More Citra, more Mosaic, more Comet – wait, more Comet?

The United States Department of Agriculture reports farmers in the Northwest have strung a record number of acres for hop production in 2016 — 17 percent more than in 2015. Much can happen between now and harvest beginning in late August, but a record crop seems likely.

The varieties that British hop breeder Peter Darby describes as “impact hops” — boldly American, often with fruity aromas and flavors — continue to drive growth. Farmers planted 51 percent more Mosaic (increasing acreas from 1,800 to 2,717) and 48 percent more Citra (from 2,993 to 4,430). For sake of comparison, farmers in the Northwest strung 7,371 acres of Cascade this year.

The Hop Breeding Company released Citra in 2008, Mosaic in 2012, and Equinox in 2014. Equinox acreage was not reported in 2015, but grew to 996 in 2016.

Equally impressive, if on a smaller scale, acreage for Comet more than doubled from 108 to 231, and Azacca nearly tripled, from 175 to 501. Azacca is a relatively new hop from the American Dwarf Hop Association, but Comet came out of the USDA public breeding program in Corvallis, Oregon. It was released to farmers in the mid-1970s as a high alpha (for the time) hop, intended for efficient bittering. Acreage peaked at 635 in 1980 and declined as higher alpha hops became available. It was barely kept alive, perhaps on only one farm (Brulotte Farms in Toppenship), until a couple of years ago. Now several farmers in the Northwest are growing it because brewers like it for its aroma — you guessed it, boldly American and citrus — and some German farmers have planted it as well.

The USDA reported estimates only for the Northwest, where until very recently farmers grew almost all the commercially harvested hops in the United States. Best estimate is that farmers beyond the Northwest harvested 1,250 acres of hops in 2015. That number will likely grow faster than in the Northwest, but yields are much lower and comparisons are difficult.

Overall acreage in the Northwest is up to 51,115. Acres in Oregon increased to 7,669, the most since 1997.