As beer festivals fade de Garde Brewing’s Anniversary Invitational only gets better
As beer festivals fade, de Garde Brewing proves they are worth the extra time/cost/effort
Pulling off a successful beer festival today is harder than ever and rarely profitable, but if you know one thing about de Garde Brewing it's that they have never shied away from difficult and time consuming projects that are rewarding in other ways.
Event organizers face increased costs across the board, from the prices of shipping kegs to food vendors and labor. That’s not even factoring in the borderline recession and changed consumer habits when it comes to shelling out for tickets. It’s a different landscape for the beer industry, which has experienced declines due to factors like an oversaturated market and decreased consumption from younger consumers in the last few years. This is perhaps most visible from the sheer amount of beer festivals that have met their demise after years of success, including a handful of Pacific Northwest staples like the Vancouver Brewfest, Holiday Ale Festival, Bend Brewfest, Oregon Brewers Festival, and KLCC Brewfest among others.
Despite these blustery headwinds, the Oregon Coast has proven to be one of the best areas to throw a destination beer event. Fort George’s Festival of Dark Arts sells out in minutes, while their Lupulin Ecstasy is damn near close to doing the same, and Buoy’s Lager Fest has also emerged as a fan favorite. For many beer lovers, the niche focus of those festivals is part of the appeal, while others are drawn to the entertainment and the locale.
In a town known more for its cheese than for beer, de Garde Brewing has been braving the challenges of event organizing in the post-covid landscape to transform what started as a tenth-anniversary celebration into one of the most anticipated beer events in the country. Taking place on Saturday, May 3rd at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds in Tillamook, the de Garde 12th Anniversary Invitational promises to be the brewery’s biggest event yet and will hopefully earn its place among those long-running aforementioned fests.
Now in their third year and third venue in just as much time, de Garde is going big in the hopes that they can transform what started as a fairly small event to celebrate their anniversary into a destination beer festival. For Trevor and Linsey Rogers, who founded de Garde in 2013 with the intention of capturing the unique terroir of their coastal farming environment through spontaneously fermented beer, increasing the size of the event is actually part of the strategy to ensure its longevity. Each year has come with logistical challenges that Trevor hopes to alleviate by moving into the Fairgrounds.
Trevor and Linsey Rogers at de Garde’s 11th anniversary party
“We're on our third venue in three years. Not because each wasn't suitable or great in its own way, but because we thought we could do better. We felt like we had some space constraints for an event of this scale in Garibaldi two years ago, and were too much at the mercy of the weather,” says Rogers. “Last year, we decided to host it at the brewery, with additional tenting in the surrounding streets. While it alleviated some of the logistical hurdles of moving so many things to and from an offsite location, we still felt that we needed more space. We also didn't love the idea of trying to close off even more roads in our small community in future years to add that extra room. So, we're at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds this year. We think it'll be the best space yet.”
Finding the optimal event space is one thing, but Rogers is also honest about the kinds of challenges that have forced so many other organizers to throw in the towel. “The cost is another hurdle. We charge what we know is a great price for what we're offering and doing, though it's hardly inexpensive. It's simply what we have to charge not to lose money. But, it's still always a gamble that we'll actually sell enough to get ahead, and that happens at or after the event.”
This scenario is particularly hard when many consumers have a hard time committing to a larger ticket purchase far in advance. This is a notable shift that has been experienced by everyone from food and beverage event organizers to bands trying to sell advance concert tickets for an upcoming tour, often leaving organizers in a state of financial limbo that increases their risk.
“While we do take in a large percentage of the total sales through ticket sales in advance of the event, we have to budget for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses before we see any of that revenue, and the additional continuing costs (the beer, space, security, bands, permits, staging and sound, tenting, glassware, tokens, staff, etc.) accrued after ticket sales start ensures that we run a deficit. It's a cash flow/budgeting nightmare for a small business,” says Rogers, before pivoting from the negative to a more optimistic perspective. “Still, we think that this is a thing worth doing. Like many of our business decisions, the fiscal practicality of it is a consideration outweighed by the perceived benefit. Whether it's a beer we're excited to make, or an event to support the area and industry, it's not always about money. Some things are just worth doing.”
Since day one, drawing people to Tillamook has always been the ideal way to get them to experience de Garde’s offerings. With the Invitational, he sees an opportunity to expand on that vision and truly showcase what his region has to offer beyond beer.
“We use almost exclusively Oregon ingredients in our beer. Our location itself was chosen for the native yeast and bacteria. So, a sense of place, terroir, whatever you want to call it, is an integral part of our identity. It’s perhaps the most important and defining feature of who and what we are, and the character and quality that we present. In light of that, we want to feature and share local harvesters, producers, restaurants, and artists as part of this celebration. They all contribute to the vibrancy of our region, and the quality of where and what we are,” says Rogers.
