With our proximity to the 48th parallel, beer lovers of the Pacific Northwest are extremely fortunate.  Much of world’s hops are produced along this parallel in places like the Yakima Valley, the Willamette valley of Oregon, and the Hallertau region of Germany. In recent years with the booming industry of craft beer and the growing trend of heavily hopped IPAs, these areas, and Washington in particular, have seen a huge increase in the acreage devoted to growing hops.  In 200