Wisconsin hops past seasons photos and links

Slower. Smaller. Local.

We did it. Hops were sold locally! Yeah!

With the 2010 and 2011 hopyard seasons complete and behind us, our Dodgeville, Wisconsin grown hop plants now lay dormant in the hopyard.

Thank you to all the past Simple Earth Hops event attendees for your help in the hopyard and for your contribution to our Brewing up a Community efforts. Special thanks also goes out to John Christiansen, Greenspirit Farm, the Wisconsin Hop Exchange, Weber Organic and the Brewery Creek Brewpub in addition to Northern Brewer, the gracious musicians, volunteers and local brewers who donated beer to our past seasons' hopyard events and Bob Bero of B-Hoppy Hop Candy co.

Below is a wrap-up of some of our most memorable hopyard/farm event moments from the past two season and a list of where you can follow Simple Earth Hops.

2010-11 Wisconsin Hop Photos

• 2011 Harvest Party
  
• 2011 Testing hop ripeness
• 2011 Midseason in the Hopyard 
• 2011,Hopyard Spring Training 
• 2010 Hop Harvest 
• 2010 Trellis setup 
• Press kit Pictures 
• 2010 Moving hop trellis poles 
• 2010 Hop trellis poles selection

Simple Earth Hops social media profile

• Simple Earth Hops on Facebook
• 2010 Hopyard establishment press release
• Simple Earth Hops Press Kit
• Layered mulch (lasagna gardening) instructions
• Madison Hop Examiner
• Follow us on Twitter @anotherdesign
• Hop sales from Simple Earth Hops
• Subscribe to our website

Wisconsin hops featured on MN Public Radio

On Septemeber 27, 2011, Matt Sweeny of Simple Earth Hops was interviewed by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl who is a Senior Editor at Minnesota Monthly. This interview was used as content in an article "Dining with Dara: Hops to make locavores happy" and broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on September 29. This well written article by Dara also includes an interview with Todd Haug, brewer at Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, MN. Here is a short clip from the Sept., 29 article from MNPR:

"I'm pushing for this whole industry to be different," Sweeny told me. He wants local producers to sell to local brewers, build relationships, and see themselves as partners to brewers, who in general are artisans or craftspeople and whop don't see themselves as run-of-the-mill widget makers.

Mulchfest, hop sales and surveys, oh my

2011 Mulchfest Beer Exchange
If you missed the fun at the Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest or just didn't have enough time to really sit down and talk about growing hops, here is your chance. We are excited to offer just 12 tickets for the 2011 Hopyard Mulchfest Beer Exchange. Ask about on site overnight accommodations - I'll provide tasting glasses to use, dinner and working gloves and you bring your favorite local beer to share. Tickets for this 2nd annual networking opportunity are at http://mulchfest.eventbrite.com/

Short URL to register for tickets: http://hops.me/7da
Short URL to view this event on Facebook: http://hops.me/7d9

Two weeks of whole leaf hop sales
Now that all the hops have been dried, whole leaf hop orders are being accepted at http://hops.goodsie.com/ - these will be pelletized an no longer available as whole leaf hops in less than 2 weeks.

Short URL to order hop products: http://hops.me/6zn

Attendee and Staff Survey
(from the 2011 Simple Earth Harvest Brewfest)
We don't know everything about event planning (let alone horticulture or how to run a sustainable business). If you attended or volunteer at the Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest, please give us some feedback using this survey platform to help narrow marketing campaigns and focus our community efforts.

Short URL for the event survey: http://hops.me/7d4
This questionnaire will not give you "survey burnout" and will take you less than a few minutes to fill out.

Subscribe via Email
You can now subscribe to updates about hop sales, hopyard events and other website posts via Feedburner, this service will send you an email every time we update the website. Subscribe to our website updates via email now!

Short URL to subscribe for email updates: http://hops.me/7d8

Photos from the Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest
Below is a link to some of the photos taken at this year's Harvest Brewfest. You can also view and comment on the photos on Picasa.

Short URL for Harvest Brewfest Pics on Picasa: http://hops.me/7db

Pre-orders now available for Wet Hops thru August 18th

ATTENTION WET HOP ALE LOVIN' BREWERS!

