Do you remember the beer that changed you to become a craft beer drinker? Mine was Mactarnahan’s Scottish Style Amber ale. With a move to Portland Oregon and attending my first OBF I was hooked. Cheers to OBF 25. Keep following me on twitter to see what I am up to at the OBF. @BrewDad
Oregon Brewers Festival raises a mug in a toast to its
25th annual year of celebrating craft beer
Festival to feature 84 beers in main tent, another 40 in the Buzz Tent and debut a new Sour Beer Tent
PORTLAND, Ore. – On a sun-soaked July afternoon, there’s no better place to sip suds with friends than the Oregon Brewers Festival, one of the nation’s longest-running and best-loved craft beer festivals. Nearly 80,000 fans will travel from points around the world to take part in the 25th annual event, July 26 through July 29 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. Event hours are Noon to 9p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and Noon to7 p.m. Sunday.
From Belgians to Browns, Doppelbocks to Dunkels, Pales to Pilsners and Scottish ales to Stouts, the Oregon Brewers Festival serves up more than 20 beer styles from 82 craft breweries from around the country. There are 84 beers in the main tent – one per brewery plus two gluten-free offerings – and another 40+ in the Buzz Tent. This year, organizers have also announced they will add a Sour Beer Tent to the festivities, bringing awareness of one of the latest craft beer trends to a massive audience.
The Oregon Brewers Festival is first and foremost a celebration of beer, but the event also features four days of live music, food booths, craft vendors, and industry displays. TheCrater LakeSodaGardenprovides complimentary handcrafted root beer to minors and designated drivers. Minors are allowed into the event when accompanied by a parent.
Admission into the festival grounds is free. In order to consume beer, purchase of a 2012 souvenir mug is required and costs $6. Mugs from previous years will not be filled. Beer is purchased with wooden tokens, which cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug of beer, or one token for a taste.
Alternative modes of transportation are encouraged, with free monitored bicycle parking available each day. The main entrance is at SW Oak Street and Naito Parkway, one block from the MAX Light Rail line.
The Oregon Brewers Festival takes place during Oregon Craft Beer Month, a celebration of craft beer byOregon’s specialty breweries. During the entire month, a variety of special events will take place at craft breweries throughout the state, culminating with the Oregon Brewers Festival.
The Oregon Brewers Festival was founded in 1988 as an opportunity to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing industry was just getting off the ground. Today, that industry has flourished, especially in Oregon, which has 107 brewing companies operating 139 brewing facilities in 55 cities. Portland alone has 48 breweries – more than any other city in the world. For more information about the Oregon Brewers Festival, visit www.oregonbrewfest.com.
