OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2025 | 33 N estled in the high desert of Washington state, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, lies the Yakima Valley, a fertile oasis, shaped by rich volcanic soil, snow-fed rivers and streams, and long sunny summer days. The region is an agricultural powerhouse, producing apples, peaches, cherries, and wine grapes, and is globally famous for its hop production. During the summer months, the valley turns into a bustling hub of harvests, migrant workers, and brewers making their journey from around the globe to walk the hop fields, assess the year’s crop, and race fresh hops back to their brewhouses for the seasonally beloved Fresh Hop styles. For beer lovers, Yakima isn’t just a place, it’s a pilgrimage site converging agriculture and brewing in an annual ritual. Yakima is lovingly, if not jokingly, referred to as “The Palm Springs of Washington.” The nickname comes from an iconic highway sign erected in 1987 to draw tourists from Seattle over the Cascades and into the valley. While Palm Springs, California, is known for its mid-century design and desert glamour, Yakima’s appeal comes from its own brand of sunshine; long, dry sunny days that create perfect conditions, not only for hops, but for vineyards, and outdoor recreation. The valley is a registered American Viticultural Area (AVA), recognized for its unique combination of soil and climate. More than 40 different grape varieties thrive here, and with around 90wineries, Yakimahas earned the reputation of “a more relaxed Napa,” where small-town hospitality plays in harmony with remote landscapes and the bustle of fruit harvests. The foundation of this exceptional land holds a deep cultural history–Yakima, the city, and the Yakama Nation, whose land surrounds it. The Yakama, a federally recognized confederation of tribes and bands, manages over onemillion acres in the Eastern Washington region and maintains a living connection to its resources. The Yakama people have historically intersected with hop growing as labourers, and today, some hopgrowers lease additional land from the reservation for their crops. The valley’s hop history stretches back to the 1860s, when Charles Carpenter, traveling west for theGoldRush, observed the region's climate and conditions and recognized its potential for hop cultivation. He settled in, built a small cabin, and had some rootstock shipped over from his family’s hop farm back in New York, laying the foundation for what would become the most influential hop-growing region in North America. Six generations later, Charles Carpenter’s legacy lives on at Carpenter Ranches, one of the largest hop farms in the Yakima Valley, where the family upholds the tradition of growing high-quality hops. Today, the state of Washington produces roughly 75% of U.S. hops, almost half of the world's hop supply. Late in the summer, the bines hang heavy with field-ripened hops. The sticky green scent of lupulin wafts through the valley and town air during harvest, with farms operating 24 hours a day to ensure cones are harvested at peak ripeness. Hop selection begins. This is an annual beer industry rite of passage, and the experience takes on a sort of beery summer camp vibe for industry professionals, with friends, peers, and luminaries all gathered in the same place, brought together by a shared quest to select the best possible hop lots for their brewery. Visitors walk the fields of mature bines, enjoying the bright and grassy aromas of freshly plucked cones. During theharvest, hopsmove rapidly from bine to bale. First, pickingmachines separate