The 2018 Oregon Brewers Festival is the 31st iteration of the event, and as usual takes place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland from Thursday, July 26 through Sunday, July 29. This year's festival is a considerable shakeup from previous years. After the fest
reported declining attendance, the organizers have decided to expand the offerings into cider and wine and reduce the length of the festival by one day, eliminating the Wednesday session. Finally, we now know what cider and wine options there will be and what format they will be offered in.
Though attendance may be down for the OBF, it's still easily the state's largest beer event with about 70,000 attendees. It turns out the addition of cider and wine is a much smaller change than anticipated. There will be only two ciders, and--strangely--4 wines on top of the 80 beers from 80 different breweries. To keep things simple, the cider and wine will be in their own area at the fest, but will be paid for with the same drink tokens and served in the same clear plastic Govino mug.Word was that the festival was also axing the International Tent and Buzz Tent, but that's only partially true. OBF organizers have invited five breweries from Baja California, Mexico. There will be beers from Agua Mala, Border Psycho, Insurgente, Transpeninsular, and Wendlandt poured alongside the other U.S. breweries in the main trailers.
Another big change that won't be popular with some is that OBF is the latest fest to go greener (and save a lot of money) by not printing beer guides this year. Instead, there is a new digital app you can download with all the descriptions and a searchable database of beers, as well as a schedule of bands and more. In an effort to not piss off too many people, OBF encourages you to download the app in advance and will still distribute a one-page printed list of the beers by trailer and by brewery with a map of the fest grounds.
OBF will again work with Portland Bureau of Transportation on its SAFE RIDE HOME program. PBOT is working with taxis and transportation network companies to offer reduced-cost rides home with the goal of preventing people from driving under the influence. The Safe Ride Home program will be providing discounted vouchers for $20 toward taxi rides; and $5 for Lyft and Uber rides throughout the festival weekend. Vouchers will be available on-site to everyone.
The festival has pledged $20,000 to two local beneficiaries this year, each receiving $10,000. The first is Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East and its program, The House That Beer Built, a partnership between Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East and local craft breweries and beer-related businesses. This exciting collaboration celebrates the strength and creativity of the Oregon’s craft beer industry, along with its passion for community involvement. Because everyone deserves a decent place to live. Learn more at
habitatportlandmetro.org and follow @habitatpdxmetro.
New Avenues for Youth--an organization dedicated to the prevention & intervention of youth homelessness--is the second non-profit beneficiary. Its Brews for New Avenues event is considered to be the largest rare beer auction in the world, bringing hundreds of beer connoisseurs and breweries from around the globe to Portland; 100% of proceeds from the unique series of events benefit New Avenues for Youth’s programs and services for youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
PARTICIPATING BREWERIES/BEER LIST
If you're looking to make a list in advance, you can visit https://tinyurl.com/y7obn53a to access a Google sheet with all the beer descriptions and stats, which can be downloaded for sorting and printing. We will also be handing out a one-page printed list of beers by trailer and by brewery, with a map of the venue, free for everyone at the event; this is another first!
