Since the beginning, we’ve committed to brewing beers with “purest ingredients.” You can find that phrase printed on every beer we release. But we aren’t making salad over here—why are ingredients so important in beer?
“The raw ingredients are the foundation of every product we make,” says Chris Walters, our Procurement Specialist. “You have to start with the best ingredients to get the best beer possible.”
The entire company works hard to uphold that promise. “I take ingredient quality personally,” says Chris. “I want to make sure I’m delivering the best for our brewers.”
Our brewers know that great beer relies on great ingredients. Ingredients are critical to the flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, and overall drinking experience. It’s a delicate balance that often comes down to the way crops are grown, harvested, and handled. Take hops, for instance: leaving hops on the bine for just a few days longer can mean the difference between your Celebration IPA having floral notes or garlic notes. (No, thank you!) This step can make or break a beer. And this promise comes to life in Springfest—our ode to quality ingredients and the farmers who grow them.
In Springfest, we looked for a blend of hops that would beautifully capture the flavors and aromas of spring. Like all our beers, our team hand-selected the hops. “We make several trips up the Pacific Northwest to do this,” Chris explains. “The organic Centennial hops used in Springfest are from a fantastic independent grower in Idaho, right on the Oregon border: Nate Jackson of Jackson Hop Farm. He’s been growing hops for us for about a decade and is on the forefront of sustainability and organic farming practices.”
Those organic Centennial hops combine with CTZ and Centennial lupulin for notes of orange blossom and tropical fruit, while Citra lupulin adds a clean zip of grapefruit to keep things fresh.
Of course, it doesn’t end with the hops. “Springfest uses Great Western Pure Idaho Winter Barley,” says Chris. “It’s grown by local farmers in Idaho using sustainable farming practices. Winter Barley is harvested earlier and thus uses less water.”
Because of our deep relationships with hop and barley farmers—some of them lasting for several decades—we grow and brew collaboratively, aligning on practices and goals. “Our growers are long-term partners that we have worked with for many years,” says Chris.
And farming relationships go beyond great-tasting beer, especially with Springfest. Brewed with organic hops and sustainably sourced barley, Springfest contributes directly to our Hop Forward sustainability program. We’ve set an ambition to source 50% of our ingredients from sustainably sourced farming practices by 2030, making our close relationships with farmers even more important. Springfest is just one delicious step along the way.
Next time you’re in the store, look for the yellow can and crack open a Springfest: here’s to quality ingredients and the farmers who grow them.
