On this episode we learn all about hop farming from Ross Sorensen and Nick Reutter, owners of Land Locked Hops in Loda, IL. It was an interesting conversation because they didn't hold back on the difficulties of starting a very small hop farm, 1/8th acre. They've since purchased an 80-plus acre plot of land to expand their hop yard up to 5 acres. We also learned how hard being 100 percent organic in hop farming is, whether a brewery makes good beer or not matters to them when selling their hops, and why they both love Comet hops so much.

During the show we sample several beers that Ross and Nick brought from Illinois. One included their hops and the other were beers from one of their favorite breweries.

Beers on the Show:

Monarch Brewing Company - Allerton Amber (Cascade hops from Land Locked Hops)

Marz Community Brewing - Cloudy Boyz NEIPA

Marz Community Brewing - May 1968 Saison

Marz Community Brewing - Jungle Boogie with Mango Pale Wheat Ale