Bison Releases Oakland Hop Harvest Ale

Two years ago, the city of Oakland called up the folks at Bison Brewing with an interesting and rather unique request––they asked them if they were willing to grow hops in some of its community gardens. As residents of Oakland, Bison’s owner Dan Del Grande and sales manager Mark Cabrera jumped at the opportunity.

“Growing organic hops in Oakland not only gives Bison the chance to engage members of our local community,” notes Mark Cabrera. “It also gives us the opportunity to remind them about the importance and impact of organic agriculture.”

This year, Bison was able to yield nearly 60 pounds of fresh Cascade hops from its Oakland hop harvest. The majority of hops came from Victory Garden and the community gardens at Lake Merritt. However, Bison was also able to source a few pounds from Beer Revolution, a local craft beer bar, and a few local home gardens.

To commemorate the harvest, Daniel Del Grande brewed a special draft-only Session IPA (5.5% abv) with the fresh locally grown Cascade hops, which Bison has aptly named the Oakland Hop Harvest Ale.

“Oakland Hop Harvest Ale is super crisp, citrusy & tropical with a touch of pine-like bitterness and a clean, dry finish,” Del Grande explains. “It’s bold and hoppy like an IPA, yet very refreshing and drinkable.”