Local Hops in Local Beer
YELLOW SPRINGS BREWERY makes fresh hop versions of its IPAs with hops from Heartland Hops. There is Harvester of Wobbles, a version of Wobbly Wheel that gets 60 pounds of fresh Cascades at the end of the boil, and Breaking Harvest, a take on Breaking Edge made with 50 pounds of fresh Nuggets at the end of the boil. The brewery has hosted hop-picking parties during the harvest at the brewery, mainly to provide hops for their beers, but also for homebrewers who wanted to buy a couple of pounds for home use. In 2015, YSB also bought hop pellets from Heartland Hops, including Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Galena, Nugget, and Willamette.
FIFTH STREET BREWPUB in Dayton made its first fresh-hop beer last year using hops from Little Miami Farms. Thirty pounds of mostly Cascade and Zeus and a smaller amount of Centennial were added during the last 10 minutes of the boil. Plans are already underway between Fifth Street and Little Miami Farms to make another version this year.
DAYTON BEER CO. also makes a fresh-hop beer, Area B Wet Hop IPA, with hops from Mankato Farms. Brewmasters add 50 pounds of Cascade at the end of the boil to create this beer. DBC also bought hop pellets from Mankato Farms last year, specifically Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus.
Tom Morgan is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Dayton with a particular interest in Paul Laurence Dunbar. He has been homebrewing for fifteen years, and is always looking for an excuse to read, write, and talk about local beer. Besides volunteering at local breweries, he is also a BJCP National-level beer judge. You call follow him on Instagram at whatweredrinking
