A Trifecta of Beer Festivals this Weekend
There are a trifecta of beer festivals in the Portland-ish area this weekend, all are truly great and worthy events, so good that I wish I could multiply myself to attend each one. It's also nice that each is quite different and so hopefully will each find their crowd. For your consideration there is Hopworks Salmon-Safe IPA Festival, the 7th annual Brews for New Avenues and the inaugural Boring Beer Fest. Both the Salmon Safe IPA Fest and Brews for New Avenues are this Saturday, August 25th but the Boring Beer Fest is actually three days so you could attend that Friday or Sunday and still attend one of the others.
Salmon-Safe IPA Festival
Saturday, August 25th 12-4 and 5-9pm Advanced TicketsHopworks Urban Brewery, 2944 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202Many still dont know what "Salmon Safe" means and might be confused about what Hopworks Salmon-Safe IPA Festival is. Salmon-Safe is an ecolabel certification that works with farmers and developers to reduce watershed impacts through third-party accountability. Beers in the Salmon-Safe IPA Festival are brewed with ingredients sourced from farms committed to protecting clean water and biodiversity in Northwest agricultural watersheds, which are essential for native fish populations.But you don't have to know or care about any of that to enjoy Hopworks IPA Festival which features twenty-two breweries making beers with Salmon Safe ingredients. From great Washington breweries like Bale Breaker, Fremont Brewing and Aslan to Oregonian's like Breakside, Crux, Yachats and Fort George to name a few.The festival is divided into two sessions. The first is an all ages session that runs from 12-4pm and Session #2 is 21+ and runs from 5-9pm. Each ticket package costs $25 and comes with 10 drink tickets, an order of HUB's world-famous pretzels, a HUB 10th anniversary chalice and a raffle ticket for prizes from various Salmon-Safe certified businesses. The festival also invites attendees to enjoy music, food, lawn games, and art. Each session has only 400 tickets available and the event is expected to sell out, so make sure you grab your ticket in advance.In between the two sessions, from 4-5pm, there will be short panel discussions with some of Salmon-Safe's leading movers and shakers in the beer industry and beyond. These farmers, suppliers, and businesses will talk about what Salmon-Safe means for them and why it's important. Seating for the panel talks are limited to 100 tickets and cost $5 each.Proceeds from the event will benefit Salmon-Safe, an environmental nonprofit based in the Pacific Northwest.
Brews for New Avenues
Saturday, August 25th 5-10:30pmLeftbank Annex, 101 N Weidler St, Portland, Oregon 97227Brews for New Avenues is the world's largest rare beer auction and probably the largest charity beer event too. This event is always a beer geeks dream come true with hundreds of rare bottled beers up for auction or in anonymous grab bags and even on tap to try for a fraction of what they would go for elsewhere. You can drink Cantillon, De Garde and Block 15 here for cheap and do it knowing you are benefitting a great cause: at-risk and homeless youth. Produced by the New Avenues for Youth non-profit board (which is made up of some of Oregon's biggest beer connoisseurs), world-class and famous brewers make exclusive beers for this, send their rarest and many attend the event themselves so you can rub elbows with the greats.Brews for New Avenues VIP session is sold out (seriously consider purchasing this next year) but the General Admission is open and you can purchase in advance or just walk up and enjoy.
Boring Beer Fest
Friday Aug. 24th, Sat. Aug. 25th and Sun. August 26thBoring Brewing Co., 29300 SE Haley Rd. Boring, OR 97009Boring Beer Fest is not in fact Boring, it's just held in Boring, Oregon at the Boring Brewing Co. just a 30 minute drive from Portland. The organizers of this festival are Brandon Mikel and Aaron Rhodes of the Portland Craft Beer Festival and the new Nano Beer Fest, these guys know what they are doing. Boring Beer Fest is different because it's in an underserved area but its also a really cool showcase of diverse breweries, big and small and it's a very family friendly event.Boring Beer Fest was created as an annual event to showcase regional breweries of all sizes in beautiful Boring, Oregon. The creators of the event felt the communities of Gresham, Sandy and Boring were thirsty for an event in which they didn’t have to travel to Portland and deal with the hustle and bustle of the city. Equally, Portland residents can get out to the country and enjoy an eclectic mix of well-known and smaller breweries.Inspired by the Mt. Hood “Fruit Loop,” as well as the Clackamas County “Tap Trail,” breweries from these areas were the first be invited and represent the bulk of the breweries being featured. The addition of the “City Slickers” tent will bring some excellent selections from Portland.The event will be set up in several unique spaces on the Boring Brewing and Winery property, so festival attendees can walk the grounds and enjoy separate areas. There will be live music in the manicured back yard, a water oasis to beat the heat, a covered country patio and several other setups - all with exciting beer options. Regional food as well as vendors and summer yard games will be found throughout the grounds. Boring Brewing has created a flagship beer for the event that will be available as a 16oz option, so music lovers can enjoy a pint in the live music area.Individual participation cost is $20 for a keepsake logo glass and 10 beer tickets. 1 ticket will yield one 4oz pour, with the exception of the Boring Brewing pints that will be available for 4 tickets. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at $1.00 each.There are advance ticket packages available through www.boringbeerfest.com that will get attendees more for their money: $20 for inaugural keepsake glass, and 15 tickets! Also, on our website is the most up to date list of participating breweries and information, as well as volunteer sign up for those wishing to trade their time for free beer!Boring Beer Fest TAPLIST: