Last summer marked the first year for the Lots of Pride Gardens in Beltzhoover, where, among other projects, South Hilltop Men’s Group and DECO Resources are collaborating to use four City-owned vacant lots for research into potential remediation techniques targeting lead in soil using sunflowers, mustard greens, and hops.

The lots, acquired through the City’s Adopt-A-Lot program, hold soil lead levels of 400-1,000 parts per million, meaning SHMG and DECO must use raised garden beds per City guidelines – but, through an agreement with the City, they will be allowed to let the plants root naturally into the soil.

Anthony Stewart, president and environmental director of DECO, said the study will last for several years and the data will be analyzed to determine what soil amendments and plants work best together to remove lead from soil and how that impacts the plants. With hops, the hypothesis is that “lead will be taken into the roots, binds, and leaves, but not transfer to the flower,” which is used to brew beer. If there are no traces of lead in the flower, Stewart said there is potential in the future to partner with local breweries to create a beer from the Betlzhoover plants.

Bell said he appreciates the initiative, but he wants more. In New York, alcoholic beverage producers who buy ingredients from within the state and machinery that is predominately used for producing alcohol for purchase can qualify for exemption from sales tax. This also includes other supplies and packaging materials, as well as exemptions for farmers who harvest ingredients for alcohol and/or brew, according to New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

Bell estimates that “for all [Pennsylvania] breweries to buy only PA hops, we would need well over 2,000 acres of hops [farms] in the state and we are at about 150 [acres].”

This past fall, there were 300 breweries in Pennsylvania with 40 more licenses waiting for approval. In Western Pennsylvania alone, Bell said there are about 50 microbreweries, but only seven hop farms. Most of those breweries are getting their hops shipped from the West Coast. But switching from West Coast to Pennsylvania hops isn’t as easy as getting more farmers on board. For Pennsylvania breweries to buy local hops, they may have to change their recipes as well. Hops grown in Oregon soil will differ from those grown in the Keystone State.

Steve Ilnicki, co-owner of Spoonwood Brewery, said a good example of soil’s impact on taste can be found in “a classic English strain like Golding [hops].”

“American [hop farmers] grow them as well, and while they are similar they do have different taste qualities,” Ilnicki said. “You can taste or smell the difference between the two.”

In September, Spoonwood brewed with PHC Nugget and Centennial hops the day they were harvested for a subtle pale ale called Mr. Freshly. The brewery received almost 20 pounds of hops, which is less than Ilnicki was hoping for, but they “ made the choice to strictly use [PHC] hops.”

“I just think when someone reads on a menu, a ‘fresh hop’ or ‘wet hop’ they’re thinking of something that is going to stand out, but we did get really good feedback,” Ilnicki said. “It was a tasty beer.”

As PHC gains traction and established plants throughout the City and Washington County, Armstrong said even homebrewers in the area will be able to “reap the benefits of having access to fresh hops” instead of using pelletized hops from the West Coast.

“My dream is to see these hops going into local beers and being poured at local restaurants,” Armstrong said.

By tapping into this hyper local movement, Chmielewski said he thinks PHC and HOLP are “hitting a new scale economy.”

“The local bar no longer serves just Bud[weiser], they serve beer from just down the street,” Chmielewski said. “People want the one-on-one relationship between [themselves] and the person who produced their product. It’s great and I can’t see it going any other way.”

Writer & Web Producer: Alyse Horn-Pyatt
Photographer: Anthony Stewart, Pete Bell, and Alyse Horn-Pyatt

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