About 20 FSSM members enjoyed a fun and informative tour on Sunday at Rogue Hop Farm, a beautiful farm along the Willamette River south of Independence.
Rogue, one of Oregon’s most popular brewers, grows about 20% of their hops on these 42 acres. The farm includes seven varieties of hops, which are harvested and baled on the farm before being sent off to Newport to be turned into a plethora of beers.
We learned how hops are grown and harvested while getting an up-close look at Rogue’s harvesting facility to see how the hops are prepared for shipment. We also got a glimpse of Rogue’s pumpkin patch and saw a few free-range chickens as well as the Farmstead Brewery, where members of the Capitol Brewers home brew club of Salem are invited to ply their craft.
After the tour, members sampled some of Rogue’s brews while enjoying games of bocce ball and horseshoes.
Behind-the-scenes farm tours like this one are available to FSSM members — if you’re not a member yet, visit our Membership page to learn how to become one. Next up will be a tour of EZ Orchards on Sept. 3.
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