How does one drink truly local beer? Cheers to the Land, a collaboration between the Oregon Agricultural Trust, 16 Oregon breweries, and two Oregon cideries, has an answer. Fostering a direct connection between the land on which beer ingredients are grown and the people who drink those ingredients is a crucial, and tasty, element to educating folks about why drinking local craft beer matters.

Cheers to the Land enters its second year this October, when the 18 beverages will be released. Last year, nine breweries participated and raised $12,000 for the Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT), which helps protect farm and ranch lands and communities around the state. This year sees seven out of the nine original breweries returning to support the project again.

This year, Goschie Farms in Silverton and Gold Rush Malt in Baker City have partnered up with Cheers to the Land breweries. Goschie Farms is a 4th generation family farm in the Willamette Valley that produces hops, wine grapes, and other crops. Gold Rush Malt is currently the only active malt house in Oregon that uses exclusively Oregon-grown barley.

Eric Steen, whose creative engagement with beer begat the nationally renowned Beers Made by Walking, is the liaison between the breweries and OAT. His resume is packed with unique ways to brew, taste, and think about beer, as well as partnerships with environmental causes.

Few are the mundane consumables that bear so few industrial scars as beer. Grain is malted, hops are dried, yeast is replicated through simple means; no additives, just well-packaged for storage. In Oregon, even our water is locally sourced. That all of these things can be found in our own back yard, produced by our neighbors, is a privilege that ought to be relished. Events like Cheers to the Land are a special opportunity to savor what the land and people in Oregon provide for us to enjoy.

So far, only the participating breweries (including three from Eugene) have been announced; the beer lineup will be released at a later date, as well as events around the state. Last year, all but one of the Cheers to the Land beers were available in cans or bottles, so you can expect to see them on the shelves at your bottleshop of choice starting in October.

Beerstone will report on this again when the beers and event dates are announced / he’s done a thorough taste test. See the PR below for more information:

Oregon Agricultural Trust announces the return of Cheers to the Land this October

July 25, 2023. Portland, OR — Oregon Agricultural Trust is pleased to announce its statewide campaign, Cheers to the Land, will make its return this October. Now in its second year, Cheers to the Land asks brewers to make new beers and ciders with Oregon ingredients and to support OAT’s work to permanently protect farmland from development. 

Last year nine breweries took part in the campaign, raising $12,000 in support of OAT’s work to protect agricultural land from development and keep it in production. This year the campaign expands to 18 companies — including 16 breweries and 2 cideries — in partnership with Goschie Farms in Silverton and Gold Rush Malt in Baker City.

2023 Participating breweries and cideries include:

Alesong Brewing & Blending (Eugene); Baerlic Brewing (Portland); Barley Brown’s Brewing (Baker City); Block 15 Brewing (Corvallis); Buoy Brewing (Astoria); ColdFire Brewing (Eugene); Crux Fermentation Project (Bend); Falling Sky Brewing (Eugene); ForeLand Beer Co. (McMinnville); Fort George Brewing (Astoria); Freebridge Brewing (The Dalles); Gorges Beer Co. (Cascade Locks); Level Beer Co. (Portland); Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (Portland); 10 Barrel Brewing (Portland); Thunder Island Brewing (Cascade Locks); Son of Man Cider (Cascade Locks); Wolves & People Farmhouse Ales (Newberg).

For more Cheers to the Land updates:

Expect additional announcements later this summer from OAT about tap takeovers across the state, specialty canned beers, and more. Sign up for email updates at cheerstotheland.com.

If you are a beer buyer for a retail location and would like to carry the Cheers to the Land beers, please visit https://www.cheerstotheland.com/stay-in-touch.

Why Oregon Agricultural Trust is necessary

OAT works collaboratively around the state to safeguard Oregon’s farm and ranch lands and the rural communities that depend upon them. The organization protects ag land, helps it stay in production, educates local communities, and helps advocate for farmland preservation. This work is increasingly important because 25% of Oregon’s land is in farming and ranching, 64% of the land will change hands in the next 20 years as farmers age, yet fewer than 20% of farmers and ranchers have a succession plan in place. Once farmland is paved over, it’s gone. Oregon is renowned for soil that grows quality beer ingredients and OAT is making sure it stays that way.

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.