When you think of Auburn Agriculture, you might picture its “cow college” roots—rows of crops, greenhouses and students with their hands in the soil. But what about beer? This fall, a team from Auburn’s Horticulture Department partnered with a local brewery in Auburn to craft a truly local pumpkin beer, made with both hops and pumpkins grown by students and faculty.

The collaboration, led by Dr. Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva along with graduate student Alex Lahue, is part of Auburn’s expanding research into Alabama hop production. We sat down with the team behind the brew to learn more.

Brewing research from the ground up

When Dr. da Silva arrived at Auburn in 2021, he discovered an old hop yard and saw big potential. Thanks to grants from Auburn and the USDA, he was able to reini

See Full Page