Our priority is buying the best ingredients in the world. A lot of times that means we’re pointed toward Germany for grain or the Pacific Northwest for hops.
But sometimes, because we live and brew in fertile central Pennsylvania, we find what we’re looking for right in our backyard.
It was back in 2002 when we first started working in earnest with local ingredients. We needed 300 pounds of wildflower honey for a little something we were cooking up called The Mad Elf. We found it right down the road in Carlisle, PA. To this day – with a yearly order that has swelled to 25,000 pounds – we still get every last drop with the help of The Happy Beekeeper.
“We like to use local ingredients because we can easily get out and try them,” says founding brother and brewmaster John Trogner. “We really do dig getting in the fields and tasting the ingredients and using them in beer.”
In the past 5 to 10 years, with the rise of small-batch malting here in Pennsylvania, a lot of opportunity has opened up to use local grain. Our friends at Deer Creek Malthouse in Glen Mills and Double Eagle Malt outside Philadelphia have helped to establish which brewing grains grow best in our local climate, and they’ve worked hand-in-hand with farmers across the mid-Atlantic on variety selection, growing guidelines and optimal storage conditions.
The result is a growing economic opportunity for local farmers and a chance for us to deepen our Pennsylvania roots.
Today, we buy about 150,000 pounds of locally grown barley every year for beers like Field Study IPA and LolliHop Double IPA. And with the recent addition of local grain in the recipe for Troegenator, that number continues to rise.
“The hard work of our local farmers shows in the taste of these grains,” says John Trogner. “I really can’t say enough how much I love living in Pennsylvania. There’s so much to work with here. And Chris and I try to support our community in any way we can. Sending a local grower a check feels good.”
