The origins of Evergreen Farm is not an uncommon one for the midwestern family farm. With family deeds to the property dating back to the mid 1800s, the farm was once thriving with a 10+ acre orchard, "truck patch" for produce, and 225 acres of farmland. We were one of the first farmhouses in the area with indoor plumbing and electric lights(evidence of both remains).

 

Back then everything was built with a very specific purpose and built to last. For instance, the building our brewery/taproom is starting in was a wash house. It's the oldest out building on our property and was built to house a gas powered washing machine for washing clothes. The basement was often used as a cellar for storage and later on held beer brewed by my Great Grandfather Albert Sommer(shown harvesting corn).

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Like many other small family farms, the time finally came when 225 acres wasn't enough to support itself in the modern farming market and we sold off most of the fields in 1994. Moving back to the farm in 2017, I began to wonder if there was a way to continue the small farm tradition that had been built over five generations. With conventional farming out of the question and craft niche markets taking off, I decided to look into the idea of a farmhouse brewery and it stuck!

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As the brewery continues to grow we plan to provide space to get outside and explore the farm with a cold glass of beer. We also continue to add specialty crops for use in our brews. The goal is to provide not only excellent beer, but also a direct connection to the farming it originates from and make the whole process viewable "From Ground To Growler!"