When you are drinking your favourite beer, have you thought about where that beer comes from? Hops are one of beer’s basic ingredients for flavour and aroma.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored in collaboration with Molson Canadian.
I recently had the opportunity to see how hops are grown and harvested at Sartori Hops Ranch – a local hops farms in the Fraser Valley that supplies high-quality hops to Molson Canadian.
Locally Grown Ingredients and Local Community Connections
Molson Canadian has a long-standing history of local community connections for locally grown and produced ingredients. This is still very important to the Molson family today.
In fact, the Molson family helped build the barley industry in 1786, and for decades they have been working with local hops farmers, like Sartori Farm, for their high-quality hops that are a special product from BC’s Fraser Valley.
High-Quality Hops
The Fraser Valley has proven to be an optimal growing region for hops due to its idealistic latitude and amazing climate (i.e. dry, warm summers). Only a handful of other regions meet these unique requirements that contribute to Molson Canadian’s signature taste.
Located in Chilliwack’s Columbia Valley, Sartori Hops Ranch is a peaceful, idyllic hops farm that is family-owned and operated by Chris Sartori. They have been growing hops for the last 13 years.
While the environmental factors make the setting ideal for growing hops, it is also the attention to detail and tender loving care by Chris Sartori and his family that make their hops world-class quality.
When we arrived at Sartori Farm, we were in awe of the hops bines (not vine!) which spanned across the field.
Hops come in different varietals and Sartori Farm specializes in Cascade and Centennial varieties.
I also had the chance to split open fresh hops to uncover the lupulin – the yellow powder inside which contains the hop acids and oils. The strong, aromatic smell that emanated from the lupulin was wonderfully intoxicating.
The Sartori family then showed us how the hops are harvested and processed.
The first step is to cut down the hops bines. The bines are then processed to isolate the hops cones. These are dried, crushed into smaller pieces, and then further compressed into pellets to be sent to the Molson brewery for the actual beer-making process.
Molson Canadian Pairing Ideas
Our time at Sartori Ranch also featured a family-style longtable lunch. Molson Canadian Lager paired perfectly with the dishes which included Wild BC Salmon, local vegetables and fruit.
For starters, we enjoyed cheddar + beer soup with sharp aged cheddar; Chilliwack roast corn salad served with pimento pepper chipotle; and BC Wild salmon medallions with shallot tarragon gluten-free crust served with wasabi dip.
Our main was a tender, melt-in-your-mouth braised beef short rib accompanied with a parsnip puree and local vegetables.
To finish off, a blueberry shortcake with creme patisserie.
Incorporating beer pairings in a menu is a great way to unlock new flavours, bringing out complementing notes/taste profiles in the dishes.
To see my full video recap, check out my IGTV:
New Molson Canadian Brewery in Chilliwack
Molson appreciates farmers, like the Sartori’s, who have shaped the hops industry and community in BC and continue to innovate for excellence.
Molson Canadian is excited and proud to be opening their newest brewery in Chilliwack on September 17th to continue their commitment to the Fraser Valley community.
For more information, visit molsoncanadian.ca