Kai111
I don't even recall anymore how we found out about the Rogue Farms in Independence, OR. All I know is, we took a detour here before heading to the Willamette area. And I don't know if you noticed this tiny detail but if you look closely, our photos/visits were taken at two different times. Our first visit in fact was towards the latter part of summer in 2013 and the second visit was during the first week of winter, just before Christmas in 2014. Both of our visits were on weekdays and we managed to enjoy the farm and the Chatoe Rogue Tasting Room all to ourselves at both times. But the Rogue Farms, as we were told gets pretty busy with lots of festivals and even wedding parties--though we have yet to really experience that to tell the tale. What I can share though, is that Rogue has always been one of our favorite beers, and favorite Oregon brands in general. I personally love the fact that Rogue stays so current with what's innately Portlandia--Voodoo Beers, Marionberry Beers, and even the PDX Carpet Tribute Beers are just some of the witty seasonal brews that I find so creatively inspiring. There's always something so wickedly cool about drinking your favorite beer right where it is being made. Seasonal, handcrafted, and local. Even the food that they serve here is always so perfectly paired with what's on tap. That's quintessential Oregon for you. It is always about good food, good beers, good local. On our second visit, we were told that there was an annual "Garage Sale" that kicks off just right after Christmas. You could buy a case of beer for just the regular price of one bottle--how insane is that?!?!? Unfortunately, we ran out of time and we weren't able to go back to hoard our beers but that's a tip for you right there!
NYhitchhiker
4 Stars for the beer and the hops, 1 star for the awkward and snarky service mixed with a so-so venue. Rogue makes great beer, no doubt about it, the Dirtoir Black Lager is amazing. They also have some whiskies and a vodka you can try. Outdoor seating with cornhole and views of the hop fields are a major plus for summertime visitors.Our "bartender" gave us classic Pacific Northwest service, which means we left feeling like we dealt with a jerk who wasn't openly hostile. My advice to Rogue is to train your employees to think carefully about what they say, and consider the expectations your clients have. Our blondish/ginger bartender needs to know we don't care if he thinks we are "at his bar", especially when that bar is a scuzzy double-wide masquerading as a tasting room.Spruce up the service and the dive you serve drinks in and people would really have something to celebrate Rogue.
CritiquerCA
If sampling a variety of great Rogue beers in an outdoor setting surrounded by towering hop fields, you'll love this place. The farm has a large outdoor area with tables that overlook the hop fields. It's a great place to hang out, play horseshoes and drink some great beer. The drive out there is along quiet, scenic country roads with rolling hills and farms -- ideal for a Sunday drive. Definitely worth a trip.
luckysgirl28
I really love going to the Hop Farm after a bike ride or for a beer and walking around the farm. Because of that we decided to have a party at the Hop N Bed house. We had a great time and our guests enjoyed the band, the beer, and the farm. There were a few details that would throw you off if you are a type A person who likes details to be taken care of, that seems to be the norm at Rogue.We showed a little after three to check in, waited a while in the line at the tasting room, then the girl at the counter didn't know we had rented the house (it had been planned for a few months). She told us the house wasn't ready yet and was still being cleaned and wouldn't let us unload all the food we had brought into the fridge. In between pouring beer for other people waiting in line, she finally got around to calling Stephanie, the woman who appears to be in charge of the rental, (she did give us a beer while we waited). Stephanie showed up about 20 minutes later and had us fill out a rental agreement, again, the third one I filled out, she didn't have the previous two that I had filled out for her when I was making payment arrangements. It took her about 10 minutes to process the payment. We got the keys and the house seemed to be in OK shape except the upstairs bathroom hadn't been cleaned and it was questionable whether or not we had clean linens on the beds, and the dishwasher was running so we were short of utensils. We had also arranged for a band to be playing there during the party and the agreed upon time was that the band would start at 7, which is what we told our guests. When we got there, the band was setting up and Stephanie informed us that they would be playing from 4-7, ending when we told people to be there. There was no explanation for why the times where changed and why no one told us. Other than those few things, which was a little stressful at first, we had a good time. It worked out great and the band ended up coming over after to the house to hang out. If you are a detail orientated person who wants things to work out, the the "whatever happens happens" attitude of the Rogue might be irritating to you.
Pigeonherder
We canoed the Willamette River and decided to pull our canoes out at Rogue Farms. The outdoor tables and play yard are a lot of fun. Great games, interesting things to see in the summer (hops growing, chickens, etc.), and of course, amazing beer. Grab some grub, a pint of lager, and play giant Scrabble, or giant Jenga in the yard. Everyone is helpful and friendly. Great place for kids, too!
Mike191919
First things first, this was a winter visit to the farms and I was very impressed; I can only imagine what it is like in summer or during harvest time. Rogue Farms embodies some of the best things about Rogue, the creative, do it yourself attitude mixed with people who know how to enjoy themselves. Set among the hop fields (and pumpkin patches), which again, being winter, didn't have anything going on, but I was still impressed. Tours are offered at 3pm on weekends (which we just missed). There were farm buildings, a farmhouse that people can stay at, wandering chickens, and of course, a tasting room. You can take your Rogue beer out to the yard for some bocce ball, a giant Scrabble board, and other implements of fun. Expect to spend at least an afternoon here.
