Hoptopia:

A World of Agriculture and Beer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Winner of the American Historical Association’s Pacific Coast Branch Book Award (2017) and Gourmand Award (Global Food Studies), For the Public Category (2016)

Through the story of the hop, Hoptopia connects twenty-first century beer drinkers to lands and histories that have been forgotten in an era of industrial food production.

The craft beer revolution of the late twentieth century is a remarkable global history that converged in the agricultural landscapes of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The common hop, a plant native to Eurasia, arrived to the Pacific Northwest only in the nineteenth century, but has thrived within the region’s environmental conditions so much that by the first half of the twentieth century, the Willamette Valley claimed the title “Hop Center of the World.” 

Hoptopia integrates an interdisciplinary history of environment, culture, economy, labor, and science to show that the contents of your pint glass have a much richer history than you could have imagined.

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“Everyone who enjoys beer, especially craft beer, should read this book. Deeply researched and captivatingly written, Kopp’s book is an education in the global transformations that made possible the Americas’ revolution in beer. Hoptopia will change how readers think and—most importantly—how they taste their favorite hoppy beers.”—Mark Fiege, Montana State University

“Hoptopia finally encapsulates the noble role of the lowly hop cone in the world of quality beer. Peter Kopp deftly weaves the story of how American hops—and particularly Oregon hops—went from a laughingstock of the beer world to an ingredient highly sought after by brewers worldwide. Cheers to Hoptopia!”—Karl Ockert, Former Director of Brewery Operations, Deschutes Brewery

“Cheers to this fascinating agricultural history of the aromatic hops that infused America’s craft beer revolution. Kopp relates the rich biological, scientific, social, labor, and industrial history of the development of Oregon’s Willamette Valley as a major hop producer. Along the way, he reveals the complex connections between global markets and the local landscapes and people who transformed the way many of us imbibe beer.”—Marsha Weisiger, Julie and Rocky Dixon Chair of U.S. Western History, University of Oregon