Thursday, July 8, 2010

Hopyard Grand Opening Labor Day 2010


You Are Invited!
Please RSVP on Facebook for the Simple Earth Hops Grand Opening

When?
@ noon-7pm / Sept., 4, 2010.

Simple Earth Hops is proud to present the 1st installment in a series of hopyard event titled "Brewing Up a Community".

The Grand Opening is family friendly, free and open to the public. This event will feature tours of the hopyard, live music, tours of the Organic farm and more (from Furthermore). The Grand Opening will start at noon to 7pm and a potluck will begin at 7pm (bring a dish if you are staying after 7pm).

When?
Saturday, Sept., 4, 2010, Labor Day weekend

Hopyard Grand Opening Location
The Hopyard @ Greenspirit Farm
4352 State Road 23
Dodgeville, WI 53533
    Hopyard Tours and Furthermore sampling
    • @ noon-7pm
    • limit 2 samples

    Potluck 
    • @ 7pm-9pm 
    • Be SURE to bring a dish to pass and...
      a plate and utensils to eat with.

    What Else?

    Tuesday, June 29, 2010

    Volunteers Wanted for Hopyard Open House on 9-4-2010

    Registration for this free Open House event has not yet begun. The Open House will be on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, in this year of 2010.

    We are still working out some of the details on this Open House event but in the mean time we need to begin recruiting volunteers to assist with a number of duties including:

    • Servers: needed to pour Furthermore Beer.
    • Info Booth: these lucky volunteers will hand out 2011 harvest fliers and will manage the information booth table.
    • Raffle: responsible for selling raffle tickets and will run the raffle at 5pm.
    • Designated Drivers: these volunteers will be giving people a ride home if they need it. No alcoholic beverage sampling while working on this volunteer assignment.
    • Set-up / Tear-down / Clean-up: this team will help setup, tear down and clean up at the Open House location.
    • Cup Distribution: these volunteers will distribute our earth-friendly cups to guests and will also need to check the ID's of anyone who looks under 21.
    • Greeters and Volunteer Managers: this team will show arriving guests where the Open House is located on the farm, will work with the bouncer at the end of the night, will check-in all volunteers and will show volunteers what their assignments are and where they will be working at the Open House.
    • Bouncer & Traffic:  Show guest where to park as they pull in the farm driveway. Greeting guests and assisting hopyard Open House attendees with entrance and exiting the farm at the end of the event. No alcoholic beverage sampling while working on this volunteer assignment.
    Volunteers are requested to serve on 1 of 2 shifts from 12pm to 4pm (1st shift) or 4pm to 8pm-ish (2nd shift) or you can indicate that you would like to work as a volunteer for both shifts of the event.

    Benefits to being a volunteer include participation in this Open House event and sampling of beer while you are at this event while you work (except for some team members like the designated driver and bouncer teams).

    • You will receive your team/shift assignment for the Simple Earth Hops Open House by email.
    • The Open House will take place at 4352 State Road 23, Dodgeville, WI 53533 on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010.
    • All the information you provide here is strictly confidential! We promise not to share it with anyone.
    • All volunteers must be a minimum of 21 years of age before the event to volunteer. IDs will be checked!
      Please be aware that volunteers represent Simple Earth Hops. 

    If the thought of bringing a water bottle and remaining sober during some or all of hopyard event is not what you are in for, volunteering may not be for you. We want friendly, fun and dedicated volunteers only.

    **Waiver of Liability: By submitting the Volunteer Registration Form, volunteer agrees to bear full responsibility and full liability for any and all damage or injury which might result from volunteering at the Simple Earth Hops Open House. Volunteers also releases and agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the Sweeny family of Simple Earth Hops, the Kerr family at Greenspirit Farm, event sponsors and their insurance carriers from any and all claims, actions or damages without any limitation whatsoever, whether consisting of personal injury, property damage or death that results in any way from any act of the volunteer while attending or volunteering at the Simple Earth Hops Open House.

    NOTICE! Completing this volunteer application does not guarantee your participation in the volunteer program. We will confirm your volunteer involvement as soon as possible so that you can enjoy some other fun, local event if you need to.


    Thanks to Furthermore Beer of Spring Green, Wisconsin for providing the brew for this Open House venue.

    Thursday, May 27, 2010

    PRESS RELEASE -- Hopyard Takes Root In Dodgeville, Wisconsin

    Simple Earth Hops to Provide Ethically Grown Hops for Local Beer Producers

    DODGEVILLE, Wisconsin (May 27, 2010)--Today, Matt Sweeny announced the launch of Simple Earth Hops, a Dodgeville, Wisconsin new farming business, who will provide ethically grown hops to local beer producers.

    Simple Earth Hops is a new 1/4 acre hopyard located at Greenspirit Farm CSA in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The hopyard was founded with the idea of providing a much needed agricultural product for local craft brewers. Simple Earth Hops was established to demonstrate that local farmers can produce a consistent, sustainable supply of ultra high quality hops by working directly with local craft brewers while still maintaining a focus on ecology, the land and the people involved.

    "Craft beer producers have made it clear that they desire a local source of hops. Simple Earth Hops will address this need for a local sustainable supply of hops by small locally owned craft beer producers."

    Look for Simple Earth Hops to elaborate more on the details of a Grand Opening hopyard tour/beer tasting event in late July, 2010 and for the hopyard harvest tour and beer tasting in early Fall, 2011.




    About Simple Earth Hops

    Monday, May 10, 2010

    Midwest hop varieties planted this weekend

    Thanks to everyone who helped out with planting the hops on Saturday including:
    • Josh Soboleski
    • Darryl Moffitt
    • Charlie Rohwer
    • Beckie Sweeny
    • Steven Shoemaker
    • Renea Sweeny
    250 plants went into the ground thanks to these generous volunteers.

    Tuesday, May 4, 2010

    Hop trellis upper cables complete

    Yesterday we finished the upper trellis cables by stringing the cross and main row cables on the top of the hop trellis poles using a 2-man aerial lift rental. All the hop trellis cable hardware installation was done by the generous Mike Karnatz of Chicago.

    Next up is to till the existing 10 rows of hops, mulch the rows with straw, transplant the sprouted hop plants and seed and plant some beneficial insect attracting prairie plants, herbs and flowers into the hopyard.

    A press release will be distributed in the next few weeks followed up by an open house once the plants are in the ground. Hope you can make it to this next event and I will share the dates with you once we have nailed them down.


    Monday, April 26, 2010

    Building the hop trellis

    This weekend we built the 1/4 acre hop trellis in the rain.

    There are so may team member volunteers and others to thank including Bryan Nelson, Aran Madden, Scot Hansen, Mike Karnatz, Andy Anderson, Matt Girman, all of the Kerr family, Gene from the extension office, my lovely wife Renea Sweeny, my sister Beckie Sweeny and bro Darryl, Bob Matts, Barb Kalicki, Roger Reynolds and all of the crew from the black locust hauling mission.

    Here are some pictures which were taken by Barb Kalicki... thanks Barb!



    Here are some pictures taken by the Simple Earth Hops Resident Photographer, my sister, Beckie Sweeny.
    Simple Earth Hops - Trellis Setup