EXPDTN #34

We often use concentrated hop products like Cryo Hop pellets and Incognito extracts. There are a few reasons why.

First is efficiency. Standard T90 pellets soak up a huge amount of beer during dry hopping. When we dump the hops, we’re also forced to dump liters and liters of beer along with them—a painful loss, especially for a small brewery like ours.

Second is storage. Cryo hops are said to be about twice as efficient as T90s, which means we need only half the space. Extracts are even more concentrated and can be stored in regular refrigerators rather than our limited freezer space.

But the biggest reason is consistency. T90 pellets can vary in quality. Large breweries can sort their hops—saving only the best for dry hopping, the mid-range for whirlpool, and the rest for bittering. For a small brewery like us, we don’t have that luxury. Concentrated hops and extracts help us achieve a reliable profile, and when blended with T90s, they can bring out the exact aroma and flavor we want.

For EXPDTN 34, we used 2024 Citra T90 pellets grown and processed at Double ‘R’ Hop Ranch in Yakima. Double ‘R’ won Platinum in the Large Farm category of Yakima Chief Hops’ 2024 Top Cut Award. For a small brewery like ours, getting access to this Citra felt like winning the lottery. The aroma filled our entire brewhouse during dry hopping, and the potential was immediately obvious. The result speaks for itself.

This batch of EXPDTN has become something truly special for us, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.

We’ll be tapping EXPDTN 34 this Saturday at Craft Pub Brian Brew—please join us if you can! For cans, look out for the label LOT.034.