A small Oregon farm town is transforming into a major tech hub with numerous A.I. data centers.

Hillsboro, Oregon, a former farm town, is experiencing a significant A.I. data center boom, becoming a major tech hub. Residents are concerned about rising electricity costs and noise, leading to backlash. State lawmakers are now pausing tax breaks and investigating the data centers’ impact on the community.

Participating Breweries and Their Beers:

Arbor Lodge Rarität HefeWeizen (citrusy hefeweizen), 5%.
A hefeweizen style beer dry hopped with Deep Cut Cascades, Azacca, and Cashmere to provide Mandarin/grapefruit flavors below the banana esters. Great with a zest of lime or orange. 

Baerlic Why Rye? (rye lager), 5%.
Description to come

BearKat Cascade Berry Lager (wheat lager), 5.1%.
American wheat fermented with lager yeast and a light marionberry addition on the cold side, hopped with Deep Cut Cascades.

Block 15 Devil’s Staircase (Pacific Northwest pale ale), 5.7%.
Pacific Northwest pale ale featuring Crosby Deep Cut Cascade, Crosby Estate Comet, and Chinook.

Breakside Untitled (American pilsner), 5.3%, 31 IBUs.
Contemporary American pilsner with Crosby Deep Cut Cascade.

de Garde Deep Green (dry-hopped spontaneously-fermented ale), 5.5%.
Barrels of spontaneously fermented wild ale aged 3-5 years, brewed with Oregon malt, raw wheat and aged Oregon hops, then dry-hopped with ‘Deep Cut’ Cascade from Crosby. 

Evasion Liberty at Risk (Anchor Liberty Ale homage), 6.3%.
An Anchor Liberty tribute APA/IPA with Deep Cut additions at 30 minutes, 45 minutes, whirlpool, and dry hop. 

Ferment Forest Gnome IPA (Belgian IPA), 6.8%.
A unique and enchanting IPA featuring Deep Cut Cascade hops and a yeast strain little-known in these parts (Imperial Gnome

Heater Allen American Zoigl (traditional American lager), 5.5%, 30 IBUs.
American amber lager made with corn adjunct Oregon-grown Goschie Farms Promise malt.

Kings and Daughters Sentinels of the Sea (IPA), 5.7%, 60 IBUs.
American Style IPA featuring Deep Cut Cascade CGX, Crosby Estate Grown Chinooks, and Indie Strata.

Occidental Northwest Pilsner (hoppy pilsner), 5%.
Pilsner dry-hopped with Crosby Deep Cut Cascade.

Steeplejack Homeslice McGee (WC Pale), 5.6%

West Coast pale ale with Deep Cut Cascades and Mosaic hops. 

Sunriver Green Label, Deep Cut Version (American pale ale) 5.6%, 40 IBUs.
Classic APA with Crosby Deep Cut Cascade T-90 and NUVO CGX, including Oregon-grown Goschie Promise malt for a clean and balanced palate with grapefruit, pine, floral, and citrus.

Von Ebert Predicting the Past (Australian XPA), 5.3%.
Aussie-style XPA with Deep Cut Cascade, Citra Cryo, and Chinook. Notes of Sweet citrus, complex floral notes, papaya, and baking spice.

Wayfinder Same Same but Different (pale mild), 4.3%.
A British-style golden mild ale with Deep Cut Cascades and Crosby CGX.

Where to Find Them: Tap Takeover Events 

Oregon Homegrown beers will be featured at five tap takeover events across the state,  giving drinkers the chance to try multiple collaboration beers side by side: 

• The BeerMongers — Portland, May 27 

• Bridge & Tunnel — Astoria, May 29 

• TopWire Hop Project — Woodburn, June 6 

• Bier Stein — Eugene, June 12 

• River’s Place — Bend, June 16 

More information at celebrateoregonbeer.com.

About Crosby Hops 

Crosby Hops is a family-owned and vertically integrated hop grower, processor, and  merchant based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Sourcing from their fifth-generation farm  with Estate Grown varieties and longstanding independent growers across the globe, the  company provides discerning brewers access to a diverse selection of the finest hops on  Earth. 

About Imperial Yeast 

Imperial Yeast was founded in 2014 with the goal to support brewers worldwide. Their  passion for yeast and fermentation has only grown since they opened their doors in  Portland, Oregon and in 2020, they opened our production facility in Philadelphia, PA to  better serve East Coast customers. 

About Celebrate Oregon Beer 

Celebrate Oregon Beer is dedicated to establishing Oregon’s reputation as one of the world’s  premier beer regions. Founded in 2024, the organization is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit. The  organization has the support of the Oregon Brewers Guild and Oregon Hop Commission, and  its Board of Directors is composed of brewery owners and hop growers.

The Oregon State Fair has added more big names to its 2026 Columbia Bank Concert Series lineup.

The newly announced performers include country singer Nate Smith on Aug. 28, legendary surf rock group The Beach Boys on Aug. 29 and country artist Jo Dee Messina on Sept. 4.

The lineup joins other acts previously announced, including BigXThaPlug, who performs Aug. 31, and R&B singer Black, who performs on Sept. 1.

The 2026 headliner will be comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic, who will close out the concert series Sept. 7 as part of his “Bigger & Weirder” 2026 tour.

Most concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Weird Al’s Labor Day performance is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Oregon State Fair said additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks that will take place during this year’s 11-day event in Salem.

How can Oregonians purchase concert tickets?

Concert tickets are available only through the official state fair website via FunCard at https://oregon.funcardapp.com/. Fair organizers warned visitors to avoid unauthorized sellers and scam ticket websites.

Officials also reminded fairgoers that concerts are held rain or shine. Umbrellas are not allowed inside the L.B. Day Amphitheater, though ponchos and blankets are permitted.

The fair runs from Friday, Aug. 28, through Labor Day, Sept. 7, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval is a lifelong Oregonian who covers trending news, entertainment, food and outdoors. She can be reached at GSandoval@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.