No. We’d rather you make an informed decision than a rushed decision. Our positions are constantly fluctuating and the further out from harvest we are (up to three years), the more likely we’re able to guarantee your needs.

Keep in contact with your account manager (at each of your vendors) and schedule quarterly calls. Communicate your needs as soon as you know them – even if you can’t yet commit to a contract. Compare anecdotes and information from different farms and vendors to create a full picture of the industry’s positions.

Hop pricing constantly fluctuates based on availability and demand. Contracting does not necessarily mean a price discount. Discounts that do occur are based on volume and begin at quantities over 1,100 pounds. The primary benefits of contracting include guaranteed future availability, financing, and storage.

Crop year refers to the year the hops are harvested. Contracts run from September of the harvest year through August of the following year. Hops still need to be processed and become available to brewers between September (of the crop year) and February of the following year.

Brew year occurs from January through December – a typical calendar year. When brewers forecast for their brew year, they should take the crop year into consideration and think of it as an overlay when planning. Base your contract on your hop needs for the brew year that will follow the crop year.

Selection is open to breweries with a minimum contract volume of 2,200 pounds per variety.

Our business model involves bringing in the highest quality hops from top-tier farms across the Pacific Northwest partially in order to mitigate the inherent risk that comes with agriculture. If you have a preferred farm to source from, including Crosby, please communicate those preferences to your account manager. We’ll gladly allocate you those hops if we have the ability to, but we can’t guarantee it.

High-quality T-90 pellets that are properly stored are good for three to five years, so you can continue to work them into recipes while confidently maintaining quality.

If you can’t use the hops, there are a number of resources for swapping or selling them, such as neighboring brewers, BeerAdvocate Community Forums, the Lupulin Exchange, MBAA forums, and your local guild forum.

Project your needs to the best of your ability and reevaluate them quarterly. Communicate any changes in needs to your account manager as soon as you’re aware of them. The more advance notice you give, the more flexibility may be available. If we’re able, Crosby Hops can potentially move contracted volumes from one variety to another. After a crop year has ended, and usually during it, it’s very rare that we’re able to make changes.