Moving into the fairgrounds, which he describes as “huge” with a “long history in the area,” allows the event to feature seven different local food vendors to complement the beer, no matter the weather. Of course, the biggest draw of the event is the massive lineup featuring many of the best breweries in the world, including Hill Farmstead, Tilquin, Cantillon, Trillium, Monkish, Het Boerenerf, and Green Cheek, to name just a small handful. In total, de Garde is convening nearly 60 breweries - many of whom still draw plenty of hype - to be poured alongside a handful of their own beers. What makes the beer lineup so exciting is the amount of surprises awaiting attendees. One example is the special collaboration beers de Garde is releasing. This year that includes collaborations with 3 Fonteinen (their 2-7 year Lambic and de Garde’s 2-7 year Spontaneous beer with Mourvedre grapes called Meer & More, Trillium (2-7 year spontaneous beer from each brewery called Reflet), and Brujos and Ruse (5 year spontaneous beer with Grenache grapes called Corpus Carnelian).
de Garde Brewing’s 10th Anniversary in 2023
One of the most significant changes is the increase in featured breweries, essentially doubling from the previous two years. “It's a ridiculous selection of some of the best things you can find anywhere (or perhaps not find, as is more often the case with many of the attending breweries). Each brewery will have at least one beer pouring at all times, instead of rotating through many of the breweries as we've done in the past, unless they run out at some point,” says Rogers before pointing out that the increase in breweries is part of the overall vision. “The addition of a large number of breweries from outside the region helps draw additional interest and increase appreciation and exposure of what we have to offer right here.”
That last factor is especially important for de Garde’s local partners. Rogers is hopeful that the Invitational will be successful not just for the brewery, but also the Tillamook community as a whole. While he has always made an effort to work with local government, tourism organizations, and businesses on the events, he has found an especially supportive partner in the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association. This year, they even awarded de Garde with a marketing grant to help with the festival, betting on its success.
Executive Director of Tourism Nan Devlin, who commends de Garde at being “masterful at hosting events,” sees the Invitational is positive for several reasons. “1) it happens in the shoulder season, prior to peak summer visitation. 2) The last two anniversary events brought people from several states, perhaps here for the first time. 3) This year, the event will be held at the fairgrounds, which can accommodate many more people as well as more vendors. 4) Vendors are from all over the U.S. and guests, like the last two years, brought international visitors.”
Even though expansion to such a larger space comes with pressure to sell more tickets, Rogers is especially excited at getting to have more fun with the layout.
“It's a big event. There are always going to be challenges in pulling that off. We'll also have more space, both indoor and outdoor, with lots of room to mingle, meander, enjoy and relax,” he says. “We'll have three 'locations' within the event space, with different character, offerings and seating in each. In the Main Building, the historic center of the fairgrounds, we'll have our international brewery contingent pouring on draft and from bottles. We'll have Tillamook Creamery serving ice cream and snacks, and JAndy Oyster and NeahKahNie Smoke House will be serving oysters, smoked salmon, etc. All three are fantastic representations of our local foods and area. Outside of the Main Building is the Courtyard. A large portion of this area will be tented just in case the weather doesn't smile on us. There's a large covered stage there, where we'll be rotating through the three great bands playing throughout the event. We'll also have a number of additional local food vendors outside: Country Squire Kitchen, Garibaldi Portside Bistro, Fort George, and East on West. It's a great selection. Finally, we have the Dairy Barn. It's a massive and open indoor space where the majority of the beer will be pouring from a huge number of taps (and bottles and cans). We'll have our own tables in there as well, pouring de Garde beer and wine, plus selling merchandise and bottles to go.”
Beyond the event, Rogers hopes attendees will stick around for the next day and swing by the brewery where they will be hosting a pop-up event featuring a huge selection of draft and to-go beers from Hill Farmstead and 3 Fonteinen.
While it’s hard not to feel gloomy about the outlook of craft beer in America with the constant outpouring of doomsday headlines pontificating the industry’s decline, there are also plenty of bright spots. Anyone who has attended the de Garde anniversary parties the last two years knows it is definitely one of those bright spots. By expanding the scale of the event and landing in what will hopefully be the perfect location, Rogers is taking a risk, but it’s a risk worthy of praise in its optimism and one that will ideally continue the legacy of the Oregon Coast’s great beer festivals.
“Our hope is that the excitement from this event has a positive impact on the beer community and industry. We can all use some good energy, and perhaps we can contribute to that in a lasting manner outside of this single event. Long term, hopefully we can assist in growing some vitality in both our industry and area.”
Article author Neil Ferguson at de Garde Brewing’s 10th anniversary festival