TraciH5
Rogue Farms is a great place to eat and play outside. I would caution against staying at the farmhouse though. When some of the people staying there came early (15 min) they were told by Natasha they were too early. So as we all arrived, we had to stand waiting in the parking lot till exactly 3:00. Then she opened the door and said "I will take only the person paying the bill, the rest of you can wait out here". Then when that person was filling out paperwork, she was asked if she wanted to buy wine. Our person said she had some from a local winery. Natasha said "well, I hope you don't show the same disregard for the rest of our rules". That was her tone the entire stay. Also, if you are at the house, there are no boundaries for other visitors. People were constantly walking on the deck and kids played in the play structure. We definitely got the feeling they did not want that part of the operation.
DebL379
What a fun place to spend an afternoon! Great food, great drinks, lots of fun activities! A very 'comfortable' feel. We will definitely be going back... often!
bobf259
This was an area of Oregon where the Hop industry started and this is one of the few hop yards left. A wide selection of draft beer, ale, made by Rogue Brewery, nice outside beer garden and some good snacks with the beers.
JeffM604
The Rogue Farms Hopyard offers overnight accomodations in a 5 bdrm., 2 bath farm house. We found everything at the house in working condition however, we found it lacking in certain kitchen utensils. The house is also in bad need of a thorough cleaning and updating.It is a stone's throw to the beer on tap at the bar. The bar itself could use a friendlier atmosphere and bar tender. We were greeted with slow, rude service. This was our first visit to the hopyard. We will go back to enjoy the beer but, will wait until the summer when we can enjoy our beer outside in the sun on the grounds of the farm.
MH_Campbell
We did a 20 mile bike ride and ended here. Awesome location, great beer on tap and a fun food cart. They have corn hole set up and tons of outdoor picnic tables. An ideal place to spend a weekend afternoon or host an event.
H0Tshoe
Visited here the 3rd week of September and just missed the last of their hop harvest. They offer a daily tour of the hop farm that takes you through the entire process. The beautiful aroma of freshly packaged hops was still in the air and it was intoxicating!Independence is a very small town, this is the only thing for many miles. There is a guest house here that you can book to stay. Very relaxed atmosphere. There is a tasting room here, a food truck with hop-salted fries, and picnic tables and lawn games. It was fun to do a "horizontal tasting" of 3 different single-hop pale ales. They do have a nano brewery on site that brews only in spring and fall. The brewer Josh told us we were about a week too soon to try his harvest wet hop ale, the first brew of the season. He said that there will be more hop harvest ales coming through Oct & Nov.If you're in the Portland area this is a fun day trip, about 1.5 hr drive. Best time to visit is 1st 2 weeks of Sept to witness (and smell!) harvest, or early Oct to catch some of the house-made beers.
JerryT758
The Rogue Hopyard is a hidden gem of the Willamette Valley. I was thrilled to find out that Rogue had an outpost nearer to me than the Oregon Coast or Portland. DRINKS: They usually have 8-10 beers on tap, and many of them are brewed on site (as opposed to the Newport brewery) and cannot be found anywhere else. A pint will set you back about $5 (less if you're a Rogue Nation member), and they also carry a lot of bottled Rogue to take home. 9/10. FOOD: This is a significant weakness of the Hopyard; the food menu is extremely limited. As far as substantial pub grub goes, the best you can do is a "Kobe Beef" hot dog or three hamburger sliders. Boring, bland, and expensive. And Ruffles chips, Rogue? Come on -- you can give us Kettle Chips for an $8 hot dog. Eat before you get here and get the tortilla chips and salsa to snack on there. 2/10. ATMOSPHERE: Going to the Hopyard on a warm and sunny day is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening. Order your beers and sit out in the sun in one of the most gorgeous places in the Valley. Take a tour. Play the lawn games. (they have horseshoes, and you simply must play "Cornhole".) And of course, if you have a dog, bring it with you! Rogue is one of the most pet friendly businesses ever. CONCLUSION (TLDR Version): If you are a beer lover, go here, especially if you're a Rogue connoisseur. Don't bother if it's rainy, but if it's warm and sunny, you're going to have a great time. (just don't plan on eating there!)
DreaminOfAdventure
Loved it. Fun, relaxing, out of the way and great beer. Good for friends or families. Wish they had some seating that wasn't a picnic table, but other than that looking forward to going back.
eurmac
We went to the Rogue Farms Micro Hopyard while visiting relatives in Oregon for Thanksgiving. It was a little hard to find, but well worth the visit. Rogue makes a surprising amount of different beers and all with great and interesting labels. We went as a big group and all bought different beers, so we could taste a lot of them, but we need to go back and taste more!! They also give out beer for tasting. And they had a nice collection of shirts with some of their labels on them from which I had a hard time choosing.