Portland-based hop innovators Indie Hops are responsible for developing the game-changing Strata hop variety, and this Wednesday, October 19th they are teaming up with OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) for a one-night event on the development of new hops. Indie Hops CEO Jim Soldberg, will be joined by Baerlic Brewing, Upright Brewing, and Migration Brewing for a beer tasting featuring Indie Hops varietals, followed by the screening of a 17-minute new hop film called Seed to Sip, and a panel discussion with Q & A after the film with farmers, brewers, and the filmmaker. Tickets are $15 and are limited to 150 spaces.

The collaboration goes back to 2011 when Indie Hops was one of a handful of companies and researchers that OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) produced short films on for an “Oregon Innovators” kiosk at the museum. That project planted the seed for Indie Hops to dream up their own short documentary in 2019, but it wouldn’t come to fruition until 2022 after years of pandemic related delays.

“Our goal was a film that would resonate with craft beer enthusiasts, even if they know nothing about hops, brewing, plant breeding, etc. We wanted a film that was professional enough to be entered in Indie Film Festivals,” says Indie Hops CEO, Jim Soldberg.

The film takes the perspective of a craft beer enthusiast asking the question “How did this new hop variety find it’s way into my beer?” Indie Hops uses the development of their signature achievement the Strata hop as a framing device to answer that question by introducing contributions from experts who helped along the journey from Seed to Sip, with many of the real-life characters in the film speaking at the event in-person on Wednesday.

”It’s kind of cool that the first new hop launched from this effort is having positive impact in craft beer markets beyond Oregon and even beyond the USA,” says Soldberg, who hopes the film will be an interesting and informative peak behind the scenes of the long process that this small Oregon company invests in for the future.

Seep to Sip: A New Hop is Born features Shaun Townsend, Oregon State University’s head of plant breeding, hop farmers like Gayle Goschie of Goschie Farms, and Max Coleman of Coleman Agriculture, and brewers from Baerlic Brewing, Migration Brewing, and Upright Brewing who were part of the pilot hop trial process. Come taste some of the newest hop flavors and engage with industry experts as they explore the challenges of developing new hops and the people who navigate them.

Seep to Sip is part of OMSI’s Reel Science series that screens films on the big screen at their Empirical Theater. The monthly series combines the best of their other series Science Pub, with the fun of movie nights.

TICKETS: $15 | OMSI members receive 15% off

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
6:00PM | Doors open
6:15PM | Beer Tasting featuring 3 different Indie Hops - three 4oz samples - see breweries listed below
7:30PM | Intro with Jim Solberg, CEO of Indie Hops
7:35PM | Indie Hops: Seed to Sip – (unrated) 17 mins
7:52PM | Q&A with panel featuring:

- Jim Solberg, Co-Founder/CEO - Indie Hops
- Gayle Goschie, Vice President Hops and Winegrapes - Goschie Farms
- John Coleman, Coleman Agriculture/Westwood Farms
- Max Coleman, Farm Operations Manager - Coleman Architecture
- Alex Ganum, Owner/Head Brewer - Upright Brewing
- Mike Branes, Co-Founder/Brewmaster - Migration Brewing
- Rik Hall, Co-Founder/CEO - Baerlic Brewing Co.
- Jeffrey Tan, Film Director

Participating Breweries:

-Baerlic Brewing | Punk Rock Time West Coast IPA - featuring Strata - Tropical, fruity, and piney Punk Rock Time IPA is brewed with Strata, Chinook, and Amarillo hops along with Weyermann malts. Strata brings out notes of ripe mango and papaya, as well as strawberry and fruit candy. 6.2%
-Migration Brewing | Engelberg Pilsener - featuring Lórien - Engelberg Pilsener helped start the wave of well hopped pils in Portland. A blend of Tettnang and Lórien work with two varieties of locally grown malt to create a classic and complex profile with notes of grass, bay laurel, and lemon. The Engelberg hits the palate with firm, appetizing bitterness, while remaining light and delicately balanced. 4.8%
-Upright Brewing | Pale Ale - featuring Luminosa - With bright tropical notes of papaya, guava, and candied orange peel, this American Pal is brewed with Luminosa and a dose of Strata. It invokes thoughts of Kern's nectar flavors mixed with a splash of Simply Lemonade. 5.6%

About the film:
The craft beer scene has exploded over the past fifteen years, providing a flavor adventure for beer lovers and hops have played a major role in the process. Have you ever wondered how a new hop comes to be, and how that new flavor that you can’t get enough of ended up in your favorite beer? Join us as we explore the challenges of developing new hops and the people who navigate them with Portland-based hop developers Indie Hops.

About the speaker:
Jim Solberg started his career at Nike focusing on product development for the apparel division. After seventeen years, he left his VP role to realize his dream of building a seafaring sailboat, and then embarked on two small business ventures before launching Indie Hops with his childhood friend, Roger Worthington. Founded in 2009, Indie Hops set out to develop new hop varieties for the craft beer market. In 2018, they launched the popular new variety Strata ® into the commercial market, followed by Lórien ® in 2021, and now Luminosa ® from this year’s crop. Strata, their most well-known hop launch has quickly captivated the palates of beer lovers, and Jim continues to lead Indie Hops in the effort to develop unique varieties that consumers enjoy and that are also commercially viable for Oregon hop growers.

Participating Breweries
-Baerlic Brewing | Punk Rock Time West Coast IPA - featuring Strata - Tropical, fruity, and piney Punk Rock Time IPA is brewed with Strata, Chinook, and Amarillo hops along with Weyermann malts. Strata brings out notes of ripe mango and papaya, as well as strawberry and fruit candy. 6.2%
-Migration Brewing | Engelberg Pilsener - featuring Lórien - Engelberg Pilsener helped start the wave of well hopped pils in Portland. A blend of Tettnang and Lórien work with two varieties of locally grown malt to create a classic and complex profile with notes of grass, bay laurel, and lemon. The Engelberg hits the palate with firm, appetizing bitterness, while remaining light and delicately balanced. 4.8%
-Upright Brewing | Pale Ale - featuring Luminosa - With bright tropical notes of papaya, guava, and candied orange peel, this American Pal is brewed with Luminosa and a dose of Strata. It invokes thoughts of Kern's nectar flavors mixed with a splash of Simply Lemonade. 5.6%