Blackout fest 4th4th annual Black Out Beer Fest on Friday from 4 to 10pm at Lompoc Sidebar (3901 N Williams) and in the adjacent heated/tented parking log. #BOBF

Saturday is the 10th annual Chowder Challenge at Lompoc 5th Quadrant from Noon to 3pm (3901 N Williams, entrance on Failing). #ChowderChallenge

The Black Out Beer Fest will feature 29 dark beers from nearly as many breweries. It’s free to hang out and enjoy live music by Train River. To drink, $15 gets you a souvenir 15.5 oz GLASS tasting mug and 8 beer tickets. Additional beer tickets are available for $1 apiece and mug and tickets are puchased at the door. The event is for ages 21+. The beers featured are:

54-40 or Fight CDA
Baerlic Dark Thoughts
Bouy German Chocolate Stout
Breakside Salted Carmel Chocolate Stout
Burnside Mum
Cascade Dark Day CDA
Double Mountain Moon Patrol Imperial Stout
Ecliptic Bourbon Barrel Aged Capella Porter
Everybody’s Cold Press Coffee Porter
FOTM Dark Prinz CDA
Lompoc Port Barrel Aged Cimmerian
Fort George From Astoria with Love
Gigantic Slip into Darkness:
Hopworks Mash Tun Time Machine
Kells Irish Stout
Lucky Lab Black Owl Stout
pFriem Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Portland UBrew Citra CDA
Stormbreaker The Love Van
Upright Imperial Stout:
Coin Toss Black Hohl Son CDA
Lompoc Brewing 8 Malty Nights
Pelican Tsunami Stout
Roots Epic Ale
The Commons Khthonios
Three Creeks 8 Second CDA
Thunder Island Brewing Scotch Porter
Uptown Beeracle off 92nd Street
Widmer Skinwalker CDA

The Chowder Challenge takes place in the tented/heated parking lot adjacent to the Fifth Quadrant on N Failing St, with seating inside the restaurant, in Sidebar, and in a heated & tented parking lot next to Sidebar on N Williams. Patrons (ages 12 and up) pay $10 for a tasting tray featuring a dozen two-ounce samples of New England-style clam chowders served in non-labeled tasting cups. After tasting all entries, attendees vote for their favorite. The chowder receiving the most votes is named the People’s Choice Winner and takes home the Chowder Cup and a cash prize. The event also features live music from Train River, a beer garden, a raffle and pub food for purchase. The event is open to all ages. All net proceeds are donated to Portland’s Community Transitional School.

This year’s participants are Lompoc Beer 5th Quadrant, Burnside Brewing Co, Cascade Brewing Barrel House, D’S Bar, Farm House Cafe, Pelican Brewing Company, Produce Row Cafe, Saraveza, Sports on Tap, Stormbreaker Brewing, Uptown Market and Widmer Brothers Brewing.

The reputation of the New Old Lompoc’s clam chowder was the motivation behind the original Chowder Challenge. The New Old Lompoc restaurant on NW 23rd Ave. won the inaugural Chowder Cup; the Morrison Hotel stole it away in the following year, but it was wrested back by the New Old Lompoc at the next four events. In 2013, with the New Old Lompoc out of the competition while being rebuilt, the Ice Axe Grill swooped in and took the cup. In 2014, the New Old Lompoc – revived as the Lompoc Tavern – returned the cup to its original hands, and won again in 2015.

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