Investigating the Regional Identity of Cascade and Mosaic ® Hops in the Pacific Northwest Across Two Harvest Years

Regional identity is an important factor in hop production, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where growing environment can impart economically valuable quality traits. Previous studies have documented regional effects on hop chemistry and aroma, but most have been limited to single harvest years, making it difficult to separate persistent regional signals from annual variability. Chemical and sensory properties of Cascade and Mosaic® hops grown at 35 locations across Oregon and Washington were evaluated over two consecutive harvest years (2020–2021). A total of 29 chemical and 14 sensory parameters were analyzed using multivariate and univariate statistics. For both varieties, chemical composition showed stronger and more consistent regional structuring than sensory aroma. Harvest year strongly influenced oxygenated terpenes, esters, and related sensory attributes, particularly in Cascade hops, resulting in substantial year-to-year variability within locations. Mosaic® hops exhibited greater chemical stability across years, with persistent regional differences primarily associated with hydrocarbon terpenes, total oil content, and hop storage index. Sensory differences were smaller and more variable than chemical differences. Overall, regional identity in hops persists across years but is modulated by annual environmental variation in a variety-dependent manner.