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Did you know that we grow hops here in Nebraska? Don’t worry – less than a year ago, I had no idea, either. Over the past year or so, many special casks of locally brewed beer have been cropping up at breweries in Nebraska that also feature locally grown hops. In fact, the Nebraska Hop Growers Association even had a booth at the 2013 Great Nebraska Beer Fest and had some of the Nebraska breweries use their hops in featured beers at the event. However, it still seems to be a little known fact that there are a growing number of hop farms in Nebraska, and that really great beer can be made with these hops.
That was part of the goal of the First Annual Nebraska Hop Cup Competition – to introduce the thriving Nebraska Hop Growers Association to the local craft beer enthusiasts, and to give local brewers the chance to show off their chops using these great, locally sourced hops. As a bonus, the event also benefited both the Nebraska Hop Growers Association and the Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild, and it was held at Nebraska Brewing Company‘s new brewing facility and future taproom.
Situated amongst towering mountains of unfilled beer cans and bright new brewing equipment at Nebraska Brewing’s new facility, the Hop Cup attracted more than ninety people, who were treated to eight great brews featuring local hops by eight different local hop farms. Samples were unlimited for the first two hours of the event and for $1 per entry, each guest was encouraged to vote for their favorite beer, as this was a people’s choice competition with the winner receiving a traveling trophy. After those first two hours, the votes were tallied, and Empyrean Brewing Company – based out of Lincoln – was the overall favorite with their Prairie Song Pale Ale.
Surprisingly, the majority of the small batches brewed for the event were not overly bitter or too hop-focused, with most of the beers exhibiting the subtle characteristics of the hops to accentuate the beer. However, this seemed to work the best for all of the breweries in creating a delicious beer that could be easily appreciated by the variety of people in attendance. One of the beers with a hop profile that stood out the most was the winning Prairie Strong Pale Ale by Empyrean, which paid great homage to the state in name and flavor.
The event was an overall success, and will most likely become an annual event. Hopefully, the event will continue to be well attended and the education about the great hops that our state has to offer will increase, enabling even more craft beer enthusiasts to become aware of the possibilities that lie in our own backyards.
