At Midwest Hop Producers we are committed to working with our Allied Growers and brewers to adhere to the highest standards.  How do we do this?

Education – We work with our Allied Growers, to provide guidance from the start with field design, layout and ongoing through seasonal production support, harvest and processing.

Inspections – Crop scouting is preformed throughout the growing season.  We advise and assist our Allied Growers with fertilizer, nutrient, pest, and disease management needs.

Chemical Records – With each hop shipment, our Allied Growers are required to provide detailed spray records so we know what was applied and how often.

Seed and Leaf Stem Content – Our Allied Growers consistently must produce 0-1% stem and seed counts.

Traceability – We partner with our Allied Growers, because it’s more than a grower number, variety identifier and lot number to us.

Moisture/Temperature – Dry whole hops are tested using a Delmhorst Moisture Meter and must be within the range of 8.0% to 11.0% at time of delivery and below 85 degrees.    Wet whole hops are tested for temperature at the time of delivery and must be below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hop Quality & Alpha Content – To meet product quality requirements, our hops will be submitted for chemical analysis and will need to accompany each hop shipment.

Picking Timeframes – Working with our Allied Growers, we ensure your hops are picked at the ideal time to maximize aroma and flavor.

Harvest – All facilities, harvesting equipment and drying equipment are clean and free of contamination.

Hop Index Storage – We use the ASBC Hops-12 method for testing and ensure all Lots have a Hops Storage Index testing of 0.300 or less.

Pelletizing – We run cool and slow.  Lower temperatures allow better preservation of the essential oils that provide hop aroma and flavor to beer.

Packaging – Our hops are packaged in a (4.2m) multi layered, high barrier Mylar with a nitrogen flush and vacuum sealed.

Cold Storage – We store our baled hops and hop pellets just below freezing at 26 degrees to ensure no alpha or beta acid loss occurs.

Consistency – It’s our job to provide consistent ingredients because the quality of the ingredients will ultimately impact the quality of the finished product.