In 1920, Michael Loftus, an Irish immigrant and grandfather of BT Loftus, follows the railroad west, settles in Yakima, and buys the family homestead. Twelve years later, Leota Mae, wife of BT Loftus and great-grandmother to Bale Breaker owners, plants the first hop field, igniting what would become the family’s legacy for four generations and counting. Mike Smith, father to Bale Breaker owners Patrick, Meghann, and Kevin Smith, joins grandmother Leota Mae to run the farm after BT’s sudden passing, marking the third generation of hop farmers. Kevin Quinn marries Meghann Smith after meeting at the University of Washington Business School. This is where Grit & Grain Episode 69 begins. We sat down with Kevin Quinn to hear how he and the fourth generation built Bale Breaker smack-dab in the middle of their hop Field 41, and how their Loftus Ranches supplies the brewery and the rest of the nation with hops.
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Alright Grit and Grainers! Email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and guesses of what other famous brewery owners besides Ken Grossman, Vinnie Ciluzo, and Larry Bell launched their breweries with Loftus hops. You can subscribe to GGP on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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