A Rogue Farms Garden Party

We harvested the last of the ingredients from the Revolution Garden before we expand.

How We Grow Whiskey

Here’s what two week old whiskey really looks like.

From Ground To Glass

The next several days are going to be stunning at Rogue Farms in Tygh Valley. Lots of sun and warm days in the upper 40’s and 50’s.

Which means it’s time for us to get to work.

This morning we began plowing, discing and harrowing the 100 acres of fields where we’re going to seed this year’s crop of Dare™ malting barley.

Plowing breaks up the sod and field debris that’s left over from last year and pushes it back into the soil.

We want to give our Dare™ seeds the best start possible on the growing season. So we plow, disc and harrow to break up the clumps of dirt and sod into smaller and smaller pieces, and to return left over field debris back into the soil where it breaks down into natural humus. When we’re done the soil will be smooth, easy to plant, and full of nutrients.

Here’s what our fields look like after weeks of plowing, discing and harrowing.

While that’s going on, we’re also inspecting our irrigation system, making repairs, and moving the big wheels into place.

Irrigation wheels in a field of Rogue Farms Risk malting barley.

If Mother Nature continues to cooperate, we’ll plant our Dare™ malting barley during the first half of April. Rogue Farms Dare™ barley is a spring variety that grows quickly during a season that lasts about four months. So mark your calendars for late July or early August. That’s when we expect to harvest this year’s crop.

From there, we’ll send it to the Farmstead Malt House where we’ll floor malt and micro malt the grain in small artisan batches. Then we send the bags of malt to the Rogue Brewery in Newport where we’ll smoke and roast it into a variety of flavors for Brewmaster John Maier. Dare™ barley and Dare™ malts are just of the proprietary palate of flavors we grow here at Rogue Farms.

The journey from ground to glass isn’t fast and it isn’t easy. But as agri-fermenters we believe growing, malting, roasting and smoking your own barley makes a difference that you can taste in every bottle of Rogue Ales and Spirits.

Please join us at Rogue Farms this spring as we begin another season of growing beers and spirits.

Rogue Spirits Named Distiller Of The Year

Rogue Ales & Spirits has been selected as Distiller of the Year by the largest spirits competition in the industry, The World Spirits Competition, held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

Please visit our craft distilleries in Portland and Newport, Oregon.

Left: John Maier harvesting barley for Rogue Spirits at our farm in Tygh Valley.
Right: We distill with a handmade copper Vendome still at Rogue Spirits in Newport.

A Weekend Storm Smackdown At Rogue Farms

We need rain at Rogue Farms. Days of steady rain last week – with more to come in the forecast – is welcomed after one of the driest spring seasons on record.

But that Saturday hail and wind storm we could have done without, especially after we saw what it did to our Field of Dream Rye.

Growing Beer With A Bite

We’re going through a bunch of growth spurts this year at Rogue Farms Hopyard. More pumpkins, more rye and a new variety of hops called Yaquina.

So why not our jalapeños? If you like beer and booze with a bite, we’ve got some news for you.

Barley Blanketed by Snow

Rogue Farms
Tygh Valley, Oregon

Our first snow of the season arrived over the Christmas holiday and dropped a foot of snow on the farm and barley fields.

We always look forward to the snow, and not just because it is so beautiful.  The snow is like a blanket over the field protecting the Risk™ winter malting barley from extreme cold temperatures.  At the soil surface, the snow is warmed just enough to melt, slowly replenishing the moisture in the dirt.

Notice we’ve got the light on at our newly opened Farmstead Malt House.  Our operations continue throughout the day and the night – whether there is rain, snow, sleet, flood or ice.   Mud, however puts the farm fieldwork on hold.  The recent heavy rains have made the soil far too soggy to support the tractors and other heavy equipment.

If you want to visit one of Rogue Farms, learn more about our Rogue Farms Hopyard on Facebook or at Rogue.com.