Episode 258: Hops!

The Farm Report

It’s hard to think about beer these days without thinking about hops. The runaway craft beer market’s convergence with the ever-expanding local foods movement is helping to spur a local-hops renaissance. The demand from craft brewers for local ingredients to make beer―such as hops and barley―is robust and growing. That’s good news for farmers looking to diversify, but the catch is that hops have not been grown commercially in the eastern United States for nearly a century. Learn more on a hoppy episode of The Farm Report as Erin Fairbanks is joined by Laura Ten Eyck and Dietrich Gehring, co-authors of The Hop Grower’s Handbook: The Essential Guide for Sustainable, Small-Scale Production for Home and Market. Jimmy Carbone, host of Beer Sessions Radio is in the studio as well! This program was brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips.

“Hops puts flavor in your glass. Everybody identifies craft beer with hops – and it’s what took people away from commercial beer without any flavor.” [06:00]

–Jimmy Carbone on Beer Sessions Radio

“New York was the epicenter for growing hops in the late 1800’s. In 1880, 80% of the hops grown in the country were grown in New York State, many of those being grown int he area around Cooperstown.” [09:00]

–Laura Ten Eyck on The Farm Report