Fuji to Hood Japan/Oregon collaboration beer festival returns to Portland
Beer festivals are back in 2024! International craft beer, cider, and cultural event FUJI TO HOOD is returning to Portland, Oregon on July 2024th with 25 Oregon and Japan collaboration beers and ciders. This unique event only comes to town every other year, and the 2024 festival will be the largest yet and take place at a new venue - The Redd on Salmon Street in southeast Portland.
Fuji to Hood builds cross-cultural connections and lifelong friendships, while promoting education, shared community, and social interactions through the art of fermentation. The festival takes place every other year in Portland, and in off-years in Tokyo, Japan with brewers making the trek between countries for the occasion. As shared by event co-organizer Red Gillen, “We are very proud and honored that Fuji to Hood has grown to become the premier event connecting Oregon and Japan.” Fuji to Hood was last held in Portland in 2022, and returned to Japan as “Hood to Fuji” in 2023.
“I always look forward to seeing how the Japanese and American brewers interact and learn from one another, collaborating is a great way to get to know another culture and break down barriers. And the beers and ciders are always fun and unique,” adds co-organizer Ezra Johnson-Greenough. [author/publisher of New School Beer, and this article]
Michael Walcott, the third primary organizer of Fuji to Hood added, “We are excited to feature Japanese foods and cultural programming during the event. While many attendees come primarily to try the collaboration beers, we have learned from past events that many come for the event’s connection to Japan.”
Fuji to Hood’s new 501c4 non-profit organizing group ‘Beer Friends’ is pleased to announce the twenty-five brewery and cidery teams collaborating on brand new creations for the largest Fuji to Hood yet. This year’s festival will take place at The Redd on Salmon events venue in southeast Portland, and welcome over 1,000 attendees to experience unique music, performances, visuals, and liquid crafts from Pacific Northwest and Japanese creators. Each beer or cider is a true collaboration, meaning that at least one ingredient from the visiting country must be featured in the process.
OREGON / JAPAN COLLABORATION TEAMS:
2 Towns Ciderhouse / Son of the Smith
Alesong Brewing & Blending / Himitsu
Baerlic Brewing / Fujisakura Kogen
Bauman’s Cider / Harvest Moon
Block 15 Brewing / Black Tide
Boneyard Beer / Y. Market
Breakside Brewery / Totopia
Coldfire Brewing / North Island
Culmination Brewing / Baeren
ForeLand Beer / Rise & Win
Fort George Brewery / Minoh
Gigantic Brewing / Ise Kadoya
Great Notion Brewing / West Coast Brewing
Hair of the Dog Brewing / Shonan Beer
Heater Allen Brewing / Setouchi
Level Beer / Fukuoka Craft
Little Beast Brewing / Ushitora
Living Haus Beer / Uchu
Migration Brewing / RePuBrew
Son of Man / OK, Adam
Threshold Brewing / Yokosuka
Ruse Brewing / Beer Brain
SteepleJack Brewing / Heiwa Craft
StormBreaker Brewing / Spring Valley
Von Ebert Brewing / Far Yeast
Restaurants, chefs, artists, musicians, performers, and artisans will gather at The Redd on Salmon on July 20th, 2024 for a VIP session opening at 11am, and general admission for the all-ages festival open from 12pm - 8pm. Organizers are now accepting vendor and sponsor applications, and seeking volunteers to make this year’s event the best yet. A full list with detailed beer and cider descriptions will be released this Spring.
ABOUT FUJI TO HOOD:
Fuji to Hood was founded and first held in Portland in 2018 by Red Gillen, Ezra Johnson-Greenough, Michael Walcott, and Tomas Sluiter. In 2019, Nobuhiro Tajima founded and organized the first “Hood to Fuji” sister event in Japan, where it was held again in 2023 after a pandemic pause. Tajima-san is the editor of Transporter Beer Magazine, a craft beer publication published in Japan and South Korea. He also consults for the craft beer industry in Japan, creates recipes, and has been instrumental in starting up breweries such as Black Tide Brewing and Fukuoka Craft. Each year the Oregon and Japan organizers collaborate to select, pair, and facilitate the brewery and cidery teams’ collaborations while welcoming the visiting country and upping the ante on local hospitality.
For more info https://fujitohood.com
Instagram: @fuji2hood https://www.instagram.com/fuji2hood/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fujitohood