s tropical fruit forward flavor, with notes of passion fruit and mango. 
 
Back in 2011, when Jim first gave X-331 a rub and a sniff, his eyes closed and he went back to his days of youth roaming through the Corvallis countryside, feasting on blackberries and plucking the low hanging fruit, all the while entranced by the omnipresent aroma of “Indian Tobacco.”  You know, the kind of day you wish would never end. 
 
Our brewers liked it so much we’re working on a new beer, which we’ll call Hop Star, featuring X-331.  We’ll be experimenting with this new “one hop wonder” in the next three pilot batches from our Heart & Soul Series. Stay tuned. We'd love your feedback.
 
Meanwhile, if you’re interested in hop breeding, take a look at this powerpoint here.  You’ll share our pride in noting that since 2010:

  • Total hop acreage in production in Oregon has increased 65.92%.
  • The total hop yield in pounds in Oregon has increased 42.55%.
  • Using traditional breeding techniques, in six years IH-OSU has evaluated over 1,500 new genotypes and advanced over 15 new genotypes into advanced nurseries at two farms in the Valley. The future is bright.

In the end, to build anything new and valuable, it takes a village. Worthy is grateful to Indie Hops, OSU, Goschie Farms, Coleman Farms, and all of the wonderful, smart and eager brewers who over the years have stepped up to help us narrow down the field of over 10,000 seeds a year to the 4 or 5 keepers that might one day, with a little bit of good luck, wind up in your pint glass. 
 
Cheers!

RG Worthy
10/25/16
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment
Erik R Fremstad
11/24/2016 08:48:23 am

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Bull
            Goose
                         Looney

    Picture

    Latest Posts...


    ​Launching Soon -- Worthy Hop Star IPA

    On the Hop Docket - The Litigator Uncompromising Imperial IPA. Don't Settle.

    Worthy Launches Strata IPA in 22 oz Bottles 

    2017 Hop Crop Report: Strata is Strong!

    Space: To Go or Not to Go?

    A Modest Proposal: Showcase Craft in Bend's Crown Jewel

    Worthy Solar Eclipse Week: See the Light

    ​Gary’s In The House! Stage Set at Worthy for TDC Pre-Ride Party

    ​Craft is a Badge of Honor. Earn it. Wear it.

    Not A Lotta Strata, but We'll Brew What We Gotta

    Good Citizen Big IPA

    A Bright Idea to Darken the Night Sky

    Stoker Red on Fire

    Strata IPA On The Rise

    Fake Craft? Follow the Money

    ​New shiny tanks have arrived at Worthy

    ​Turn Down the Lights, See the Stars

    ​Coming soon to cans ... Stoker Red Ale

    It's our golden birthday!

    ​Launching StrataSphere IPA

    Archives

    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    Badlands Black IPA
    Black Light Porter
    Bonacker
    Boom Done
    Brew Kettle
    Captain Nimrod
    Cascade
    Cascade Classic
    Cobg
    Cuckoo Kawfee Porter
    Cuckoo's Nest
    Dana Point Grand Prix
    Dark Muse Imperial Stout
    Done
    East Side Pale Ale
    Easy Day Kolsch
    Eruption Imperial Red
    Food To Go
    Fuggle
    Fuss
    Go Time Gtx
    Green
    Haunold
    Heart And Soul Series
    Hipp
    Hopped Up
    Hoppy Hour
    Hop Star
    Imperial IPA
    Indie Craft
    Indie Hops
    Labor Power Red Lager
    Liberty
    Light
    Light Pollution
    Lights Out Stout
    Local 36
    Mothership
    Mt. Hood
    No Quit Wit
    Nugget
    OSU
    Perle
    Pickers
    Pilot Brew
    Planet
    Powder Keg
    Private Parties
    Red Lager
    Santiam
    Skyglow
    Solar
    Sterling
    Stoker
    Strata
    Terpelicious
    Terpiffic
    The Contender
    Tour De Chutes
    Tour Des Chutes
    Willamette
    WIPP
    Worthy Brewing
    Worthy Ipa
    Wunderkid
    X 331
    X-331

    RSS Feed

495 NE Bellevue Drive -  Bend, OR 97701 -  MAP IT
RESTAURANT HOURS
Sunday thru Thursday  
11:30 am to 9 pm  
Friday and Saturday   11:30 am to 10 pm
Christmas Eve  11:30 am to 3 pm
Christmas Day CLOSED    

✕