We began with an imagination fed by plants & books.
The seed of Herbiery, and hop free beer, whirled on the salty, gusting breeze over Homer, AK to land in Nia’s imagination. The seed took root. Between guiding canoe trips in the Swan Lake wilderness, leading fat tire bike trips on the beaches, and landscaping in the mountains across the bay Nia was thankful for 18 to 23 hours of daylight. Free time was for two things: getting lost in the world of the written word or blurring the lines of where their self ended and the tidal zones, forests, and fireweed filled meadows began.
It was there, between those two points, that they discovered the book, “Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers,” by Stephen Harrod Buhner. Many of the plants described grew around Homer. Nia needed to close the gap between “plants” and “beer.” The only way to do that would be to make it themselves. Winter drove them out of Alaska and to a surprisingly rural New Jersey to live with their parents. Production began and so did education.
After completing three Herbalism certifications from the Herbal Academy of New England and brewing 17 unique brews, Nia was ready for the next step. With a deafening demand for more echoing off of their friends, family, and whoever tried these beers, Nia moved to Madison, WI. A homecoming of sorts as Nia was born in Stevens Point. Herbiery easily found a home in the verdant valleys, oaken hills, and marsh-ringed lakes of Wisconsin.
Nia is the Founder of Herbiery. Nia has orbited Wisconsin their entire life. They were born into a farmhouse outside of Bancroft, WI. Nia cherishes the memory of harvesting wild asparagus in early summer’s morning dew, flying kites in corn fields against the purpling sky of late autumn, and churning through fresh snowfalls on tiny legs perched atop cross-country skis. From Bancroft to Southern California, Chicago’s Suburbs, South Dakota, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Alaska, and NJ those memories of Wisconsin’s natural beauty always remained. While running the non-profit Wild River Academy out of Minneapolis, from 2012 to 2016, Nia finished the 2016 American Birkebeiner XC Ski Race in Hayward, Wisconsin. When the time came to return home to Wisconsin, Madison was an easy choice and quickly became the home of Herbiery Brewing. Nia explores the natural spaces around Madison by running long distances and participating in local races. When they’re not running, they’re continuing their herbal education with courses, books, and the crafting of herbal salves, syrups, and salad dressings. Wandering out of this world and into others, Nia insatiably reads at the New Wine Cooperative house where they reside in Madison, WI. They love cooking elaborate dinners for their 9 other housemates. Nia is trans and uses They/Them pronouns. They consider brewing beer without hops a natural extension of their queer identity. Queering beer!
Why Hop Free?
The recipe for the majority of beer you drink today is rooted in some of the first drug laws passed in old Bohemia with pressure from the German Protestant Church. Many are familiar with the Reinheitsgebot Law passed in 1516.
Flash forward to 2018.
Hops are no longer a legally required ingredient in beer. Herbiery means to release our taste buds from the cages of convention. We've taken the liberty to experiment with over 200 different herbs that favorably flavor beer. We feel It is our right and our responsibility to cultivate integrity in experimentation, to help add variety and locality to the craft beer industry.
Does “Hop Free” mean Gluten Free?
Herbiery beer is generally hop free, but not barley or wheat free. The gluten in beer comes from malted barley and wheat. At this time, we do not produce a gluten-free beer. But we never say never.
Core Values
Queerness / Integrity in Self and Opposition - Creating a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals will create a safe and welcoming space for all.
Autonomy - Herbiery will give others the autonomy to make mistakes and the support to learn from them.
Continuous Learning - Herbiery is committed to continuing education at all times and acknowledges that education happens all around us.
Nature - The natural is something we cultivate inside ourselves and, through our actions, in our immediate surroundings.