Widmer Hefe Day 2021

The 5th annual Hefe Day on May 15th celebrates the Oregon classic Widmer Brothers beer that many a beer fan has been weened up on. Usually there is a big party in Portland to celebrate, but with the pandemic on Widmer is instead teaming up for an official Hefe doughnut from Delicious Donuts and donating a dollar for every pint of Hefe sold in Oregon to the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, starting on the beer’s birth date, May 15th, through the 31st.

More from a press release:

“Since the onset of the pandemic, bars and restaurants throughout the state have been some of the hardest hit businesses,” said Widmer Brothers Brand Manager Jake Neilson. “We wanted to do something to give back to all those places throughout this great state that really helped put Hefe on the map from the beginning.”

Things still look a little different as Hefe Day – Saturday, May 15 – kicks off. In years past, the brewery has hosted large parties to celebrate its flagship beer. Since a big celebration was not an option this year, the brewery wants its fans to raise a pint any way they can, in honor of the beer. To find a pint of Hefe near you, please visit www.widmerbrothers.com/hefeday.

To jumpstart the festivities, Widmer Brothers is partnering with Rose City fan favorite Delicious Donuts, which is creating special Hefe birthday donuts to honor the classic beer. The donuts and Hefe samples will be available Friday, May 14th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the inner east side donut shop on 12 SE Grand Ave. in Portland. A few lucky winners will walk away with a free dozen Hefe donuts by securing a clue on Widmer Brothers’ Instagram account.

“Not only did we want to give back to the restaurant and hospitality industry, but we wanted to do something fun locally in a safe way given the pandemic,” Neilson said.

The 2021 Hefe Day donation will benefit the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association. The Oregon Hospitality Foundation was founded to support the industry’s education and training needs, and has recently been making headlines with the #HospitalityHelpFund, created to help Oregon’s hospitality industry survive the pandemic’s economic devastation so that restaurant and hospitality industries are able to re-tool, re-open, re-hire, and welcome guests back soon.

This year marks year five of celebrating the nine-time Great American Beer Festival award-winner with its own city holiday. In 2016, the City of Portland officially declared May 15 as Hefe Day, honoring the 30th Anniversary of Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen (Hefe) and recognizing the important role the beer has played in building the city’s booming beer industry.

A Brief Hefe History
In 1986, the owners of the Dublin Pub, Carl Simpson and Katie Bullard, were proud supporters of Widmer Brothers and carried the brewery’s first two beers, Altbier and Weizenbier. They were fans of the two beers Kurt and Rob Widmer were making and asked if they could make them a special third beer. This posed a problem, as the Widmer’s cobbled-together brewery had only two fermenters. To save space and time, Kurt and Rob decided to experiment and leave their Weizenbier unfiltered.

This unfiltered experiment resulted in a gorgeous, hazy beer, what they dubbed “Hefeweizen,” which has been shortened to Hefe since.

Kurt and Rob created an entirely new beer style with Hefe -- American-Style Wheat -- which is officially recognized by the Beer Judging Certification Program (BJCP). Over the years, Hefe elevated Widmer Brothers Brewing to national acclaim, with the beer winning eleven Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals over the years. It most recently won back-to-back gold medals at the Oregon Beer Awards in 2016 and 2017 and is still the top-selling craft beer in Oregon.

For more information on Widmer Brothers Brewing, visit widmerbrothers.com or see what the brewery is up to on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Widmer Brothers Brewing
Widmer Brothers Brewing helped create the Pacific Northwest craft beer movement in 1984 when founders Kurt and Rob Widmer, then in their 20s, began brewing unique interpretations of traditional German beer styles. In 1986, Widmer Brothers Brewing introduced the original American-style Hefeweizen, which elevated the brewery to national acclaim. Since then, the brewery’s iconic Hefe has grown to become Oregon’s favorite craft beer. For more than three decades, Widmer Brothers has continued to push the boundaries of craft beer. Based in Portland, Oregon, the brewery currently brews a variety of beers including Hefe, Drop Top Amber and a full seasonal lineup. For more information about Widmer Brothers Brewing, visit http://www.widmerbrothers.com/.