DID YOU KNOW that although all newly developed hops enter the market with a reference code, only the TRULY ELITE end up getting an actual name? Once the hop merchants have seen how a new hop is used by select brewers, it may get a moniker. Think of iconic and well-known hops, Citra and Mosaic – doesn’t the name conjure all the feels?
Brewed as a platform for ELITE TRIAL-HOP CREATIONS, returning IPA special SAY MY NAME 5.0% embraces PURE PROGRESSION. Each time we brew SAY MY NAME (this is the third time in can, and counting), we use hops so new, they are still operating under a code name only.
The hop showcased in the last version of SAY MY NAME was HBC 586, a hop we all agreed was hella special. We committed to putting it in new permanent beer, EVERYTIME 3.8%, even before it got a name. We didn’t even know if it would get named. That hop is now known as KRUSH, and you can bet you'll be seeing it pop up a lot more on the craft beer scene in 2025!
Elite trial hops are not reserved for typically trend-driven keg and can IPAs. Like with EVERYTIME, we push the boundaries with cask. Take OUR HOUSE 4.2%, the natural follow-on from SAY MY NAME 5.0%. While the latter showcased the world-leading, newest, punchiest Yakima Chief-developed hops from America, OUR HOUSE focused closer to home with brand new hops from a similarly forward-thinking hop-breeding program by Charles Faram.
OUR HOUSE is a platform for the newest and most progressive British hops. Faram’s ‘CF’ trial hops are designed to shine bright in pale ales. This is unusual. British hops are generally best at adding bitterness and are better suited to not being the star flavour of a beer; instead, more subtly contributing to a bitter or mild, or hidden away entirely in a big roasty stout. CF hops maintain some element of classic British hop notes such as vegetal, herbaceous, or hedgerow, but they are bred to create and highlight more modern hop flavours like pine, fruit, citrus.
In the most recent twist on OUR HOUSE, CF298 hit the tank first with a fresh blueberry and pine signature, and CF299 followed with citrus undertones. Not only did this version of OUR HOUSE showcase these two new experimental hops, but a whole new process that addresses some of the sustainability challenges around hop growing. Specifically, it shone a light on UK hops created in English fields then grown in the iconic Yakima Valley U.S West Coast. The result was UK smoothness meets American hop energy, and an effective use of beer miles; ironically, it isn’t necessarily more sustainable to use hops grown closer to home. UK hops need more energy to grow VS American hops which grow plentifully, plus their large-scale farms can make more effective choices than the smaller UK producers. By producing the hops in the UK and then growing in the States, you get to support local business while getting the tastiest hops.
What's next? Fresh from the U.S fields, the latest hop featured in SAY MY NAME is an American hop that BREAKS THE PURE CITRUS NORM. Expect tropical with a blitz of ORANGE, COCONUT AND PEACH.
WELCOME TO THE GAME: HBC 1019. Shop SAY MY NAME 5.0%
