今年春天，美国雅基玛酒花做了个“史无前例”的决定，将美国 Wyckoff Farms 酒花农场现摘的新鲜酒花，不远万里，用专有的冷冻保鲜技术运送到中国，不仅原生态地保持了酒花刚刚摘下来了球果的外观，更加以无比伦比的娇嫩欲滴的新鲜度征服啤酒爱好者的味 觉，从而开创了中国精酿市场使用冷冻新鲜酒花（Frozen Fresh Hops，FFH）酿造的先河。
This spring, Yakima Chief Hops made an unprecedent move. We launched a new product line of frozen fresh hops. We introduced the fresh hops from Wyckoff Farms to China using our advanced flash freeze technology. This technology does not only keep the fresh hops from its original form, but also can transcend the delicate and special aroma into the beer to fulfill each beer enthusiast’s taste buds. This is the first time ever to have Frozen Fresh Hops (FFH) in China’s craft beer market.
图1 预备投放的雅基玛冰冻新鲜酒花
Pic.1 Preparing YCH Frozen Fresh Hops
猫员外近年来异军突起，已开设了 80 多家精酿啤酒馆，主要销售数十款自行研发、酿造的精酿啤酒，成为精酿啤酒市场的佼佼者。美国雅基玛酒花有限公司是猫员外重要的原料供应商和合作伙伴，双方在酒花供应上精益求精，做到无缝链接，为高品质的猫员外精酿啤酒提供了有力的保障。
Richkat Craft Brewing in Shenzhen has expanded rapidly these few years. They have opened more than 80 taprooms which they sell the beer they develop and brewed, which makes them one of the best breweries in Shenzhen craft beer market. As an important raw material supplier and partner, Yakima Chief Hops has been working closely with Richkat Craft Brewing for both hop supply and brewing exchange experiences, which provides a strong guarantee for high-quality Richkat craft beer.
图2 猫员外啤酒馆深圳中心城旗舰店
Pic.2 Richkat Craft Brewing, Central City Flagship Brewpub, Shenzhen
Gavin Hemple 先生是猫员外精酿啤酒的首席酿酒师，也是中国精酿啤酒的领先者之一，拥有丰富的酿造经验。Gavin 是雅基玛酒花的老客户和老朋友，在获悉雅基玛酒花安排新鲜酒花进口的消息后，他率先为猫员外（Richkat）订购了 300kg，是数量最多的一个大订单。
Mr. Gavin Hemple is the head brewer of Richkat Craft Brewing. Gavin is a well-experienced brewer and one of the pioneers in China’s craft beer industry. As an old friend and customer of Yakima Chief Hops, Gavin right away purchased 300 kg frozen fresh hops as soon as we launched the FFH project here.
图3 猫员外首席酿酒师Gavin在品评酒花
Pic.3 Gavin, the head brew from Richkat, was evaluating hop samples
受 Covid-19 疫情影响，新鲜酒花酿造计划被迫一再延误，最终水到渠成，安排在 4 月 6-7 日在猫员外旗下的佛山福代精酿啤酒厂启动。本次将酿造 5klX2 个批次，每锅投料量多达 150kg 新鲜酒花，从照片可以看出投放数量“惊人”，现场装填 hop back 的照片尤显“壮观”，用了两个容器才完成装填。
Due to COVID-19 impacts, this FFH brewing project was postponed more than once. But finally, this batch was brewed on April 6th-7th at Richkat’s Fudai Brewery in Foshan, Guangdong. Two 50hl batches were brewed, and each batch used and equal split of 150kg frozen fresh hops per 50hl. As you can see from the photos, the hops were used in hop back, the volume of hops was so vast that it took two tanks to fill the 150kg of FFH.
图4 雅基玛冰冻新鲜酒花“秀”
Pic.4 The showcase of YCH Frozen Fresh Hops
Gavin 为新鲜酒花设计的产品为双倍 IPA（Double IPA）,在大量使用新鲜酒花的基础上，还将在干投阶段使用雅基玛浓缩酒花（Cryo Hops），以达到最大化酒花香气的目的。由于雅基玛浓缩酒花（Cryo Hops）有极佳的生物转化作用（transformation）和留香能力（survivables），加上从美国雅基玛山谷直送中国的现摘新鲜酒花，因此可以预期本次酿造将成为猫员外精酿啤酒的一款里程碑式的产品，为中国的精酿爱好者送上一杯香飘十里的春季美酒。
The Double IPA recipe Gavin designed takes a huge amount of frozen fresh hops. On top of that, Cryo Hops® from Yakima Chief Hops are also used in dry hop stage to maximize the aroma. With the high content of survivable compounds and great bio-transformation ability, we can expect this to become another Richkat flagship DIPA for fans of hoppy beers for the craft beer lovers in Shenzhen and China.
图5 Gavin在仔细检查酒花装填情况
Pic.5 Gavin was checking the Frozen Fresh Hops
通过本次的新鲜酒花酿造实践，双方表示将在未来扩大雅基玛冰冻新鲜酒花（Frozen Fresh Hops）的使用，引入更多的酒花品种，酿造富有特色和多样化的 Richkat 精酿啤酒。
我们期待着 Richkat 新鲜酒花 DIPA 的早日上市和圆满成功！
Through this project, we all are looking forward to having more varieties of frozen fresh hop format, and brew more beers with Gavin and the team at Richkat. Finally, we are super excited for the final outcome and can’t wait to see the successful FFH DIPA launch from Richkat Craft Brewing in the coming months.
图6 Gavin和Johnson在品鉴酒花
Pic.6 Gavin and Johnson were carrying out hop selection
