This fall the freshest taste in Pacific Northwest beer is taking off a thousand miles away in California, thanks to the third year of an innovative farm-to-air-to-glass collaboration.
Within hours of the September harvest, about 2,000 pounds of fragrant hops flew via Alaska Air Cargo to San Jose (SJC) and Orange County (SNA), bound for brewers’ waiting kettles. Just a few weeks later, beer-drinkers at Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterey and Green Cheek Beer Co. in Orange will enjoy the distinct floral taste of fresh hop beers, a style rarely produced outside the Northwest because commercial-scale quantities of the fragile hops are notoriously difficult to transport long distances without sacrificing quality.
The special October beer releases at Alvarado Street and Green Cheek are products of “Fresh Hops Fly,” our team’s third annual collaboration with family-owned Loftus Ranches, Bale Breaker Brewing Company, and global supplier Yakima Chief Hops.
“We are proud to bring our nine-plus decades of cold-chain expertise to this collaboration and be a part of bringing a unique Northwest farm product to new places across the country,” said Adam Drouhard, Alaska Air Cargo managing director, who grew up in the agricultural heart of Washington state where three-quarters of the nation’s hops are grown.
Alvarado Street Brewery and Green Cheek Beer Co. were chosen for their world-class reputations creating beers that showcase North American hops, said Pascal Fritz, marketing director for Yakima Chief. Fritz coordinated with the players along the hops’ time-sensitive journey from farm to brewery and worked with the cargo team to determine the best nonstop flights from Seattle (SEA) to ensure the hops arrived in peak form.
“We couldn’t accomplish such a feat without Alaska Air Cargo transporting this insanely fresh ingredient to markets that have traditionally been a challenge to deliver to,” Fritz said.
(Photo: Pascal Fritz, Yakima Chief Hops)
This year’s shipment of fresh hops — almost a ton — is the largest in the “Fresh Hops Fly” project since we became the first domestic airline to carry a commercial-size quantity of hops in 2022.
“We’re a bit spoiled here in the Pacific Northwest with access to fresh hops, but every year of ‘Fresh Hops Fly’ is another opportunity for us to share the magic of the harvest season with others.” — Pascal Fritz, Yakima Chief Hops
