Let’s crush on Crosby Hops’ new cryogenically processed lupulin pellets (CGX)

Crosby Hop Farm is a fifth generation hop farm in Woodburn, Ore. Today, it’s much more than an ag operation. Crosby Hops is a farmer, hop processor and merchant (there’s even Crosby Hops Europe based in the Netherlands). The company manages hundreds of acres between the Cascade Mountains and the Oregon Coast, nestled in the Willamette Valley, that place where they produce some of the finest aroma hops on earth. The farm even has a cool bar — TopWire Hop Project — an outdoor beer garden surrounded by a lush field of Centennial hops. This entire operation has a cool eco-aware halo, which always catches our attention.   

Crosby Hops is a Certified B Corp, and the company was recognized in 2019 as a Best for the World: Changemaker in recognition of its significant improvement to its overall impact on workers, communities, the environment and family/corporate governance. Crosby Hop Farm has been certified as a Salmon-Safe grower (read what that is right here). This is on top of a company culture that focuses on conscientious practices that range for Crosby’s zero waste and native habitat restoration initiatives to its solar project and energy consumption reduction targets.

On top of all this, Crosby has awesome products — amazing hops that it grows, hops from great growers in Europe, and even rhizomes. There’s something new too. Crosby Hops just announced it’s offering cryogenically processed lupulin pellets. Its new CGX concentrated pellets are now available in several varieties, including Strata from Indie Hops Flavor Project, and Nelson Sauvin from Hop Revolution — both an industry first in this special format.  

These cryo hops were teased last year at the 2022 Craft Brewers Conference, and the hype for CGX has “accelerated with preorders already pushing some varieties into waitlist status,” according to the press release. By March, Crosby is hoping all 14 of its debut CGX varieties will be available, with more on the way. From the release:

“The rate of change and advancement in hop products is only accelerating,” said Blake Crosby, Crosby Hops CEO. “We felt strongly that another quality cryogenically-processed hop product was needed to broaden market access. It’s clear that this processing technique is superior to older T45 technologies and we believe in its future to reshape the brewing industry. We doubled down on that vision in sharing this exciting technology with some of our trailblazing peers.”

CGX Cryogenic Lupulin Pellets

So what is CGX exactly? With up to twice the concentration of T-90s and reduced vegetal matter, CGX offers brewers another tool to deliver variety specific hop flavor with increased efficiencies in the brewhouse. CGX makes it possible to brew aggressively-hopped beers that can improve yields and margins while reducing the environmental footprint of production (packaging, logistics, and cold storage). Two premier global hop providers and partners, Indie Hops and Hop Revolution, also have access to the patent-pending CGX technology as part of this release. This innovative and united effort greatly broadens the availability to brewers who desire the benefits of cryogenic lupulin products and multiple outlets to choose from. 

What are the benefits?

• Increase brewing yield (less plant material during brewing reduces trub loss, increasing the amount of usable beer).
• Reduce shipping and storage costs (with more impact per pound, CGX makes logistics easy).
• Reduce environmental impact (less packaging, less fuel, and less refrigeration mean a smaller carbon footprint).
• Increase revenue per batch (the more beer you get from each batch, the more can be sold, improving margins).
• Decrease hop creep (CGX can reduce hop creep and increase turn times and brewery capacity).
• Amplify flavor and aroma (more lupulin and less plant material allow you to push hop expression without clogging equipment).

Quotes from craft brewers

“CGX creates a more focused hop expression that allows us to finetune our desired expression in the beer. If T-90 pellets are like having the bass, mids, and treble all on one dial, CGX allows us to be more precise in the EQ,” said Blake Tyers, senior director, Catalyst Division at Creature Comforts Brewing Co.

Ryan Speyrer, head brewer at Parish Brewing Co. added, “We love CGX because it allows us to pack more hop flavor into our beers and also reduces beer losses from hop solids. It’s a win-win!”