F
ort George Stout Month FAQ
Every year, as February approaches, Fort George receives a lot of messages via Facebook, Twitter, and email. Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions about Stout Month.
What exactly is Stout Month?
Inspired by Fort George co-owner Jack Harris, Stout Month is 28 days of rich and roasty revelrie. All of the tap lists at Fort George turn black. Try stout taster trays, stout-inspired cuisine, or partake in the largest single-day stout festival in the World. For the month of February, Fort George becomes your stout Mecca. Forewarning: stout will stain – wear dark clothes.
What stouts will you have?
Straight out of the gate, Willett Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout will be released, on tap and in 22-oz wax-dipped bottles. Along with a few guest stouts, look for Fort George stouts tapping every Sunday:
February 1st
North VIII (Russian Imperial), Willett Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout, Coffee Girl Stout, Polish’s Black Walnut Stout, Long Dark Winter (Milk Stout), Viva La Stout (Mexican Chocolate), Voluptas Stout (Oatmeal & Fig)
February 8th
A Shot in the Dark Breakfast Stout (Oatmeal, Chocolate, Maple Syrup, Coffee), Accasbel’s Dry Stout, Squashed Stout (Butternut & Acorn)
February 15th
Tuesday’s Lunch Stout (Roasted Peanuts & Blackberries), Midnight Dreary Brett Stout
February 22nd
Kentucky Girl, Murky Pearl (Oyster Stout)
The Festival of Dark Arts on Valentine’s Day will feature close to 60 unique stouts on tap. For the up-to-date stout list go to www.festivalofdarkarts.com. All adult beverages (beer, wine, cider) will be served in the tasting glasses and purchased with $1 tokens at the fest. Beers are either 1, 2, or 3 tokens for a 3-oz pour. Cider and wine are all 3 token pours.
Stout-inspired food sounds intriguing. What will you have to pair with my stouts?
In addition to the five-course Stout & Oyster Brewer’s dinner on Wednesday, February 25th, Fort George head chef Dana MacAuley will have a variety of stout specials at the pub. Look for Hanger steaks in a Cavatica Stout marinade, pulled pork sandwiches with house-made stout barbecue sauce, and #BurgerWednesday specials such as wood-fired boar burgers and smoked garlic burgers with sharp white cheddar. And finish your meal with a slice of double chocolate stout cheescake or an Irish Car Bomb cake, with a stout fudge center and Bailey’s cream cheese frosting.
This Festival of Dark Arts, is it just for witches and people who play Dungeons and Dragons?
Anyone may purchase a ticket to the Festival of Dark Arts. $30 will get you admission, a tasting glass, and 10 tokens. A non-drinking ticket is available for $10. Admittance onto the Fort George block is ticket only on February 14th, even for witches. Apparating into the brewery is not permitted.
Are seats still available for the Stout & Oysters Brewer’s Dinner? And the Festival of Dark Arts?
Yes, there are a limited number of seats remaining for the February brewer’s dinner. Reserve your spot online (store.fortgeorgebrewery.com/product/stouts-and-oysters-brewer-s-dinner) or by calling the pub at (503) 325-PINT. Tickets to the Festival of Dark Arts are selling quickly, and hotel rooms on the coast are filling up. Tickets are sold online, exclusively at www.festivalofdarkarts.com. All Tickets to Darkness will be mailed out the last week of January.
Is the entertainment already booked? I used to be a fire-eater in college.
On the day of the Festival of Dark Arts you can expect belly dancers, ice scuplting, metal smithing and glass blowing demonstrations, tarot card readers, the Dark Art Gallery, a tattoo booth, and a menagerie of roaming entertainment. There will be live music all day, and of course the fire dancers. But let’s enjoy the stouts and leave the entertainment to the professionals. Fort George also hosts live music every Sunday at 8pm, never a cover. During Stout Month look for performances from:
February 1st
Brownsmead Flats
February 8th
There is No Mountain & Ghost Towns
February 14th – The Festival of Dark Arts
Derek Ecklund, Too Long Sparks, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Michael Hurley, Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra
February 15th
Will West and the Friendly Strangers
February 22nd
Anna Tivel
Can I bring my children? Or pets? Grandma?
Fort George Brewery is always kid friendly until 10pm. The Festival of Dark Arts is open to all ages. Children 5-and-under may attend without a ticket. All other minors and non-drinkers should purchase a $10 non-drinking ticket for admittance. Pets are not recommended at the festival, and are not allowed inside the buildings. Grandma will love it. Sign her up for a tattoo and buy her a cigar.
What happens on leap year? Do you run out of stout on the 29th day?
No.
Where are you located and when are you open? And do you offer tours?
There are free brewery tours every Saturday and Sunday at 1pm and 4pm. Just meet by the big red pig in the Lovell Building.
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103
(503) 325-PINT
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com
