Home » Holsopple Brewing opens with single-hop flavor project

Holsopple Brewing opens with single-hop flavor project

Louisville's latest brewery, Holsopple Brewing Co., is owned by Sam and Kristy Gambill.
Louisville’s latest brewery, Holsopple Brewing Co., is owned by Sam and Kristy Gambill.

Louisville’s latest brewery, Holsopple Brewing Co., opened in February with a big crowd and an interesting project.

Brewer Sam Gambill, who owns the brewery with wife Kristy, kicks off with a project that will have him creating no fewer than 26 different single-hop IPAs over the course of the year. The first one, dubbed Project Alpha “A” IPA, gave way to “B,” then “C,” and so on, each being available for a limited time and hopped with a single variety.

Essentially, it’s a long-running experiment to see what flavor profiles he can come up with while focusing on a wide range of hop varieties. Eventually, he will get to Alpha “Z,” at which point he will start over, likely blending a pair of hops during each brew to experiment further.

“We’d like to create an extraordinary IPA,” he said.

The Gambills are both veterans of the beverage industry, with Sam spending a number of years working for MillerCoors and Kristy still employed as a scientist for Brown Forman. That their beers were well received at Holsopple’s opening (“Holsopple” is Kristy’s maiden name) is no surprise.

“She is the quality manager,” Sam said of Kristy, “and she hasn’t rejected anything yet. I think that’s a good sign.”

—Kevin Gibson