Rogue Farms sends ultimate baby-survival kit, vies for godparent status

Rogue box — A very special delivery for our very special delivery.

It takes a village to raise, well, anything really, and the folks at Rogue Farms and Rogue Ales and Spirits have long sat on the village council of Craft Brewing Business. Perhaps no other brewery in America has been a better partner with our trade publication than the Newport, Ore.-based craft brewery and its ag operation in Independence, Ore. In my personal village of Strongsville, Ohio (about 25 miles from Cleveland), the folks at Rogue Farms (specifically Cheryl Gillson) have even reached near godparent status. Here’s a solid example: Late last week, this package arrived on my doorstep:

Rogue letter Michelle HIll — Last year, Michelle Hill and I covered the hop harvest from Rogue Farms. Wait? Was that nine months ago?

Inside was the ultimate survival kit for having a CBB baby. Michelle Hill, Craft Brewing Business’s webinar manager, and I are expecting a baby boy on June 25, and having worked so closely in the past, Gillson and Rogue could see clearly that we weren’t quite prepared properly yet. Luckily, thanks to the kindness of the Rogue Nation, our final supplies have arrived.

This Rogue Half Pint Onesie might be the most adorable addition to our progeny’s already-ridiculously big wardrobe (larger than mine). It’s a one-piece for infants around 12 months, and its white soft cotton wonderfulness will keep our little half-pint covered (probably in beer stains). Plus, I assume wearing such a uniform gives my scion instant honorary membership into the Rogue Nation, of which Michelle and I are card-carrying members. I will vie for him to wear this home from the hospital.

Rogue Michelle Hill baby onsie — Monster theme? This baby will definitely be Roguish.

Rogue not only makes great beer, wicked spirits and ridiculously good hop salt, it’s also an expert soda jerk. Specifically, its Citrus Soda is a sparklingly sweet thirst-quencher, divined from Rogue Farms hand-grown cucumbers and honey (Rogue raises its own beers, er, bees!). And even though Michelle Hill has given up soda for her pregnancy, she’s made this special-order Rogue Citrus Soda an exception — it having all them there natural ingredients and such.

Rogue Citrus Soda — Pint glasses will be dried on our Boon grass counter top.

Rogue Farms raises more than just barley and hops for Rogue’s ales, spirits and sodas. Gillson and crew grow marionberries, hazel nuts, corn, jalapeños, pumpkins and even honey. From the latter, Rogue crafts its Honey Kolsch, which boasts 10 different ingredients: Rogue Farms Dare and Risk malts; wheat, DextraPils and Aciduated malts; Rogue Hopyard Honey and wild flower honey; Alluvial hops; free range coastal water and Kolsch #2 yeast. This Kolsch is at the heart of Rogue’s “grow your own beer” philosophy, and it will provide much needed mental relaxation for the long nights of parenthood ahead — if I can make it last till then.

Rogue has so much cool swag — just visit its page here — but we certainly dig the hats and glasses below. Really, the only thing missing from this survival kit is Rogue’s brand of Albacore tuna, caught and canned in its hometown of Newport (a mighty Oregon fishing berg). On second thought (i.e. Michelle’s review of this article), canned fish of any sort has been banned till at least July, just so we can avoid any pregnancy stink rage.