Introducing the Salmon-Safe
Fresh Hop
Drinker’s Choice Award
Farmers have a choice when it comes to what practices they use to grow hops. Increasingly across the Pacific Northwest, hop growers are choosing farming practices that not only produce high quality hops, but also protect soil, pollinators, rivers, and the Pacific salmon who swim them.
This year’s fest-goers will have a chance to try beers brewed with Salmon-Safe Certified Hops and vote for their favorite. By voting for your favorite Salmon-Safe beer, you are saying thank you to the hop farmers and brewers for choosing regenerative farming methods that are safe for salmon and other wildlife.
Salmon-Safe Hops have been evaluated by a neutral third-party agricultural expert to verify that the hops were grown using Salmon-Safe farming standards that prioritize habitat and biodiversity protection, soil preservation, water conservation, and the avoidance of pesticides and herbicides known to cause harm to Pacific Salmon. When you see the Salmon-Safe Hop logo on your beer, you can be assured that the hops were grown with extra care for native fish and the environment.
What are Salmon-Safe Hops?
Salmon-Safe is a Pacific Northwest-based environmental non-profit that has been working with farmers, developers, and landowners to protect rivers and native fish for more than 20 years. Salmon-Safe offers the nation’s leading peer-reviewed certification program linking farming practices with the conservation of agricultural watersheds. Today Salmon-Safe works with over a dozen different agricultural sectors in the Northwest including hops and malt for beer, wine grapes, cider apples, fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, flowers and more. Farms that pass our rigorous certification assessment can use the Salmon-Safe logo on farm products. Look for the logo to protect salmon!
Who is Salmon-Safe?
When you get your drink tokens at the Fest, you will also be given a custom ticket that will act as your ballot. The beers made using Salmon-Safe hops will be labeled with the Salmon-Safe logo, and there will be a container for you to cast y our voting ticket. After you’ve sampled a few and have chosen your favorite beer made with Salmon-Safe hops, drop your ticket in the container associated with that beer.