U.S. hops production increased 2% to 104 million pounds in 2023 despite a 10% drop in acreage, according to the USDA.

That’s due in large part to more plantings in Washington and Idaho of high alpha variety Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus, said Michelle Palacios, administrator of the Oregon Hop Commission.

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“The variety is very high yielding,” Palacios said.

CTZ overtook Citra, used in craft brewing, as the top variety for hops production in the United States this season.

About 15.8 million pounds of CTZ were harvested in 2023, compared to 13.6 million pounds for the aroma and dual purpose hop Citra.

CTZ acreage grew by about 1,300 in Washington in 2023, hitting 5,295. In Idaho, CTZ acreage more than doubled, reaching 1,059.

High alpha hops such as CTZ impart bitterness and are typically used in extract for export. Experts expected a rebound for high alpha varieties due to hop farming problems in Germany and a stalled domestic beer market.

According to the U.S. Brewers Association, beer sales dropped 3.1% in 2022 due to the growing popularity of other products.

Palacios said those trends are making foreign customers even more important for American hops growers, and pushing high alpha varieties to the forefront.

More hop crop data

The U.S. hop yield was up 13% to 1,915 pounds per acre, an increase of 221 pounds from the previous year.

But the larger crop featuring CTZ led to a lower price per pound, Palacios said. That dipped 11% to $5.40, according to the USDA.

The value of the hop harvest this year was $562 million, down 9% from the previous year.

Hop acreage harvested decreased to 54,318 in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

While this year’s hop crop topped 2022 — which was hampered by poor weather — it was down significantly from the record 115.6 million pounds harvested in 2021.

Area harvested from two years ago shrank by roughly 6,550 acres, or 11%. The value of hops production from 2021 was a whopping $661.6 million.

State by state

Washington remained the top hops producer in the United States with 76.6 million pounds, or 74% of the harvest.

For Washington, the top five hops varieties were CTZ, Citra, Mosaic, Cascade and Simcoe. Those five varieties accounted for 45% of the state’s production.

Idaho’s hop harvest was 16.9 million pounds, or 16% of the U.S. hops crop.

The leading hop varieties for Idaho were CTZ, Mosaic, Citra, Cascade and Eureka, which made up 58 percent of the yield.

Oregon was third for U.S. production with 10.6 million pounds, accounting for 10% of the country’s hops crop.

While CTZ was the No. 1 hop in Washington and Idaho, it isn’t grown in Oregon because of the more humid climate. CTZ is very susceptible to downy mildew, so it’s a struggle getting it to grow in Oregon, Palacios said.

Oregon’s yield per acre was an outlier, dropping 10% to 1,558 pounds per acre. A June heat wave in Oregon led to an early bloom for some varieties and contributed to lower production, Palacios said.