Beginning in the early 1900s and guided by five generations of family farmers, Crosby Hops has grown its namesake plant for brewers around the world, as well as Sunriver Brewing Co., Fort George Brewery and other high-profile Oregon breweries. Today it’s the only outpost of its kind in Oregon. Since 2020 beer lovers can experience hop heritage on-site by visiting the TopWire Hop Project, a seasonal beer garden run by Crosby Hops just outside Woodburn and 32 miles south of Portland. You’ll find an ever-changing lineup of craft beer — all brewed with the company’s hops. For even more fresh-hop beer season festivities in the heart of the Willamette Valley, be sure to head to the farm for the Oregon Hop Fest in September.
Here’s what to know about hops and visiting, and where to find similar beer experiences that celebrate the state’s farm-grown bounty.
How to Taste Hops Where They’re Grown
The humble hop is an essential ingredient in all your favorite Oregon craft beers, from crisp Mexican lagers to pine-tinged IPAs and chocolatey stouts. Different types of hops can impart flavors that range from earthy to citrusy, and they may give beers herbal or floral notes. Hops grow as vertical bines — not vines — and can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet just before harvest in late summer and early fall.
Oregon has been growing hops for commercial use since 1867 and today grows roughly 10 million pounds per year, making it one of the top two hop-producing states in the nation.
A fortunate blend of factors makes hops uniquely suited to growing in Oregon’s Willamette Valley — the only hop-growing region west of the Cascade Range. They require enough sunlight, plenty of water and fertile, nutrient-rich soils, which the Willamette Valley has in abundance.
“They’re not grown in many parts of the world, and where they do grow, it’s a special climate that delivers the highest-quality hops,” says Christine Clair, vice president of sales and marketing for Crosby Hops. “It’s pretty cool that Oregon gets to be part of that.”
Crosby serves a dozen or so types of beers on tap at any given time. Styles range from lagers to IPAs, but each beer must incorporate a Crosby hop. The company grows 800 to 900 acres of hops around Woodburn and St. Paul, producing up to 3 million pounds of hops annually, so at least a portion of every pour was grown within 10 miles of the beer garden.
Family-Friendly Fun at the Tasting Room and Hop Festival
The family- and dog-friendly beer garden is generally open between late April and October, but exact dates vary from year to year. In addition to the outdoor bar, visitors can order food from a handful of on-site food carts, relax on the partially shaded lawn, buy packaged beer to go and listen to live music.
In early September, Crosby reaches the heart of the hop harvest — when the plants are plucked and processed around the clock for an entire month. To celebrate this busy, joyous season, TopWire hosts the Oregon Hop Fest. The annual event includes a behind-the-scenes look at Crosby’s processing facilities, a curated lineup of hop-forward beers from nearly two dozen breweries, live music, tractor rides for children, and a hop sensory station where visitors can feel and smell fresh-picked hops. “Most people see the hops hanging on the bines, but they have no idea how those hops actually get into beer,” Clair says.
Enjoy Craft Beer at Local Farms Across Oregon
The beer garden is one of several family-friendly Oregon craft beer experiences that connect fans with the communities that produce their favorite ales and lagers.
For another farm-based beer experience, sample a few pours at Root & Rye Hop Farm and Brewery near Carlton. The Willamette Valley brewery crafts a variety of lagers and a few IPAs, all with hops sourced from an on-site, 15-acre farm.
Nearby, sip Belgian-inspired brews on a patio that looks out over hop farms at Benedictine Brewery, Oregon’s only brewery owned and operated by Benedictine monks.
At the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, along Highway 26, see what’s fresh at the Public Coast Farm, which produces blueberries, honey and hops for its Public Coast Brewing Co. Stop for produce or sample your favorite Public Coast beer at its farmstand and beer garden, open in summer, or imbibe at its brewpub in Cannon Beach.
