Oregon Hop Production Much Lower In 2024

Oregon hop growers will harvest around 5,500 acres this season, compared to 7,000 acres just two years ago.

"It’s a significant amount of hop trellises that don’t have hops on them right now," said Sam Pecoraro with Von Ebert Brewing.  He added the reduction in acreage is due to a correction in the market.  Craft beer demand is down two-percent this year, leaving growers with an oversupply, and it’s impacting all aspects of the beer industry.

"There’s an ebb and a flow to all industries and right now we’re in that ebb," Pecoraro continued.  "And it’s not just hop oversupply, it’s also the cost of packaging materials, the cost of shipping, the cost of other raw materials like barley. We’ve seen an increase in all that."

Pecoraro believes the slump in beer sales is due to a lifestyle shift that happened during the pandemic; fewer people are drinking in bars, opting instead to buy beverages at the grocery store.

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