Watch: Crosby Hop Farm will serve 18 global beer collabs at its Craft Brewers Conference lounge

I’ll be honest. I could spend most of the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America (CBC) just hanging in the Crosby Hop Farm lounge. A: You’ll see just about every famous and small brewery sniffing around the booth. B: You’ll end up having hilarious and insightful conversations with the likes of Blake Crosby (CEO) or Zak Schroerlucke (marketing manger). C: You’ll get to rub and imbibe both classic and experimental hops from the (um) 420-acre farmer and broker. And most importantly, D: You’ll get to sip some of the best beers at the show, highlighting and educating specific hop breeds.

Now, some breaking news has ensured that the CBB crew will never leave Crosby Hop Farm’s 2019 CBC booth at the 2019 Denver show (April 8-11). The leading hop grower, merchant and processor just unveiled the details for an impressive collaboration brewing project, which will be served at the show. Eighteen frickin’ brewing pairs! Each featuring one brewer from the U.S. and one from around the world. Just gotta visit the Crosby Hop Farm lounge. but make sure you leave some space for us. From the press release:

“We love being part of the global craft community, especially with great brewers and artists who also happen to be great friends,” said Blake Crosby, CEO Crosby Hop Farm. “We’re thankful for the enthusiastic response from brewers near and far and can’t wait to taste these amazing beers. This is uncharted territory for the conference, and we are honored to lead the charge.”

The hops

The 18 collaboration beers are now in production all across North America using more than 20 different hop varieties including Amarillo, Cashmere, Comet, El Dorado and Strata, and encompass a range of styles and flavor profiles. Attendees will take in new and unique hop aromas through sensory and indulge in 360-degree hop farm views via virtual reality, while sampling six new beers each day. A preview of what CBC attendees will find at the CHF lounge can be viewed above.

The brewery pairings

• Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Stigbergets (Sweden)
• Austin Beerworks (Austin, Texas) and Galway Bay Brewery (Ireland)
• Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Lervig (Norway)
• Breakside Brewery (Portland) and KEX Brewing (Iceland)
• Cigar City Brewing (Tampa) and Pojhala Brewery (Estonia)
• Cloudburst Brewing (Seattle) and Dry & Bitter Brewing Company (Denmark)
• Creature Comforts Brewing Co. (Athens, Ga.) and Mikkeller (Denmark)
• Finback Brewery (Queens, N.Y.) and Collective Arts Brewing (Canada)
• Fort George Brewery (Astoria, Ore.) and People Like Us (Denmark)
• HenHouse Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and Lion Cat Beer (China)
• Lamplighter Brewing Co. (Cambridge, Mass.) and Borg Brugghús (Iceland)
• MoksaBrewing Co. (Rocklin, Calif.) and To Øl (Denmark)
• Night Shift Brewing (Everett, Mass.) and White Frontier Brewery (Switzerland)
• Modern TimesBeer (San Diego) and Cloudwater Brew Co. (UK)
• pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River, Ore.) and Oedipus Brewing (Netherlands)
• Pizza Port Brewing Co. (San Diego) and Green Beacon Brewing Co. (Australia)
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, Calif.) and Garage Project (New Zealand)
• WeldWerks Brewing Co. (Greely, Colo.) and Fuerst Wiacek (Germany)

Insights from the brewers

A few brewers offered their thoughts on the CBC brewing project, including Mid-Sized Brewing Company of the Year, pFriem Family Brewers who collaborated with Oedipus Brewing (Netherlands) and Fort George Brewery, paired with People Like Us (Denmark).

Gavin Lord, Head Brewer, pFriem Family Brewers said, “The Oedipus crew has been coming to our Anniversary Party at Hood River Waterfront Park for a few years and we’ve always had a great time celebrating with them. The beers they brought for us were always delicious, so when the opportunity arose to work with them and Crosby Hop Farm, we were in! It’s been an exciting project and we’re stoked to share this beer with our friends on the CBC floor this year!”

Dave Coyne, brewer and Barrel Baron of Fort George Brewery added, “There’s a bit of trepidation working on a collaboration with people you’ve never met, but People Like Us were easy going and thoughtful, which resulted in a recipe that is representative of both breweries. It’s wonderful to have this new connection that we can expand on in the future. Crosby not only provided high quality hops but had insightful suggestions for some of the varieties we ended up using. Thanks to Crosby Hop Farm for organizing this collaboration to support the global brewing community.”