The annual “Cheers to the Land” campaign to raise awareness of Oregon lands and bounty through delicious Oregon made beers, ciders, & kombucha, is hitting glasses and cans again on October 12th, 2024. Presented by the Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT), the program asks craft beverage producers to showcase Oregon-grown ingredients in new products in an effort to help permanently protect Oregon farmland.

Sponsored by Loyal Legion, Yakima Chief Hops, Coleman Hops, and Indie Hops this year’s Cheers to the Land campaign features 13 breweries, a cidery, and a kombucha maker. Seven of these will be released in limited-edition 16 ounce cans with unique Cheers to the Land artwork and will be hitting the shelves of specialty grocery stores and bottle shops around the state, including New Seasons Market, Market of Choice, Zupan’s, The Bier Stein, Belmont Station, and others.

All Cheers to the Land beverages will be available on tap at participants’ respective taprooms beginning October 12. OAT and participating beverage makers are offering events across the state from October to November that include tap takeovers, beer releases, and beer dinners. 

“Cheers to the Land is a dual celebration of great Oregon beverage makers and their local suppliers, as well as a call to action for all craft beverage enthusiasts,” said Nellie McAdams, Executive Director of Oregon Agricultural Trust.  “As development continues to encroach on Oregon’s irreplaceable farmland, we must protect it and give opportunities to the next generation of farmers. So, let’s raise a glass to these innovative artisans and to the land that makes it all  possible!”

Oregon Agricultural Trust’s goals are to permanently protect Oregon farmland from development and keep it in agricultural production. The average age of Oregon landowners is 60, and less than 20% of landowners have a succession plan. Between 2017 and 2022, Oregon lost 5.5% of its farms and 4% of its farmland. OAT has protected more than 29,000 acres of farm and ranch land, educates 500 farmers per year on succession planning, and has 44 projects in the hopper that would protect another 100,000 acres.

Cheers to the Land Events:

• October 12 - Statewide - All participating beverage makers tap their Cheers to the Land offering

• October 12 - Plank Town Brewing, Springfield, all night - Cheers to the Land beer and food pairing

• October 17  - Loyal Legion, Beaverton, 5pm - 8pm. Tapping all 15 Cheers to the Land drinks

• October 18  - Loyal Legion, SE Portland, 5pm - 8 pm. Tapping all 15 Cheers to the Land drinks

• October 18 - Falling Sky Brewing, Eugene, 5pm. Cheers to the Land watch party for the Oregon Ducks vs. Purdue

• October 19 - The Bier Stein, Eugene, 5pm - 8pm. Tap Takeover and passport program with a number of Cheers to the Land participants

• October 24 - Mayfly, Portland, 5pm. Cheers to the Land tapping with Block 15, de Garde, and Ferment 

• October 25 -  Bauman’s on Oak, Portland, 5pm. Cheers to the Land cider and beer on tap.

• November 4 - Claim 52 Brewing, Eugene, all day. $1 from every pint donated back to OAT.

• November 7 - Soma Kombucha, SE Portland, 5pm - 7pm. Cheers to the Land tasting at the SE Belmont location

• November 8 - Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, Bend, 7pm. Four course beer dinner featuring Cheers to the Land, Patagonia Kernza Lager, Farmhouse Cider, and Black Mirror. $60 plus gratuity. Tickets available soon.

Beer, Cider, and Kombucha List:

1. Baerlic Brewing - This 100% Oregon-Grown IPA is bulging with Citra and Cascade hops on a solid base of Mecca Grade Pelton and Gateway malts from Madras

2. Bauman’s Cider - Tayberry cider made with lovely Tayberries from Woodburn farm. Tayberries are a cross between a blackberry and red raspberry, named after the River Tay in Scotland

3. Block 15 Brewing - West Coast Pilsner brewed with Great Western Pure Oregon Malt and Willamette Valley-grown High Oil Cascade, Belma CGX, and Strata hops

4. Breakside Brewery - Harvest Lager brewed with Oregon-grown hops

5. Claim 52 Brewing - Brown Ale brewed with Mecca Grade Lamonta, Vanora, and Opal 44 malts (plus brown and pale chocolate), and Willamette hops from 3-D Farms in Oregon.

6. de Garde Brewing - Spontaneously fermented wild ale, made with NW-grown barley, wheat and hops, fermented and aged in Oregon amphorae from Novum. Transferred to secondary amphorae with Mourvèdre grapes from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Then racked into another round of amphorae for another year of aging

7. Deschutes Brewery - Fresh Hop IPA made with 100% Oregon Promise Malt grown at Goschie Farms, fresh Mosaic from Coleman Hops, Goschie Nugget and Strata hops, and Crosby Amarillo CGX hops

8. Falling Sky Brewing - Cascadian Dark Ale with Oregon spruce tips

9. Ferment Brewing - West Coast IPA with Oregon-grown hop bill of Mosaics and Strata, known for its PNW resinous character. Salmon-Safe malt is Cascadia Pale malt from Mainstem.

10. Foreland Beer Co. - Extra Pale Ale made with malt and hops that are primarily from Oregon, and all Pacific Northwest

11. Plank Town Brewing - NW IPA drawing inspiration from the Willamette Valley's long history of hop production. Packed with Oregon hops — Willamette, Cashmere, Crystal, Columbus and Nuggets — layered over a sturdy, malt-forward body

12. Roaming Nobles - A non-alcoholic piney and resinous IPA, with notes of dark berry and featuring local hops from Roy Farms

13. Soma Kombucha - A non-alcoholic NW Strawberry, Rose & Reishi Kombucha. Organic strawberries from Nottinghamshire Farms in St. Paul, rose petals were locally foraged, and organic reishi mushrooms are from Ashland

14. The Wheel Brewery - 100% Oregon-grown and Salmon-Safe ingredients. Oregon Promise barley malt grown at Goschie Farms. Simcoe hops from Coleman Farms, and Strata and Strata CGX hops from Indie Hops

15. Wolves & People Farmhouse Ales - Details coming soon

About Oregon Agricultural Trust

Oregon Agricultural Trust is a statewide agricultural land trust designed to address the interrelated challenges of ag land loss, farm and ranch succession, and access to land for the next generation. OAT partners with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural lands for the benefit of Oregon’s economy, communities, and landscapes.