12th Annual Organic Beer Fest Returns August 25 – 28

With a slight name change, the 12th Annual Organic Beer Fest returns to Overlook Park from Thursday, August 25 through Sunday, August 28. Gone is the North American label to the fest as the festival has grown to include organic beers from beyond our continent. Conveniently located on the MAX Yellow Line, the Organic Beer Fest will serve over 50 beers, ciders and meads that are brewed using organic ingredients. Each day the family friendly festival will open at Noon and run until 9:00pm except for the last day, Sunday when the festival will close at 5:00pm.

Organically brewed beer is the focus of the Organic Beer Festival but this fest is more than just beer. Beyond the 55 organic beers, ciders and meads there’s also live music, organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits, a soda garden with complimentary handcrafted Crater Lake Soda for minors and designated drivers, and a kids area. The Organic Beer Fest is a family friendly event, and minors are welcome with parents.

Admission into the Organic Beer Fest is free. The purchase of a $7 reusable, recyclable cup is required for tasting beer, as are tokens, which sell for $1 apiece. A full glass of beer costs four tokens and a three-ounce taste costs one token (select beers and ciders cost additional tokens). Patrons may receive an extra token with a validated Tri-Met ticket, a ticket from the on-site fenced Hopworks Bike Corral or with current ID showing they live in the Overlook zip code (limit one extra token per person).

So what makes a beer organic? The standards that the USDA uses for organic beer are the same as the standards used for organic foods. This means that ingredients must be grown without the use of toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilizers in soil that is free from chemicals for at least three years, and genetically modified ingredients are not allowed. Based on the Oregon Tilth guidelines, organic certification for beer is broken down to three primary levels.

• 100% Organic means the product contains 100% organically produced ingredients, excluding added water and salt. Any processing aids used must be organic.
• Organic means the product uses at least 95% organic ingredients, excluding added water & salt.
• Made with Organic Ingredients means the product contains at least 70% organic ingredients, excluding added water and salt. The product may contain organic and non-organic forms of the same ingredient, i.e. hops & malts.

When it comes to gaining organic certification some brewers pay for this designation while others do not. Festival organizers have categorized each beer and cider at this festival according to the organic tier in which each falls in to. An asterisk next to the producer indicates they are 100% Certified Organic and lists the certifying organization.

This year’s event will feature 42 breweries pouring 55 products including 49 craft beers, five ciders and one mead. Four countries will be represented: United States, Canada, Germany and England and five states represented: California, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. 22 of the products are 100% organic, containing all organic ingredients; 12 of the products are “organic,” containing at least 95% organic ingredients; and 21 of the products are “made with organic ingredients” or 70-94% organic.

Here is the beer and cider list for the 2016 Organic Beer Festival.

54°40′ Brewing Co | Washougal, WA
Chaga-lug-Chaga-lug | Ale made with wild-grown Chaga mushrooms (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)
Broken Record IPA | Pale Ale (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Aslan Brewing Co | Bellingham, WA
Dawn Patrol | Pacific Ale (100% Organic)
Batch 15 IPA | IPA (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by USDA

*Bison Organic Beer | Berkeley, CA
Kermit the Hop | Double IPA (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by USDA

Calapooia Brewing | Albany, OR
Organic Pooia Pale | Organic Pale Ale (95-99% Organic)

Coin Toss Brewing Co | Oregon City, OR
Half Penny Lager | Rice Lager (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Dogwood Brewing | Vancouver, BC
Organic Fest | Marzen (100% Organic)
Organic IPA | IPA (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by FVOPA

Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom | Hood River, OR
Clusterf#ck | Single-Hop IPA (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Eel River Brewing Co | Fortuna, CA
Simcoe IPA |Single Hop Simcoe American IPA (100% Organic)

*Elliott Bay Brewing Co | Seattle, WA
Organic Riot Ale | West Coast IPA (95-99% Organic)
*Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture

