The Roanoker - July/August 2015 - 65

breweries are going to have the ability to use a lot more
locally sourced material," he adds.
"As demand increases for local ingredients, some of
Virginia's brightest minds are working to better crops
used in local craft beer," Virginia Secretary of Agriculture & Forestry Todd Haymore says, citing Virginia Tech
scientists and forward-thinking growers.
At Callaway Brewing, Sterling White has planted
hops and encouraged others to do so. He's been in touch
with a wheat grower who will plant grains for brewing
and with Big Spring Mill in Elliston for milling. His
White's Wheat beer was brewed with Franklin County
grain, and he plans to use local hops in Eastern Divide
pale ale.
Bryan Summerson at Big Lick Brewing in Roanoke
similarly values the use of local ingredients. He plans to
use his own homegrown hops this year and possibly to
work with Whipple Creek hop farm north of Roanoke.
"Our coffee porter was made using CUPS Coffee and
Tea's coffee," he says. "We are still trying to find a local
source of pawpaws" for Paw Paw What?
Summerson has also used Virginia yeast from RVA
Yeast Lab. Yes, even yeast can be locally grown.
Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers in Roanoke used fresh
local blackberries in their seasonal Berry White and local
banana peppers and apples for infusing added flavors.
"In the future, we hope to use local hops, malts and
other fruits or spices," brewer Sean Osborne says.
The ultimate local beer will be Let Freedom Ring
from Chaos Mountain in Callaway, a pale ale scheduled
for release on the Fourth of July: Virginia grains malted
in-state, Virginia hops, and RVA Yeast Lab yeast, brewed
in Chaos Mountain well water.
The brewing of beers using local ingredients is a growing trend, one worthy of a rise from your pinkie.

THEROANOKER.COM

VIRGINIA TECH OFFERS SCIENTIFIC
SUPPORT OF BEER & WINE
Are brewers like creative artists or cerebral scientists? The
art of brewing involves science, and Virginia Tech can help.
Tech has a history of helping wineries and has recently
begun working with breweries, too. The Enology Analytical
Services Laboratory in the Food Science and Technology
department was established in 2006 to provide analysis
for winemakers. The lab recently added hops analysis to its
menu of analytical services, and Lab Director Eldon Hurley
received certification in beer chemistry, keeping up with
industry growth.
Craft brewers, however, aren't keeping up with Tech -
though brewers could benefit from the lab's services, few
have utilized them.
For winemakers, Hurley explains, "It's easy to eliminate
flaws and faults using lab analysis.... People who make
beer are less technical in that regard." However, he adds,
"As the industry matures, it will become inherent in the
mindset."
Virginia Tech has also begun to research hops as a
crop, determining which varieties grow best in Virginia
and breeding new varieties that will differentiate regional
hops by providing desirable aroma and flavor profiles. The
ultimate goal is to make hop-growing commercially viable.
In pursuit of that goal, Sean O'Keefe, professor of food
science and technology, works with like-minded researchers at Virginia State University and North Carolina State
plus pioneering hop farmers in Virginia and North Carolina.
O'Keefe's department is also acquiring brewing equipment to make beer with the hops, utilizing sensory evaluation in addition to laboratory testing. After all, what drinkers perceive counts most. Science merely supports the
arts.

-AT

JULY/AUGUST 2015 | 65

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