A new craft beer competition challenges local brewers to use local hops

Despite the recent peak in interest (and consumption) of Ontario craft beers, one crucial component of those brews is seldom made locally: the hops. Now, a new craft beer competition put on by the Ontario Hop Growers’ Association will see Ontario brewers (and Brewmaster students) using regionally-grown hops in the hopes that it will encourage future partnerships between brewers and farmers. (While Ontario breweries aren’t necessarily opposed to the use of Ontario-grown hops, the crop was in short supply a few years back, forcing breweries to rely on imports from the U.S. and central Europe.) About 15 beers will face off next February in Niagara Falls to get things hopping (sorry). [The Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Beer Competition]