Pine River Hops

The original homesteaders planted apple and plum trees, as well as hops in the early 1800’s. 

After years of trying to rid the land of what was thought to be a weed- we learned that it was in fact Hops used for making beer.  We spent time with experts at Fort Lewis College and Delta Research Center learning as much as we could about the crop before deciding to dedicate an acre and a half of the ranch to growing Hops.

We experienced several years of painful learning curves before we proudly welcomed our first harvest in 2014.  Our 1,600 plants include Chinook, Cascade and Nugget varieties, and we service the Durango, Pagosa, Bayfield, and Silverton breweries.  We are so excited to provide craft brew enthusiasts with a locally grown product that people rave about.

Pine River Hops plans to expand our operation into additional acres and a processing facility for other community members interested in growing hops.

Owner Paul Black has been asked to speak publicly many times including a feature at the Spring Hops Symposium at Fort Lewis College.  His one of a kind, trellis system has been recognized nationally because it’s made entirely out of recycled 2 3/8 pipe – reaching 20ft tall with overhead sprinklers, a high tensile wire system and over 13 miles of twine.

The walls of green bine’s swaying in the breeze are breathtaking, which is why we host an annual Harvest Dinner in the Hops field every summer to showcase the breweries and share the magic of it all with our community.