Peter A. Kopp Author of Hoptopia: A World of Agriculture and Beer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley Comes To Oregon

Earlier this year, Dr. Peter A. Kopp penned the book Hoptopia: A World of Agriculture and Beer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley (University of California Press, 2016). He is now set to return to his hometown of Portland, Oregon and do two book signings, one here in the Rose City and the other in Corvallis.

Dr. Kopp is an Assistant Professor of History at New Mexico State University, where he also served as Director of the Public History Program. His book Hoptopia: A World of Agriculture and Beer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley argues that the craft beer revolution of the late twentieth century was the product of a complex global history that converged in the hop fields and scientific research centers of the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Kopp has also written articles and developed public history projects on tourism in the American West, murals and the built environment in the Southwest borderlands, and the “green” activism of the Grateful Dead. Currently, he is preparing a manuscript on Fabián García, the “father of New Mexico chile.”

Next week Dr. Kopp will be in Oregon to do two book signings. Here is more info on his book and what to expect at each of the two events.

The contents of your pint glass have a much richer history than you could have imagined. 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 through the story of the most indispensable ingredient in beer.

Listed below are the two events that will take place in Portland and Corvaillis.

Wednesday, November 16th (5:30pm – 8:00pm)
Oregon Historical Society – 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
Presented in partnership with the Oregon Historical Society, Oregon State University Hops and Brewing Archives, and University of California Press. Special thanks to McMenamins for donating beer for the event! https://www.facebook.com/events/700461726770245/

Friday, November 18th (1:00pm – 3:00pm)
OSU Library – 121 The Valley Library, Corvallis, OR
No beer, but Dr. Kopp will be talking about the hops/beer research history and the hops/brewing archive at OSU (which isn’t the same). https://www.facebook.com/events/882746235160283/