SMaSH IPA

Raise a glass to Drink Local Nebraska Month with our latest homegrown brew!
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We're thrilled to present our SMaSH IPA. Using only a "Single Malt" (Maris Otter) and "Single Hop" (Chinook) allows the depth of these ingredients to really shine. Our SMaSH also features local Chinook hops, straight from Chris and Holly Cornelius' farm in Perkins County.

Cornelius farm hop bines.

Some Mystery and Some Humor (SMaSH IPA)

During an already busy brew week, we received an unexpected message from one of our brewery members on August 14.

“Do you have any interest in some fresh free hops?” Holly wrote. “They are ready this week.”

The scorching August heat meant now or never, so Rick worked fast to research and write a recipe for a new SMaSH IPA.

Adding “Some Mystery and Some Humor” to the equation, we had never brewed using "wet," or fresh, hops, and we could only guess what the IBU (international bitterness units) range was for these hops. ​

More below the break!
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Cornelius farm hop bines.

​The Cornelius family cut the hop bines at 6 a.m. on Friday, August 18. We helped through the morning to pick the delicate cones during the mash-in. 

By noon, Rick and Chad had filled two large muslin bags with fresh Chinook hops to steep in the brew. Taproom guests that day were treated to a extra-sensory experience!

The resulting West Coast style IPA is refreshing and drinkable, without any over-the-top bitterness. It weighs in at 7.8% ABV and we estimate that the IBU is 50-65. 

"Some Mystery Some Humor" is available now for Second Chapter Brewing Members to preview, including Chris, Holly, and Holly's dad, Robert Nimchuk. It will be released to the public on Saturday, October 7, making it even easier for everyone to drink local -- really local -- for Drink Local Nebraska Month! ​​​

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If you've never seen a hop bine up close, check out the dried bines and cones from the Cornelius farm still hanging in our taproom. 

Dried hop bines in the taproom