While I was working for an agriculture publication, I took the opportunity to become our resident hops reporter, mainly because I wanted a break from cows and corn. At the time, hops were re-emerging in Eastern Ontario and I wanted to see just how local producers got into growing hops and how they were dealing with the challenges. Back in 2013, I spoke with Ron Brennan and Stephanie Jaworski at Old 4th Hop Yard in Williamstown and this was their story.

Despite the emergence and popularity of craft breweries, the industry has a problem that many who guzzle down the brewskis don’t know about. The hop industry is still just making a comeback in the province and when you consider that there are not enough hops, in Ontario, to supply just one brewery, these local breweries are still forced to source their hops from abroad.

Ron Brennan and Stephanie Jaworski at The Old 4th Hop Yard, in Williamstown, are trying to change that and have already been making progress. “We originally got into hops after moving from the city to the country. We had about 20-acres of available land and thought that hops might be something cool to do with it,” said Brennan.

It wasn’t just that they wanted to do something with the land that led to the creation of the hop yard. After a visit to Beau’s brewery in Vankleek Hill, Brennan and Jaworski discovered the fact that the brewery didn’t get their hops locally because no one in the area was producing certified organic hops. “We, like many people, then approached Beau’s and said ‘If we can produce them, will you use them?’ It is something that Beau’s hears often so I don’t know how seriously they took us.”

Old 4th began using non-conventional methods and, this past August (2013), they received their organic certification. After their years of conversations with Beau’s, and finally getting their certification, Old 4th finally struck a deal with the local brewery to help them produce a beer. “It really was three years of courting. We were always in there bringing our product to show how serious we were,” said Brennan.

Beau’s finally bit. In conjunction with their summer interns, they created Dampf Punk, a beer that sold out quickly at the brewery’s Oktoberfest celebration. “As soon as the hops were ready I drove them to the brewery myself. They could not have been much fresher,” said Brennan. “I think the beer turned out great. It sold out quickly and we received a lot of positive feedback.”

Having their product as part of a beer was just what Old 4th needed. Currently, out of their 20-acres, they are using 1.5 to grow hops, but are planning an expansion to three acres next year. Still, they have faced their fair share of challenges especially with achieving organic certification. “It is difficult to maintain without chemicals. Organic nitrogen sources are costly and getting quality rhizome is also hard,” added Brennan.

In addition to working with Beau’s, the company has also supplied hops to Big Rig in Ottawa, a restaurant and micro-brewery co-owned by Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Phillips. “I had worked for the Senators as a camera man, so when I heard Chris was starting up I sent him an email offering to help. I knew the work involved and for a professional hockey player, I knew he wouldn’t have the time to do all aspects. After the first year, he emailed me back and we began working together.”

Old 4th hopes to continue working with Big Rig and say that they are working on future projects with Beau’s. Right now, they are focused on their upcoming expansion, but Brennan admits that if they can continue to expand, while managing costs they will. “Since all of Ontario could not sustain one brewery, hop growers need to almost be specialized to supply one of a brewery’s varieties. Our goal is to expand to be a consistent supplier.”

Update

Brennan reports that Old 4th is doing well and they have expanded their operation to four acres with the goal of doubling that. They remain certified organic and have an exclusive contract with Beau’s where all of their hops go to the local brewery. Old 4th lost their 2017 crop due to Eastern Ontario’s heavy rainfall. However, they put in tile drainage and are going strong in 2018. In 2017, Brennan received the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence recognizing a software app he created which helps track records needed for organic certification. They currently grow Cascade, Centennial, Triple Pearl and Tradition hops.