Mt. Angel Abbey Hops Photographs, circa 1925 - circa 1960s

The Mt. Angel Abbey was founded in 1882 by members of the Abbey of Engelberg in Switzerland when they settled in the Willamette Valley. In 1887, the monks opened their school and in 1889 established a seminary in conjunction with their college. They follow the Rule of St. Benedict who believed in prayer and work. In 1904, it was declared an abbey and became independent from the Switzerland abbey. The monks focused on their secular college work, and in 1920 began doing retreats for lay people. Now the Mt. Angel Seminary is a liberal arts college and graduate school of theology.

Dating to the earliest time of European farming, Benedictine abbeys were been founded on a strong agricultural basis. Sitting on a hill, the Mt. Angel Abbey overlooks the Willamette Valley and the farm fields. Soon after the Abbey was founded, they started growing hops. The men of the order once oversaw all the crops themselves, including the exportation of hops from Portland to English markets.

In 1926, a devastating fire destroyed Abbey buildings, including the day school for Valley residents that had been established in 1883; it did not harm the fields or crops. St. Benedict's Abbey was registered with the state as an agricultural and educational corporation. By 1935, the Abbey owned 1500 acres of rich valley land, making it one of the largest farm units in Marion County. There were 200 acres of the Early and Late Clusters variety of hops, and their crops were known for good quality and good prices. The majority of the work, from planting rhizomes to shipping bales to buyers, was done by members of the Abbey; however, the larger picking crews required for harvest were comprised of local residents. The facility touted its up-to-date equipment, including two large electric dryers and facilities for storage and transport.

In recent decades, their agricultural fields (with multiple crops) were leased to local farmers. In 2019, they had 700 acres under their ownership, a portion of which is hops farmed by Valley Hops. The order voted to start a brewery business in 2012, began releasing their products in 2014, and opened a taproom on Abbey grounds in 2018. The Mt. Angel Benedictine brewery, one of three of its kind in the United States, uses hops from land they own.