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    Indie hops Varieties

    Differentiate your beer with our unique varieties.

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    Classic Varieties

    We also offer classic varieties that excel in Oregon terroir.

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    Once a year, we experience the magic of hop harvest. Follow the fun!
    THE INDIE HOPS FLAVOR PROJECT

    Exceptional hops, like exceptional beer, are the result of many factors. We focus on every aspect — the journey begins with the hop seed and continues till our pellets reach your brewhouse.

    From Seed To Sip

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    INDIE HOPS X YAKIMA CHIEF HOPS

    Strata Cryo

    BREWING PROFILE

    Many brewers have discovered the wealth of flavor and aroma they can pull from our Strata® T90 pellets… passionfruit, strawberry, grapefruit, orange, rock concert cannabis, dried chili peppers and more. Now, beginning with crop 2025, we’ve teamed up with Yakima Chief Hops to make Strata available in their popular Cryo Hops® concentrated pellet form. This will undoubtedly expose many more brewers to the wonders of Strata, and for those who have been working the Strata magic for some time already, the beloved Cryo format will inspire even more creative ideas for tapping into Strata expressions. At roughly double the concentration of T90 pellets, Strata Cryo amplifies flavors and can help improve beer yields. The process to create Cryo Hops reduces the vegetative material of the hop cone, which increases efficiency. To embrace the full spectrum of the hop cone character, we suggest pairing Strata Cryo with a foundation of Strata T90.

    What is Strata Cryo and how is it best utilized?

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    Salmon-Safe

    95% of our hops are certified Salmon-Safe, reducing watershed impacts and protecting our wildlife.

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    WHAT IS STRATA CRYO & HOW IS IT BEST UTILIZED?

    Cryogenic Lupulin Pellets. Combine with T90s to improve efficiency while maintaining desired hop character.

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    KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN T90s & CRYO PELLETS.

    Indie T90 pellets contain over 99% of the natural hop cone. A very small amount of resins and vegetative matter are lost in the pelleting process. Thus, Indie T90s are a “high fidelity” representation of the natural hop flavors people have fallen in love with in beer.

    Cryo utilizes a cryogenic process that allows for separation of lupulin glands from most of the vegetative parts of the cone. Much of the vegetative material is removed prior to pelleting to achieve a concentrated pellet. With roughly half of the hop cone removed, some of the natural hop cone character is lost, however a concentration of hop oils results allowing more intense flavor expression and increased beer yields.

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    HOW IS STRATA CRYO BEST UTILIZED?

    Because concentrated pellets amplify just a portion of the natural hop cone character, laying a foundation with T90 pellets is crucial in order to realize the full spectrum of aroma and flavor that sets Strata apart. Typically the benefits of concentrated pellets are best realized in dry hopping applications. How much should you use? In aggressively hopped beers a good place to start is replacing half of the T90 dry hop with half that amount in Cryo (i.e. if two pounds of T90 normally used, go with one pound of T90 plus half a pound of Cryo). Adjust from there to hit your sweet spot.

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    ARE CRYO PELLETS MORE EFFICIENT?

    In aggressively hopped beers, increased beer yield is a primary benefit to using Cryo as a portion of your hop bill. Vegetal matter is cut in half from standard T90s, so less beer is lost.

    Some key components (e.g. Terpenoids) are sacrificed in order to achieve better yields and to amp up certain other key components (e.g. Terpene hydrocarbons). There is a trade-off when brewing with cryogenic pellets. Using them in conjunction with T-90 pellets moderates this tradeoff to an acceptable/desirable level.

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    KEEP THE “CREEP” AWAY!

    Even though early indications are that Strata is less likely to cause “hop creep” than other hop varieties that are heavily leaned upon in hoppy beers, it’s nice that the concentrated Cryo pellets reduce vegetative matter and the propensity for hop creep.

    Further, if your aggressively hopped beer is taking on excessive vegetal notes, swapping out some T90s for Cryo can mitigate excess vegetal character by reducing vegetative matter.

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    Cryo Product Sheets

    Amplified flavor for your brew!

    Cryogenic Lupulin Pellets
    5 kg /11 lb box (includes one 5 kg/11 lb bag)
              20 kg /44 lb box (includes four 5 kg/11 lb bags)
    Nitrogen flushed vacuum-sealed foils

    Chemistry

    Alpha Acid
    22.6 – 23.9%
    Beta Acid
    10.6 – 11.3%
    Total Oil
    2.9 – 3.4%

    A collaboration feat. Strata Cryo

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    To celebrate the release of Strata Cryo, Indie Hops and YCH teamed up with Brujos Brewing in Portland, OR and Green Cheek Brewing in Anaheim, CA on a West Coast IPA.
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    Partnerships

    “At Indie Hops, we’re all about trying to give brewers the best natural ingredients to brew with. Bringing a relatively new hop variety like Strata and expanding it into more forms that are available for brewers to work with is our part, our small part of contributing to help the potential for greater innovation and excitement for consumers,” states Indie Hops CEO Jim Solberg.

    “We first partnered with Yakima Chief Hops in 2025 to bring brewers Strata HyperBoost, an exciting new cold-side flowable hop oil, which was met with great enthusiasm,” continues Solberg. “Teaming up with YCH to make our flagship variety available in Cryo®, their industry-leading pellet form, is a natural step in Strata’s evolution. Brewers have tremendous confidence in Cryo concentrated pellets, so with Strata Cryo available beginning with crop 2025, we’re looking forward to expanded bursts of Strata’s magical flavors.”

    “Continuing to work with Indie Hops feels natural thanks to their passion, expertise, and dedication to quality. It’s rewarding to work with a partner who shares our commitment to innovation and supporting growers,” says YCH Chief Customer Strategy Officer Bryan Pierce. “This collaboration is a perfect example of our commitment to creating high-quality, sustainable products that showcase the incredible work our growers put into every field. Now we can bring that same level of focus to the many brewers who rely on Strata to elevate their beers.”