VALLEY SPRINGS, S.D. (AP) - Officials in Minnehaha County have dropped a restriction on rural breweries after getting a request from the owners of a hop farm who are interested in making beer.
The Argus Leader ( http://argusne.ws/1WlXEeo ) reports Anderson Hop Farm in Valley Springs asked Minnehaha County commissioners to change the zoning ordinance to allow breweries and distilleries on agriculture. Before the restriction was lifted, wineries were the only type of alcohol manufacturers allowed in the county.
The newspaper reports commissioners also did away with a requirement that property owners or operators live on the site where their alcohol is manufactured. Now, they are required to live within a half-mile.
Hops are mostly used as a flavoring and stability agent in beer. They impart different characteristics to beer such as bitterness or citrus flavors.
