Imagine if you could be a hop. You wouldn’t want to be just any hop; you’d want to be an Oregon-grown McKenzie hop. You’d twist and shine on the bine until one day, you’d be plucked and gently folded into the most beautiful liquid on the planet: beer. You’d be the belle of the ball because the McKenzie hop isn’t just any ordinary hop. It’s special. It was bred to be a superhero, designed to be sturdy and to fight against pesky things like fungal diseases, which in turn, creates a lower impact on the environment.
The McKenzie hop is from West Coast Hop Breeding and grown here in Oregon. You can find it nestled in the Willamette Valley, a place our Co-Founder, Larry Sidor, calls “one of the best hop terroirs in the world. And that produces, in my opinion, THE BEST hops in the world.” We can’t argue that wisdom.
Since we’re big fans of heroes and not big fans of fungal diseases, we knew we wanted some of that luscious McKenzie hop for ourselves.
What did we do with the McKenzie hop?
We lovingly used it in March ’22 to make Future Forward IPA, highlighting only Oregon-grown ingredients and partnering with Bend Sustainability Fund, Visit Bend, and Travel Oregon.
Then we brewed with it in the Fall for Pert Near Fresh Hop IPA, which really let that little hop shine.
And here we go again; we’re bringing the McKenzie back into an updated and improved Future Forward Northwest IPA. We’ve also partnered with Bend Sustainability Fund and Visit Bend again to donate a portion of our draft sales to protecting this very land that we love so much.
We’re excited to offer Future Forward both on tap AND in 16oz cans.
What does McKenzie hop taste like in beer?
Sidor describes it as “Centennial hop on steroids.” There’s a distinct stone fruit characteristic, and the aroma has a layered complexity when you brew with it.
Floral, cedar, and citrus notes mingle with the boldness of dank pine. Future Forward is an easy-drinking, low-bitter, full-flavor IPA.
How is it Environmentally Friendly?
The McKenzie hop requires less water, labor, and less impact on the land. Since it is an efficient crop during the growing and harvesting process and is resistant to fungal disease, it’s a sustainable choice.
At Crux, we practice what we preach with our low-impact efforts, and we love to partner with others who value the planet and are conscience of minimizing the trace we leave behind.
So raise a glass to keeping Oregon beautiful, drinking local, and moving the Future Forward.
Cheers!