Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives
Community archive preserving Northwest hops and brewing history.
The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives (OHBA) started in 2013 as a community archive focused on the history of hops and brewing in the Pacific Northwest. It is located at Oregon State University’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) in Corvallis. The archive brings together the stories of hops and beer, connecting the social and cultural sides of brewing.
OHBA’s collections cover regional hops and barley farming, craft and home brewing, cider, mead, and OSU’s research on hops and brewing, which goes back to the 1890s. The archive holds the records of brewers and breweries from the Pacific Northwest, along with a large oral history collection. Tiah Edmunson-Morton oversees both the physical and digital collections. The archive is not just about collecting; it also works as an educational project, encouraging people to save records of their ongoing work. Edmunson-Morton believes that people, especially craft brewers, often undervalue what they have created, even though they are shaping the history of American beer.
Oregon State University began planting and testing hops in 1893. Alfred Haunold, through his work in food studies, helped create many modern and popular hop varieties. The Fermentation Science Program started in 1995, further supporting hops and brewing research at OSU. The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives was then established in 2013.
As a community archive, OHBA relies on donations. These donations include beer lists, promotional posters, business records, and photographs. Some collections are digitized, including publications about hops and brewing. Community archiving is a big part of OHBA’s work, keeping the archive focused on the Pacific Northwest. Archivists collaborate with local hops and brewing communities to document their work and experiences. Materials of interest include technical and legal documents, press releases, marketing materials, recipes, and production methods. The archive also collects biographical information about figures in the brewing industry and conducts many oral history interviews with members of the local hops and brewing community.
OHBA and the Oregon State University Library house a range of hops and brewing publications and newsletters, covering from 1895 to the present. These include notable brewing publications, technical information, and respected books on the subject.
- Established
- 2013
- Location
- Oregon State University's Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis
- Curator
- Tiah Edmunson-Morton
- Collections count
- over 45 people and organizations
- Oral history span
- 2014 to 2019
- Hops research began
- 1893
Lore & Background
The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives focus on materials related to regional hops and barley farming, craft and home brewing, cider, mead, and Oregon State University research on hops and brewing dating to the 1890s. Oregon State University began planting and experimenting with hops as early as 1893, and Alfred Haunold influenced modern hop varieties through his work with food studies. The Fermentation Science Program established itself in 1995, followed by the creation of OHBA in 2013.
OHBA is a community archive whose collections come from donations, including beer lists, promotional posters, business records, and photographs. Digitized collections also make up a portion of OHBA. Archivists work with local hops and brewing communities to document their work and experiences. Materials of interest include technical and legal documents, press releases, marketing materials, recipes, practice and production methods, biographical information, and oral history interviews.
OHBA houses various hops and brewing publications and newsletters spanning from 1895 to present, including All About Beer (1979–2014), Oregon Beer Growler (2010–present), American Brewer (1957–2013), Oregon Hop Grower and The Pacific Hop Grower (1933–1940), and The Hopper (1945–1954). Notable people represented include Fred Eckhardt, Godfrey R. Hoerner, and Pete Dunlop. Business collections include Barley's Angel's, Hop Growers of America Records, McMenamins Brewery Collection, Ninkasi Brewing Company Collection, and Zoller Hop Company Records.
Reader's Guide
The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives serve not only as a collecting initiative but also as an educational initiative to encourage people to preserve their ongoing work. Curator Tiah Edmunson-Morton argues that people underestimate the importance of what they've created, especially craft brewers, when in reality they are contributing to the history of American beer. The archive's oral history collection, conducted from 2014 to 2019, captures interviews with notable figures such as Teri Fahrendorf, one of the first female brewers in the Pacific Northwest; Dr. Alfred Haunold, who released several hop varieties; and Fred Eckhardt, a prominent beer writer. Other interviews include brewers, hop growers, and industry professionals like Karl Ockert, Denny Conn, and Jeff Alworth. By preserving these materials, OHBA documents the regional and cultural history of hops and brewing in the Pacific Northwest, emphasizing the value of community contributions to the broader narrative of American beer.
Did You Know?
- OHBA was established in 2013 and is housed at Oregon State University's Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
- The archive contains collections of over 45 people and organizations, including breweries and hop growers.
- Oral history interviews were conducted from 2014 to 2019 with figures such as Teri Fahrendorf and Dr. Alfred Haunold.
- OHBA holds publications spanning from 1895 to present, including All About Beer and Oregon Beer Growler.
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