Episode 159: Mansions and Museums in the Mecca of Hops

September 12, 2025

This is super special! We all know Yakima is known for its incredible hop agriculture, but what many folks may not know is that the modern hop industry has its roots a little closer to Tacoma.

This week, we are lucky to be joined by Shelly Schlumpf, president of the Puyallup Historical Society at Meeker Mansion. As a long-time veteran of public service in the Puyallup area, Shelly has spent her career helping folks connect more with their community and history and has turned her sights onto hops. Her team and the City of Puyallup are embracing our favorite resinous flower with a new living museum dedicated to the history and agriculture of hops in the Valley, and to the work of famed Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker to catalog what became known as Hop Culture in America.

Tune in for details on this amazing project, some fantastic Ezra Meeker facts, and a story of actual buried treasure that you won’t believe!

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and suggestions for what you’d like to drink at the forthcoming Hop Museum in Puyallup. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio. We would also appreciate it if you could leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

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