Nested on the Canadian border of Idaho, EMF covers the valley with hop. A blanket of green with a blue winding Kootenay river in the middle and surrounded by old mountains.
The trip start in Spokane which is the nearest airport I believe and is a 2 hours scenic drive north.
The farm takes its name from the abundant wildlife strolling the valley. Elk of course, mooses, deers, badgers, predator birds,…The place is peace and nature, with a vibe, a soul and a unique smell.Â
Every other year or so I have the chance to visit the farm, tour the nursery, rub hops in the experimental yard to evaluate single hill plots of promising future varieties, take a deep breath in the kilns, stroll down the fields, .. and drink some IPA’s with Ed who’s the hop guru running the place. This is a treat, an incredible experience of a lifetime.
The hop fields are quite a distance north of the Yakima valley. Story has it that the farm was set at the exact same latitude as Munich (48North) to come as close as possible to the conditions of the world famous Bavarian hops.
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There’s even a secret place. No one really know how to get there. I believe it’s left-left-right-left-right-right but don’t tell anyone. It’s a small shelter with an incredible view, a cooler full of beers and packed with friends that you can only access if you have sticky lupulin greenish hands..
