Northwest hops production rises to meet craft brewer needs

  • Associated Press
  • Monday, May 2, 2016 9:39am
  • Business

YAKIMA — A new report says production of hops is up this year, putting the Washington-centered industry in a better position to respond to continuing growth of the craft beer industry.

The recent report from the Hop Growers of America says total U.S. hop acreage in production this year is projected to increase by about 6,000 acres, or about 13 percent.

The Yakima Herald-Republic says the vast majority of those new acres are expected to be in the Pacific Northwest, including the Yakima Valley, where about 75 percent of the nation’s hops are grown.

The report was prepared for the International Hop Growers Convention in Paris last month.

Hops are used primarily to flavor beer, and demand for the plant has grown as craft beers have become more popular.

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