Through August 18th, Simple Earth Hops is proud to announce the release of this once-a-year opportunity for wet hops pre-order sales at http://hops.goodsie.com

Pre-orders are available until August 18, 2011 for Cascade, Mount Hood and Perle wet hops which will deliver to your brewpot around Tuesday, August 23rd.



Check out more pictures at Picasa and videos on our YouTube channel of an early harvest on 8/2/11.

Once-a-year wet hoportunity
A homebrew batch of Sweet and Spicy Ginger Cookie Nut Brown Ale was blessed this week with a wet hopping addition of these Mount Hoods which are eagerly flavorizing and bursting with fresh hop aroma in the conditioning keg which will be served at the Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest.

In collaboration with the Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest, these hops will be picked, packaged and immediately sent via USPS next day shipping.

Supplies for these fresh, green or wet hops are limited so pre-order now and don't delay.

Sale ends 8/18.

For more information and to pre-order, visit http://hops.goodsie.com/

Check out some pictures and videos of an early harvest on 8/2.

Why Wet Hops?
Brewers like to use fresh, wet hops because they provide a unique, strong hop aroma and flavor not typically found in the standard dried hops (let alone what is left after pelletizing). Additionally, the fresh, wet hops which you will receive from Simple Earth Hops are only available immediately after harvest in late summer, making them a special, once a year flavor-filled opportunity.

REFUNDS HAPPEN! This Is Farming.
Please don't be offended if we can't deliver on your pre-order. We love you, the brewer, who crafts such tasty choices! If we had a Refund Policy, it would read: THIS IS FARMING! Due to the unpredictable nature of farming, we are unable to guarantee pre-orders. In the unfortunate situation that a pre-order cannot be fulfilled (due to an act of God like weather conditions such as hail or a tornado in the hopyard the day before the harvest) a full refund will be given.


More about Wet Hop Sale

• Wet hop sales event on CraftBeer.com
• Mount Hood wet hops via the Madison Homebrewers Taster's Guild
• Goodsie Site of the Day
• HomeBrew Talk
• The Brewing Network
• Locavore Roundup
• Facebook Event

What have you done for local Wisconsin hops

Simple Earth Hops needs your help to raise funds for sustainable farm events and innovative hopyard! Please get involved in this project as a donor via Kickstarter at http://hops.me/6up, if you care about beer and sustainability.

Kickstarter is a unique method for great ideas to receive funding through an 'all or nothing' funding method where projects must be fully funded through donations or no money changes hands.

Take a minute to read over the project and watch the short 5 minute movie.


This project will support an outreach event and will help with hop growing costs at a community based commercial hopyard-located in Wisconsin. The goal of this project is to cover some operating costs and the cost of hosting our next farm event where we use education to demonstrate to the community about sustainable farming methods and to share with others the economic opportunity presented by growing hops as a high demand local crop for small brewers. In 2009 Simple Earth Hops secured a USDA grant to recoup the cost of building our hopyard, but support for outreach events and some growing expenses is still need.

If you would, please see what you can do at http://hops.me/6up.

Other Local Sites Featuring this Post

• Driftless Appetite

Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest Tickets Available

Simple Earth Hops is proud to announce the Harvest Brewfest on August 20, 2011 from 9am to 8pm.

This “Brewing Up The Community” celebration provides an all day beer tasting environment for 160 VIP attendees who will lend 2 hours throughout the event day to pick hops at the hopyard at Greenspirit Farm CSA in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Event registration is required at http://harvestbrewfest.eventbrite.com or using the free ticket registration form below.

When registering for free tickets, attendees will indicate which 2 hour shift (between 9am-5pm) they will be available to help pick hops at the event.

Attendees will not only get hands-on experience harvesting the plants, but will learn about the benefits of growing local hops while tasting local craft beer at a friendly community space. This event will also feature tours of the hopyard with live music and beer samples from 9:00a.m. - 8:00p.m. A community potluck (dish to pass required) will begin at 6:00 p.m.

