Brewers in Schoharie Valley embracing region's history of hops

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Look around the picturesque Schoharie Valley, and among the lush greenery, you'll notice the old hop houses still standing tall.

"The Schoharie Valley has a long history of agriculture," explained Dan Beams with the Old Stone Fort Museum.

That agriculture stems back to the 19th Century. Before the booming dairy industry, the region was a part of the historic hop belt.

"By the 1890s I think it's really booming here," Beams added.

The hearty crop, which still grows wild around the Schoharie Valley, was the perfect natural preservative for America's favorite drink. "Helped with longevity. You could keep stuff around longer, travel further," he explained.

By the end of the 19th Century, the heyday of hops had come to an end -- until now as Andrew Rowles explained, "The hop house has been here for a very long time."

Rowles is with Wayward Brewing. While the hops preserve the beers brewed at Wayward, Rowles preserves the valley's deep rooted history using the old hop house on the property to make his business a destination. "I know agro-tourism is Schoharie's main focus. Number one thing they want to build is the economy, and we fit that bill pretty perfectly," he said,

As New York State makes big pushes to have more beverages produced locally, Schoharie County might just find itself in the middle of another hops boom.

"The rise in the local breweries and distilleries. I think a lot of what they're doing now is taking that tradition and trying to move it in the direction, it's modern, it's collaborative, but it's also social and economic," Beams said.