Each fall, Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s Mark Hunger ventures almost 2,000 miles from Ohio City to Yakama, Wash., to check on the hops for the brewery's beers. In what's become the Napa Valley of hops, the brewmaster examines the harvest, rubbing the little green cones to release their scent. To Hunger, each ingredient matters, even the Lake Erie water they use. "It's very good water to brew with," he says. "It's what we've used from day one." So before downing that next pint of Dortmunder Gold, take a minute to slow down and appreciate what an ideal beer should look, taste and smell like.
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