The Vermont Brewers Association has given a $20,000 grant to the University of Vermont’s Extension Program for hops research.
The award presented Friday will be used to buy special equipment and set up a lab for testing the various attributes of hops. Currently, the program has to send the hops grown in its research yards out to contractors in the state of Washington.
Researcher Heather Darby said the grant will alleviate those costs for the long term.
Steve Polewacyk of the Vermont Pub and Brewery said most of the funding for the hops and grains program comes from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. He said it was important to show that the brewers are committed to this effort.