Ex Novo Brewing Co | Portland, OR
Casual Ex Session IPA – Fresh Hop | Fresh Hop Session IPA (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Falling Sky Brewing | Eugene, OR
Organic Matters Pale Ale | American Pale Ale (100% Organic)

Feckin Brewery | Oregon City, OR
Arnold Feckin Palmer | Golden Ale (95-99% Organic)

*Finnriver Farm & Cidery | Chimacum, WA
Finnriver Lavender Black Currant Cider | Seasonal Botantical Craft Cider made with organic apples, black currant and lavender (100% Organic)
Habanero Cider | Seasonal Botantical Craft Cider made with organic apples, black currant and lavender (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture

Fortside Brewing Co | Vancouver, WA
Ripple Effect | Hoppy Wheat (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

F.O.T.M Brewing Co | Portland, OR
Mountain Lite | Pilsner (95-99% Organic)

Golden Valley Brewery | McMinnville, OR
Buzzed Barista | Coffee Blonde (95-99% Organic)

*Hopworks Urban Brewery | Portland, OR
IPX Azacca | IPA (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth

Kells Brew Pub | Portland, OR
Blood Orange Summer Wheat | IPA (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)
Kells Irish Red | Organic Irish Red Ale (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Laht Neppur Brewing Co | Waitsburg, WA
Flaming Peach 2.0 | Experimental Beer (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)
Strawberry Cream | Experimental Beer (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Lakefront Brewery | Milwaukee, WI
Growing Power Organic Farmhouse Pale Ale | Belgium Style Pale Ale (100% Organic)
Fuel Cafe Coffee Stout | Organic Stout Brewed with Coffee (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth

*Logsdon Farmhouse Ales | Hood River, OR
Conversion Series 2: Wit Fermented with Wild Yeast & Bacteria | Wit (95-99% Organic)
Szech ‘n Brett | Saison (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth

Lompoc Brewing | Portland, OR
SaazAll | Dry Hopped Pilsner (95-99% Organic)

Loowit Brewing Co | Vancouver, WA
Guenhwyvar | Session IPA (95-99% Organic)

McMenamins Concordia Brewery | Portland, OR
Otto Pilot Lager | California Common (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Brewery | Hillsboro, OR
Plowheart Oatmeal Pale |Oatmeal Pale Ale (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

McMenamins Crystal Brewery | Portland, OR
2016 Hogshead Whiskey Barrel Aged Pavol the Collector Organic Baltic Porter | Baltic Porter (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

McMenamins Edgefield Brewery | Troutdale, OR
Rose City ‘Til I Rye | Rye Beer (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Migration Brewing | Portland, OR
Hop Pop | India Session Ale (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Montavilla Brew Works | Portland, OR
Organic Warp Session Ale | Session Ale (95-99% Organic)

Natian Brewery | Portland, OR
Everyday | IPA (95-99% Organic)
Knockback | Organic Amber Ale (95-99% Organic)

Nectar Creek | Corvallis, OR
Sting | Ginger Session Mead (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Old Town Brewing | Portland, OR
Cardamum’s the Word | Hibiscus and Cardamon Wheat Ale (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Pinkus | Münster, Westphalia, Germany
Pinkus Organic Ur-Pils | Pilsner (100% Organic)
Pinkus Organic Münster Alt | Altbier (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by USDA-accredited ABCERT GmbH

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider | Portland, OR
Organic Overlook Heirloom | Cider (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Samuel Smith’s | Yorkshire, England
Organic Strawberry Ale | Fruit Ale (100% Organic)
Organic Chocolate Stout | Stout (100% Organic)
*Certified Organic by the USDA-accredited UK Soil Association

*Thirsty Bear Organic Brewery | San Francisco, CA
Valencia Wheat | Belgian Wit (95-99% Organic)
Helles | Munich Style Helles (95-99% Organic)
*Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers

