Double R Hop Ranches + Garage Beer Co.
COLLABORATION 6 / DECEMBER 2021
The Riel family has been a member of the Yakima Valley community since the 1890’s when Wilfred Riel traveled from Canada and settled in Moxee, WA working for the Moxee Hop Company. His three sons, including Willie Riel, decided to start their careers as farmers by leasing 80 acres of property on the Yakama Reservation. Willie eventually moved his family and farming operations to Harrah, WA and established Double ‘R’ Hop Ranches in 1945.
Willie’s two sons, Jerome and Leonard, continued the family farming operations, producing hops, potatoes, apples and Hereford cattle, for many years with the help and guidance of Willie. Double ‘R’ Hop Ranches is now owned and operated by grandsons Kevin, Keith and Steve Riel. With great grandchildren Jessica and Zackary recently joining the business, Double ‘R’ is now a 5th generation family farm.
While other crops have been added to their farming portfolio, hop production has been, for many years, the soul of Double ‘R’ Hop Ranches. With more than 100 years of collective experience in hop farming, the family strives to produce quality hops for brewers all over the world. They are committed to food safety and sustainability, maintaining a GlobalG.A.P. certification for all of their hop products.
Garage Beer Co. opened in January 2015, right in the heart of Barcelona. Working on a tight budget, Welsh and Zamborlin tried to create a space that combined the easygoing style of Barcelona’s traditional bodegas with the international, industrial vibe that had, out of necessity, come to define the aesthetic of craft beer. Soon, Garage’s first location was luring creatives and students with its beer, music, and ambiance. On top of that, the brewery’s regularly rotating wall art featured the work of local artists—an additional point of connection within such a creative city.
