2024 Quality Award Winners Announced

Hops don’t appear out of thin air—they’re grown through careful cultivation and attention from expert farmers who understand the intricacies of the beer world’s favorite flower. That’s why each year we take time to celebrate the growers who deliver the highest-quality hops through our annual Quality Awards.

Every year, the Haas farm team gives out eight quality awards: Gold and Silver in both the ‘Alpha’ and ‘Aroma’ categories for both small and large farms, delineated by the amount of bales produced during harvest. That structure helps ensure that excellence is recognized at different scales, from small farms to larger operations capable of supplying higher volumes.

Capitol Farms, 2024 Silver, Aroma

The evaluation window is intentionally narrow—only bales delivered at harvest are considered for these awards. “If we had to purchase pellets or additional supply later in the season because we needed to bolster our inventory, that wouldn’t count,” Haas Procurement Manager Hunter Van de Graaf explains. “This is about what came off the farm during that growing season.”

The awards are given based on several criteria, from alpha acid content to aroma quality and being true to type. Our teams also evaluate the moisture content of the hops, cone quality, color, and more, through full sensory processing and lab analysis. Each farm is given their evaluations as a benchmark and to see how they stack up year over year. Several farms are multi-year repeat awardees, a point of great pride for folks like Capitol Farms (above) and Stauffer Farms (below).

Stauffer Farms, 2024 Gold, Aroma

Many of these farms are operated by families that have been growing hops for decades, across several generations. Our role is to support them, invest in their future, and reward their best work. “We want to work with farms that grow great hops,” said Van de Graaf. “We think it’s worth celebrating the farms that truly stand out each year.”

One of the growers that boasts several years of quality awards is Morrier Ranch—this year’s small farm Silver Award winner for alpha hops. Fifth-generation owner Liz McGree attributes Morrier Ranch’s success to the farm team’s daily dedication.

“We walk every field, every day, and we are consistent,” shared McGree. “We keep it simple. And our crews—most of them have been here 25+ years.”

Morrier Ranch, 2024 Silver, Alpha

Morrier Ranch is also GLOBALG.A.P. certified as well as a Salmon-Safe facility, which means that the high-quality hops grown here come from fields with very high standards of food safety, plus sustainable water, soil, and chemical management.

“These are our awards, but they’re just as much as our team’s awards. Our people are the reason we’re winning these awards.” Liz McGree, Morrier Ranch

The quality of your beer begins long before it hits the brewhouse—it begins in the field, with the grower partners who dedicate themselves to producing the best hops out there. As Haas Hops Procurement Specialist Andrew Jaques puts it, “we get to pick and choose the best, and a lot of times that means working with smaller, independent farms putting out incredible quality.”

Smith Valley, 2024 Gold, Aroma

The full list of our 2024 Grower Quality Awards is listed below. Please join us as we celebrate last year’s achievements and look forward to another season of excellence!

Alpha hops – large (>1000 bales)

Gold: Wyckoff Farms Inc
Silver: Firewater Ranch

Alpha hops – small (<1000 bales)

Gold: Central Cove Hop LLC
Silver: Morrier Ranch Inc

Aroma hops – large (>500 bales)

Gold: Stauffer Farms LLC
Silver: CLS Farms

Aroma hops – small (<500 bales)

Gold: Smith Valley Farms Inc
Silver: Capitol Farms Inc