What to Bring:

• Lawn chair
• your favorite tasting glass
• snacks to cleanse your palette
• a dish to pass for the potluck
• bug spray and sunscreen

When: Saturday, August 20 - 9:00 am-8:00 pm - CST

Where: Simple Earth Hops / 4352 State Road 23, Dodgeville, WI

Contact: Matt Sweeny at fattymattybrewing@gmail.com / SimpleEarthHops.com

Hop Sales
Wet, fresh/green hops from this Dodgeville area hopyard event are now available for pre-sale here until August 18th here: http://hops.goodsie.com/

This Event in the News:

• Great Lakes Brewing News
• Official Event Press Release
• Call for bands/musicians to perform at this event
• BeerAdvocate.com
• Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
• Upcoming (by Yahoo!)
• Local Sounds
• Facebook Event Page
• Event Logo Permalink
• Heavy Table - Upper Midwest Food Magazine and Blog
• CraftBeer.com
• MidwestMicroBrews
• Stephen Beaumont's World of Beer

Register for Free Tickets

Online Ticketing for Simple Earth Hops Harvest Brewfest powered by Eventbrite

Thank you for attending our Wisconsin hops event

The turnout for the Hopyard Spring Training [beeradvocate.com link] this weekend was outstanding. To all weekend hops and beer event attendees-thank you for coming out, sharing and  working in the hopyard with such questionable weather. Also, thanks to Josh Sobo, Chuck Tuura, Rich Joseph, Beckie and D, Renea, John Christianson, Charlie Rhower, Andrew and Jennifer Kerr, the Chicago guys from CHAOS and so many others for your help and attendance. Below are some pictures by Beckie and Chuck of this weekend's Wisconsin commercial hops event.

Home grown episode on Discover Wisconsin

Simple Earth Hops is featured on an episode of Discover Wisconsin which aired the weekend of April 24th. This "Home Grown – Opportunity Wisconsin" episode features Iowa County, WI locals:

• Lake Louie Brewing in Arena at the 9:45 mark
• Simple Earth Hops in Dodgeville at the 13.28 mark
• Innovation Kitchen in Mineral point at the 14:45 mark

Wisconsin maybe known as America’s Dairyland but there are many individual farmers across the state who grow or raise other products that are vital to the state’s agri-economy. Southwest Wisconsin is particularly known for its organic farms especially in the Kickapoo Valley region. There’s the farmer who raises beef cattle who supplies local restaurants so they can serve some of the tastiest burgers around. Or the local hops grower who sells his produce to local micro-breweries for that homegrown flavor. And there are the apple orchards that have been picking locally grown apples for decades and selling them all over the Midwest. We salute the farmers who grow local-sell local to keep the economy fresh and growing.

Source permalink: http://kididdel.com/Channels/ChannelView/tabid/66/Default.aspx?rid=8Wt34U0qtTf1vDIGtZxvbQ%3d%3d

Hopyard Spring Training on May 21

Event management for Hopyard Spring Training

Only 40 Free tickets!



The newly formed Simple Earth Hops in Dodgeville, Wisconsin is opening up the hopyard for a Spring activities workshop presented by Matt Sweeny.

Attendance to this free ticketed Wisconsin hopyard event does require registration (except for Charlie and Beckie) via Eventbrite: http://hopyardspringtraining-efbevent.eventbrite.com/Free hopyard workshop event and runs from 11am to around 2pm on Saturday, May 21st, 2011.

This hands-on workshop will show you the Spring time annual maintenance in the hopyard and yes, we will be getting our hands dirty! Be prepared to learn about training hop bines and stringing the hop trellis. This free event is limited to ONLY 40 tickets.


Please Bring:

• work gloves
• warm-ish clothes
• your wide-brimmed learning hat
• a sack lunch or $10 cash for lunch
• a beer or two to sip
• nun-chucks

Connect with us on Facebook for up to date event information and register for free tickets at Eventbrite.

Spring 20111 hopyard event logo

Simple Earth Hops featured in BrewingTV episode

Brewing TV, presented by Northern Brewer, came out to the hopyard by Simple Earth Hops and did some taping on August 11, 2010. These hopyard recordings are now featured on Brewing TV - Episode 17: Hop Madness 2010. Thanks again to Chip, Michael and Jake for coming out to explore the natural depths of the Dodgeville, WI hopyard and for the extra beers you guys left in the farm cooler!


Brewing TV - Episode 17: Hop Madness 2010 from Brewing TV on Vimeo.