Our Heirloom Life: Summer Hops

As I was driving my daily commute to nowhere (it seems), through orchards, vineyards, fields of mint, and hops it occurred to me that to begin my summer a little dose of hops is in order: beer. Mmm.. Have you ever seen hops?

Hops

They are magical vines that (through the aid of a huge trellis) reach up to the sky. It reminds me of being under water and swimming through a huge forest of seaweed. It’s pretty amazing. Moving to the Yakima Valley gave me a better appreciation of hops. Before I moved here I really had no idea what hops even looked like.

Hops

I have always appreciated a good beer. In fact, I am fairly particular about my beer. Certain seasons require certain beers. Summer, now: the beginning of summer, calls for an IPA. (That is almost always my beer of choice.) We have a few breweries around us. There is Yakima Craft Brewery in town and it even has a tasting room. Recently we tested out Snipes Mountain Brewery in Sunnyside, WA. It was amazing and had good food to boot. I had the Sunnyside Pale Ale and it was great. Another superb place to get local delicious beer is The Beer Shoppe.

In fact, we have even made our own beer. Using this great book: “How to Brew” we mixed, fermented, and bottled several batches of our own brew. It is a great project but does take quite a bit of time. You do need some materials and lots of bottles. But with loads of patience, in the end you have your own beer, made by you. So worth it.

Tracy's Home Brew

So the real question here is: what to eat with beer? I know, I know: everything. But what is your favorite thing to munch on while enjoying a good beer? The answer for us is nachos. Not just any nachos: High Desert nachos. These legendary nachos are served on pizza platters and come in extra small through extra large (if memory serves me correctly). When you order a medium, the waiter/waitress says: Are you sure? These nachos are huge! Of course High Desert is a brewery in Las Cruces, New Mexico and we are in Yakima, Washington.

High Desert Nachos - To Go

Then it’s time to make our own version of these famous little guys.

Salsa

High Desert Nachos - Yakima Style
16 oz, pepper jack cheese
Queso you could make it, we bought Tostitos brand 15 oz jar
1 9 oz bag of white corn chips
1 9oz bag of blue corn chips
Salsa of your choice
1 can of black beans, drained
Sour cream (optional)
Diced tomatoes (optional)
Jalapeños, sliced (optional)
Growler of Moxee Pale Ale (optional)

Preheat the broiler. The key to these nachos is in the layers. Arrange chips (half of white and half of the blue) on a cookie sheet. Cover with half of the queso, cheese, salsa and beans. Put another layer of chips on top, repeat with queso, cheese, salsa, and beans. Bake until melty, oozy, and delicious (keep an eye on it - it goes fast!). Top with diced tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream and jalapeños. Serve beer with nachos, or visa versa.