Surrounded by electric fence in the Shoshone River Valley south of Powell, four Babydoll Southdown sheep spend their summers chomping on sweet grasses and spicy weeds with permanent smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, several goats of varying sizes and one friendly llama look on from the other side of the fence with jealousy in their hearts.

The fence is high, mostly because Johnny, the llama, and his partner in crime, a waist-high Nigerian Dwarf goat named Ewan McGregor, would happily eat the prized buds on the opposite side of the fence.

Both miscreants constantly test for weak spots in the security fencing — looking for a way inside to what they likely consider nirvana, or, in this case, an acre of absolutely beautiful hops climbing to the sky like remnants of Roman columns in brilliant green and taxed with buds ready to harvest.

The skittish but extremely healthy Babydolls just keep smiling and eating at the buffet no matter what's happening at the gate. Johnny, Ewan and the rest of the crew will continue their tests, but with just days before harvest, Willwood District resident Shannon Sapp is keeping an eye on the more ornery critters.

When Sapp steps out her front door, her long, blonde hair catches the wind and the animals come running. The goats walk with her, "like dogs," she said, but with horns. When she goes to the fence they all look for an opening — especially Ewan — to slip into the specialty hops garden Shannon and her sister Rachel founded after reading an article online while on the 2020 Covid lockdown.

It was a "crazy Covid idea,"  that brought two sisters together on the project. They used recycled 20-foot oil field tubing for the poles and one of their brothers did the necessary welding. They were finally able to get the plants into shape by the second year and the 15-foot tall plants have had mixed results in Big Horn Basin soil.

Shannon grows the crops and Rachel takes care of the business and marketing end. They are no strangers to farming and have also created a spice company called Secret Ingredient. They grow their Ingredient in a greenhouse adjacent to the hops and have been selling products in some area stores, as well as at local farmers' markets.

Six years later the idea has transformed into two of the tastiest beers this side of the Bighorns.

The idea doesn't sound so crazy now, does it? The sisters sell their hops to Powell's favorite brewery to make two of its most popular beers.

WYOld West Brewing Company uses Secret Ingredient Farm pelletized hops in their Kilted Cowboy Scottish Ale and the luxurious Flying Diamond Peanut Butter Stout.

"We'll buy local if we can," said recently hired WYOld West head brewer Zachary Flynn. "Even if they're a little more expensive."

Flynn was snatched away from Millstone Pizza Company and Brewery, where he improved the beer selection and earned respect from area brewers. The brewer made his first batch of beer at the age of 15, he said, and has been brewing professionally for a dozen years — six years in the Big Horn Basin. People noticed after some down years for the brewery at Millstone.

"I was winning regional awards against people that I never thought I would compete against," Flynn said.

While his brain is constantly turning over new recipes, he is taking the time to get acclimated to the WYOld West's system before suggesting all new brews. He has introduced a Mexican Lager (think Corona) and has recently made a series of fruit varieties of the popular Heart Mountain Hefeweizen with blood orange and huckleberry. His next batch will feature fresh raspberries.

The local hops simply tops off the brewery menu with a taste of the region, Flynn said, and he is excited to hear about yet another hops grower in Worland that he plans to sample as well.

Laborious process

Hops aren't easy to grow and it can take until the second or third year before a harvest is possible. They are also finicky, especially prone to losses due to drought. Last winter the Sapp farm lost half of their plants due to extremely dry conditions, lowering this year's harvest to a half acre of two varieties.

Yet, Shannon is always looking for the silver lining and already has plans for a new variety of hops, hoping it will be more resilient to Wyoming's harsh weather.

The harvest will start Tuesday, but unlike those who hire several day-workers to pick the hops, the Sapps' have a secret weapon to lower costs, thanks to Northwest College and University of Wyoming Extension services.

Several years ago the college did research on the feasibility of growing hops in the Basin. To help with the harvest, they applied for a grant to buy a hops harvester, turning a couple days of frantic picking into a couple hours of running 15-foot plants through the machine to harvest the buds — all for a small maintenance fee.

"It's definitely a specialty crop where you have to take some special precautions. But, if you do your homework, I know people grow them in the area and they do pretty well," said Assistant Professor of Rangeland Management at NWC Will Rose.

The harvester is available for the community's benefit, yet, Secret Ingredient are the only growers scheduled to use it this year. There is hope for future ventures, but breweries are contracting after a huge growth spurt in the mid 90s and early 2000s and then again starting in 2008 - 2016.

Annual volume growth for microbreweries and craft producers skyrocketed during this period, jumping from 35% in 1991 to a peak growth rate of 58% by 1995 according to data from CraftBeer.com. After a brief leveling off in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the industry saw an even larger geometric explosion starting around 2008–2016, where the number of U.S. small and independent breweries multiplied rapidly.

Now, the industry is contracting according to the Brewers' Association. Recent data shows national craft beer production fell by about 4% to 5%, and closures have outnumbered openings for consecutive years, signaling a definitive end to the explosive growth era, the association said. Microbreweries saw the largest losses, with an 8.9% decline in 2025.

However, Rose said there is still a market for the locally grown hops in the region.

"I think the challenge is finding the market. If you can find the brewers that want the hops and build that relationship, then I think it could be a viable crop. But we're pretty isolated here, and so, you know, if you're willing to travel with your product, I think it could be profitable. I don't know how much you could scale it up. You know, it just would depend on the market."

Fresh hops are extremely fragile and the minute they start turning brown, the precious oils used from the buds start to diminish. The moment the buds are at their peak ripeness, they must be harvested immediately. Yet, with some hard work, sometimes a "crazy idea" can transform into a moment of genius.

The two sisters have diversified, but their big gamble on their Comet and Cascade hops varieties is making a splash in the Basin beer market and beyond. Flynn said they can't make Kilted Cowboy fast enough to keep up with distribution requests.

"It's the number one selling Scotch ale in the state. I can't make it fast enough," Flynn said.

The company hopes to add more canned beers in the future, based on the successes of their first five canned beers. That's good news for area farmers willing to attempt to grow hops and for brewers hoping for local flavor.

Despite the contracting industry and news of worse drought on the way, the news is all good for Wyoming beer aficionados. If you take time to immerse yourself in the aroma of local craft beers, you might just get a hint of Secret Ingredient, thanks to the two local sisters and their "crazy" idea.