From Wild Leap:
Wild Leap and hydroponic hop farm Extreme Hops AL are collaborating to produce their first beer to use fresh Cascade hops directly off the hop bines. Three Harvest Double IPA is the first of many beer releases expected to come from this new partnership, and the beer will hit stores this week.
Extreme Hops AL approached Wild Leap with the hydroponic hop project in 2019. “We were
looking for potential breweries to collaborate with and we knew we’d found the perfect partner
with Wild Leap,” says Ralf DuToit, Head Hop Farmer at xtreme Hops AL, “They’re
adventurous, curious-minded people like us, so the collaboration couldn’t have been more
natural.”
Hydroponic hops allow brewers to bypass traditional growing seasons and produce fresh hop
beers off-season. With very few hydroponic farms in the United States, Wild Leap Chief Brewing
Officer Chris Elliott seized the opportunity to experiment with wet hops.
Three Harvest uses a hopping process new to Wild Leap. “Timing with wet hops is critical, and
introducing fresh whole hops to the kettle has a few challenges,” explains Chris. “Because it
uses wet hops right off the plant, we have to get the hops directly from the field to the kettle as
soon as possible.”
Three Harvest is named after the number of harvests that the hydroponic hops will have each
year. With a citrus-forward aroma and classic Cascade grapefruit and pine
flavors, Three Harvest is an easy-drinking and juicy double IPA.
The introduction of beer using hydroponic hops is a milestone for both Wild Leap and Extreme
Hops AL, but both agree it’s only the beginning. Wild Leap drinkers can expect future flavor
profiles to expand to new fresh hop strains and hop combinations.
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