PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Brewing Company's hops were destroyed due to a mistake by city cleaners. While the city has apologized for the mistake, they are now unable to use the hops they had. The hops were used for a seasonal beer that would have been made using the crop.
The hops are an important ingredient for beer. Philadelphia Brewing Company grew hops in a vacant lot adjacent to the brewery. The city's Community Life Improvement Program, or CLIP, crew mistakenly thought the hops were weeds. The hops were growing in a batch ready for harvest in October. The brewery estimates that the destruction of the hop crop costs it tens of thousands of dollars.
City officials attributed the act to a communication mistake and are now exploring ways to work with the brewery to restore the relationship. The loss of fall ale could cost the brewery up to $25,000 in lost sales. In addition, the brewery has had to stop production until it can produce a fresh batch.
The Philadelphia Brewing Company was hoping to harvest 60 pounds of hops for the Harvest From the Hood harvest. The company had hoped to sell the hops for the upcoming season.