Two Kilts Brewing Co | Sherwood, OR
Manbun IPA | SMASH IPA (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

*Uinta Brewing Co | Salt Lake City, UT
Ready Set Gose | Gose (95-99% Organic)
*Certified Organic by USDA

Vagabond Brewing | Salem, OR
Into the Wild | IPA (70-94% Made with Organic Ingredients)

Wandering Aengus Ciderworks | Salem, OR
Bloom | Heirloom Cider, Sharp Apples (100% Organic)
Golden Russet | Single Varietal Cider (100% Organic)

Wolf Tree Brewery | Seal Rock, OR
Saison des Bois | Saison (100% Organic)

Yachats Brewing | Yachats, OR
Cetacea | Saison with Szechuan Peppercorns (100% Organic)

Live music will once again be part of the Organic Beer Festival. Here’s the music schedule for the four days.

Thursday, 8/25

• 2:30–3:30PM: The Juleps
• 3:45–4:45PM: Carlos Barata
• 5–6PM: Full Funkal Nerdity
• 6:15–7:15PM: Band of Camerados
• 7:30–8:30PM: Kory Quinn

Friday, 8/26

• 1:30–3PM: Ronnie Carrier
• 3:30–5PM: Dead Wood Standing
• 5:30–7PM: Tumbledown
• 7:30–8:30PM: Transcendental Brass Band

Saturday, 8/27

• 1–2PM: TBA
• 2:15–3:15PM: El Diablitos
• 3:45–4:45PM: Meltones
• 5:15–6:45PM: Dorado
• 7:15–8:30PM: Heavy City

Sunday, 8/28

• 12:30–1:30PM: Down Home Music
• 2–3PM: The Green Room
• 3:30-4:30PM: Candy Cigarettes

Food Vendors

• Fifty Licks Ice Cream
• Monk’s Deli (Flavor Express)
• Portland Curry Company
• The Coffee Bus
• The Dump Truck
• Urban German Grill
• Viva! Vegetarian Grill / Vegimoto

Commercial Vendors

• Barta System Growler Coozies: Hand made growler coozies made from outdoor and sports materials; 1/2 inch thick foam padding keeps beer cold for hours and protected while traveling.
• Bottle Tap: Unique coin sized bottle openers made locally
• Brewvana Portland Brewery Tours: Beer Concierge and Photo Booth
• Celestial Balance Body Products: Beer and wine soaps, lotions, creams, soy candles etc
• DrinkTanks: Growlers and Accessories
• Flipside Hats: Hats for the whole family!
• Green Mountain Energy: PGE’s Renewable Energy Program
• Grocery Getter Organic: Organic produce home delivery service
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore
• Hopped Up Jewelry: Beer hop flower earrings & jewelry for craft brew enthusiasts – handmade with love in Bend
• Mertha: Women’s clothing & accessories
• Oregon Brew Crew: Homebrewing Demonstrations, T-Shirts, Sweatshirts
• Oregon Wild: T-shirts, kanteens, stickers (by donation)
• Overlook Neighborhood Association: Promoting neighborhood advocacy
• Overlook Net: Emergency preparedness information
• Renewal by Andersen: Energy efficient window and door replacement service
• Steel Leaf Designs: Mason Jar handles
• StumpTown Kilts: Men’s and Women’s Modern Kilts Made in the U.S.A.
• WarleyByrd Creations: Recycled jewelry & chair massage
• World Action Foundation: T-Shirts, jewelry & knick-knacks

The Organic Beer Fest does not offer automobile parking at the festival grounds. Attendees must park in the nearby Overlook neighborhood. However, the best way to travel to the Organic Beer Fest is by bicycle and park at the Hopworks Bike Corral or by taking TriMet. The Interstate MAX/Yellow Line “Overlook Park” Station is directly across from Overlook Park and is the second stop from the Rose Quarter transit mall, heading north.

12th Annual Organic Beer Fest
Overlook Park
1599 N Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97227