Last month, we had Ben & Cindy Smith of B&D Farms up to help on a brew day. While many in the industry are familiar with them due to their Cascade Cup winning prowess, they’re also one of five Oregon farmers behind the West Coast Hop Breeding Company.  We’ve played around with WCHB’s first proprietary hop (McKenzie) a few times, and we jumped at the chance to try out their newest experimental variety called WCHB-102. This hop was bred for the unique Oregon tilth – from specific disease and pest resistance to its late harvest window. And boy does it taste delicious and complex with notes of tangerine, apricot, honeydew melon, along with a touch of minty/floral undertones. We may be Washington State hop-headed-homers, but sometimes you gotta tip your hat to those neighboring growers to the south. A friendly rivalry makes both teams better!