Jackson County native looks to hop into craft beer industy

JACKSON COUNTY, Iowa – Jackson County native Carla Wosoba always had an inkling that she would be a part of the craft beer industry.

However, it wasn’t until recently that she realized what form that would take.

“I used to always think I wanted to start a brewery,” said Wosoba. “Fast forward to now, and there are lots of excellent craft breweries in Iowa. But when I started to do research two or three years ago, I realized there is quite a demand for hops.”

Wosoba, who resides in Cedar Rapids, began using a portion of her family’s farm in rural Baldwin to grow hops in 2015.

Hops are cone-shaped flowers that serve as a key ingredient in many beers, providing taste, aroma and stability. These flowers form on plants known as bines, which can grow to be 20 feet tall.

More often than not, the hops found in local craft beers are sourced from outside of the Midwest. But Wosoba’s venture could begin to change that.

Wosoba’s crop produced a modest harvest in 2016, and the hops were used at Jubeck New World Brewing, of Dubuque. Hops from this year’s harvest will be used for beers at River Ridge Brewing in Bellevue, Iowa, Wosoba said. (full article…)

BY JEFF MONTGOMERY Dubuque Telegraph Herald, February 6, 2017

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