Firestone Walker gets to the heart of the hop

Today, as all good beer lovers will know, is National IPA Day and to celebrate, Californian brewing company Firestone Walker has released the charming film Hop Dreams. 

Produced and directed in-house by Firestone Walker, it is a homage to the crop that’s the essence of IPA brewing and to all the people who grow and process it on every step of its journey from to field to glass.

It follows Firestone Walker’s Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, Propagator Brewing Manager Sam Tierney and Raw Materials Manager Tim Miller on their annual pilgrimage to Yakima Valley in Washington State to source the next great hops for the brewery.

“Hops are in my blood. They’re everything to me,” says Pete Flores, who was brought up on Haas Yakima Golding Hop Farm, where his father came to work in 1959, and where he’s now Assistant Farm Manager. As he gently breaks open one of the cones, we can almost smell the lupulin, the fragrant powder that gives the different varieties their distinctive flavours.

Like everyone else in this film, Pete is passionate about the crop and the process, and that passion is seriously infectious. Even if IPA isn’t your regular tipple, you might find yourself wondering whether a nice glass of Hopnosis might go down rather well right now.