54° 40': Rick & Mortmunder (Dortmunder Lager)Agua Mala: Sirena (Pilsner)Anderson Valley: Framboise Rose GoseBackwoods: Dreamsicle KölschBaerlic: Fancy Umbrella Drink (Raspberry Gose)Bayern: Citra DumpTruck Summer BockBelching Beaver: Orange Vanilla Milkshake IPABinary: All Fugged Up (ESB)Boneyard: Pinot Pulp (Blood Orange Extra Pale Ale w/Brett)Border Psycho: Perversa (Imperial IPA)Boulder: Bump 'n' Rind Watermelon KölschBoundary Bay: Currantly Hip Sour (Black Currant Sour)Breakside: Limon Pepino (Lime & Cucumber Lager)Buoy: Beaver State PilsnerCaldera: Caldera Coco-Nutty Blonde Ale (w/Coconut)Cascade: Belmont Street Bramble (Rasp/Tangerine Sour)Coin Toss: Caught in a Pickle LagerCrooked Stave: Do You Even Zest?! (Imperial IPA)Depoe Bay: Little Whale Cream AleDeschutes: Fruit Fight NE IPADouble Mountain: Saison Ventoux (Saison with Fruit)Ecliptic: Flamingo Planet Guava Blonde AleEverybody's: Guango Deep (Guava/Mango Hazy Imperial IPA)Fort George: It Takes Two to Mango (Mango Hazy IPA)Fortside: The Real Slim Hazy (Hazy IPA)Freebridge: Summertime Radness (Rose Berliner Weisse)Fremont: Limeshine (Pilsner)Gigantic: Magnificent 527 (IPA)Golden Valley: This Train is Bound for Hell (Smoked Helles)GoodLife: Long Acronym (Brett India Pale Lager)Great Divide: Heyday Modern (Hazy IPA)Great Northern: Big Mountain Tea Pale AleGreat Notion: Juice Jr. (Hazy IPA)Heathen: Raspberry Rhubarb Sour AleHeretic: Goo (Imperial Milk Stout)Hopworks: Completely Excellent (Hazy IPA)Insurgente: Juan Cordero (Tijuana Pale Ale)Iron Horse: Crazy Aunt IPAKells: Mezcal-a-GoseLaurelwood: Waylay Sprite Pale AleLompoc: It's Full of Stars (Pale Ale)MadTree: Entropic Theory (IPA)Maui: Belgian Table BeerMcMenamins: The Jester's Nightcap (Imperial Stout)Melvin: Killer Bees (Blonde Ale)Migration: Summertime in the 503 (Pale Ale)Monkless: Peppercorn Imperial WitNatian: 1306 (Milkshake IPA)New Holland: I Like Pretzel Day (BBA Pretzel Caramel Stout)Ninkasi: Fruited GoseOld Town: Green Tea LemonadeOproer: Refuse // Resist (Imperial IPA)Oregon City: Guavador Dali (Pink Guava NE IPA)Pelican: To Peach Their Own! (Lager)Perennial: Bridge of the Gods (Grisette)pFriem: Mango Milkshake IPAPortland: Tart Me Up! (Berliner Weisse)RiverBend: We Found Barb In The Strawberry Field (NE IPA)Rogue: Pinch (Imperial Gose)Royale: Zonkey (PNW Mexican Lager)Rusty Truck: Sugar Shack Brown AleSasquatch: American Aquarium Drinker (Gose)Scout: Psycho Killer Qu'est-ce Que Saison (Black Saison)Silver Falls: Wisp Raspberry WheatSilver Moon: Water on the Moon (Coffee IPA)StormBreaker: Guava Man IPA (West Coast Hazy IPA)Sunriver: Hugs and Flip Flops (Wheat Beer)Terminal Gravity: Summer Honey (Strong Ale)Three Creeks: Skol - Juniper Infused Norwegian AleThree Mugs: Passion Of The Honey (Honey Ale)Thunder Island: Fuzzy WitTranspeninsular: Playitas Cali Pale Ale (IPA)Upright: Berliner WeisseVertigo: South of the Border Blonde AleVon Ebert: Hibiscus WitWendlandt: Perro del Mar (West Coast IPA)Widmer: Lemonic Possession (Imperial IPA)Wild Ride: Cold Chillin' Vanilla Cream AleWolf Tree: Spruce Tip GruitZoiglhaus: Elderberry Berliner Weisse
FESTIVAL STATS
TOTAL BREWERIES: 80 TOTAL BEERS: 80BEERS DEBUTING OR EXCLUSIVE TO THE OBF: 56FIRST TIME BREWERIES: 20COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 3Mexico: 5The Netherlands: 1 US: 74STATES REPRESENTED: 10California: 3 Colorado: 3 Hawaii: 1 Michigan: 1 Missouri: 1 Montana: 2 Ohio: 1 Oregon: 53 Washington: 8 Wyoming: 1LOWEST ABV: 2.8%Zoiglhaus Elderberry Berliner WeisseHIGHEST ABV: 12%Heretic Goo Imperial Milk StoutAVERAGE ABV: 6.1%BEERS BELOW 5.5% ABV: 31 BEERS 5.5% AND ABOVE: 49
NUMBER BEER STYLES: 23Belgian: 1Berliner Weisse: 4 Blonde/Golden: 4 Brown Ale: 1 Cream Ale: 2ESB: 1Gose: 6Grisette: 1Gruit: 2Helles: 2Honey Ale: 1IPAs: 23IPL: 1Kolsch: 2Lagers: 5Pale Ales: 6 Pilsners: 3Saison: 2Sour Ale: 3 Specialty: 1Stout: 3Strong Ale: 1 Wheat: 2Witbier: 3TOTAL CIDERS: 2TOTAL CIDER MAKERS: 2 TOTAL WINES: 4TOTAL WINERIES: 2
LIVE MUSIC
With no cover charge to the festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival offers some of the most affordable live concerts in town! Check out this year’s lineup below...
Thursday July 2612:30-1:45: Stolen Rose2:30-4:00: Soul Progression4:45-6:15: Yur Daddy7:00-8:45: Clinton Fearon and The Boogie Brown BandFriday July 2712:30-1:45: Josh Cole Bluegrass Trio2:30-4:00: Augustus4:45-6:15: Sol Seed7:00-8:45: Grand Royale (Beastie Boys Tribute)Saturday July 2812:30-1:45: McCarthy Creek 2:30-4:00: Spyn Reset 4:45-6:15: Popgoji 7:00-8:45: World’s FinestSunday July 2912:30-1:45: Resinators 2:30-4:15: Mars Retrieval Unit 5:00-7:00: Jon Stickley Trio
The 2018 Oregon Brewers Festival is the 31st iteration of the event, and as usual takes place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland from Thursday, July 26 through Sunday, July 29. This year's festival is a considerable shakeup from previous years. After the fest reported declining attendance, the organizers have decided to expand the offerings into cider and wine and reduce the length of the festival by one day, eliminating the Wednesday session. Finally, we now know what cider and wine options there will be and what format they will be offered in.
