US: Oregon hop harvests nosedive 20% as craft beer market declines

Declining craft beer sales have led to Oregon seeing a nearly 20% drop in its 2024 hop harvest, according to the Oregon Beverage Alliance. Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster at Von Ebert Brewing and Secretary of the Oregon Brewers Guild, said: “Beer is usually only four ingredients – water, malt, yeast, and hops, which makes the quality of those ingredients all the more important.” According to the US Department of Agriculture via the OBA, hop acreage plummeted nationally by -18% from 2023, a statistic that has been reflected by Oregon hop growers, who are also down -18% compared to last year. The OBA has claimed that Oregon has gone from 7,000 hop acres in 2022 to just 5,500 acres in 2024. Sodbuster Farms fourth-generation hop farmer Erica Lorentz explained: “It’s been tough to say the least with the Oregon hop harvest down -12% last year and now -18% this year. Sometimes it’s simply a variety of hop going out of style, but now all hops are down because of declining beer sales.” Local ...