25th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival Annouces Beer Lineup

The Mother of All Pacific Northwest craft beer festivals is undoubtedly the Oregon Brewers Fest(OBF). Perhaps only trumped in sheer magnitude and selection by the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO, the OBF, held each year during the last full weekend of July is a force to be reckoned with. Situated along the Willamette River in downtown Portland at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, OBF offers four days of warm and sunny Cascadian weather to pair with an astounding array of ales and lagers from across the continent. Exemplifying the Northwest’s unrivaled passion for craft brewing, 2012’s OBF marks the festival’s 25th year in operation, burgeoning from quite humble beginnings. This year’s festivities are kicking off with a parade lead by Portland Mayor Sam Adams through the city and to the festival on Thursday July 26 and lasting through Sunday July 29.

“The OBF was at the forefront of exposing craft beers to the public, and it continues to do so.” says organizer Chris Crabb, a woman responsible for having a key role in putting together many of the region’s top brew festivals such as Holiday Ale Fest and the North American Organic Brewers. “82 craft breweries from all parts of the nation will serve more than 30 beer styles to nearly 80,000 beer lovers from around the world” says Crabb. She adds: “There will be 84 beers in the main tents, and another 50 specialty beers in the Buzz Tent. We are also thrilled to debut a Sour Tent this year as well. We encourage everyone to gather with friends and raise a mug in celebration of great craft beer.” It’s hard to argue with that.

Here is a look at the main tent brews that are slated to pour for the 2012 OBF. Keep in mind, these are just  a portion of what is to come. For the uber geeks, the Buzz Tent is sure to offer some unique and dynamic rarities guaranteed to please.

10 Barrel Brewing Co. Bend OR www.10barrel.com Raspberry Crush American-Style Sour Ale 5.2 ABV 4 IBU Acidulated white wheat, raspberries and an inoculation of lactobacillus in the fermenter give this American ale its tart, fruity taste. Low hop levels let the special sour flavors dominate, and rice syrup helps yield a particularly light finish and body. This is a real summer refresher. 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is situated in the mountain town of Bend. Its number one goal is to make the finest hand crafted beers possible. Its second goal is to have as much fun possible. Its third goal is to be innovative and try to re-create the brewing wheel. Come join them on the journey!

21st Amendment Brewery San Francisco CA www.21st-amendment.com Bitter American Session Beer 4.4 ABV 42 IBU  Don’t let this beer’s golden hue deceive you. Despite its hop-houndish name, this brew is malty and easy-drinking, meant to be one you can enjoy at a leisurely pace all evening without exhausting your palate or putting you at risk with heavy machinery. With just enough hops for balance, it’s a great one to enjoy with dinner. The 21st Amendment Brewery celebrates the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, the obligation to have fun, and the ability to quaff great craft beer out of a can. Try its Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and Live Free or Die IPA in a can and taste how fresh the beer can be.

Alameda Brewing Co. Portland OR www.alamedabrewing.com Huckleberry Hound IPA Specialty Beer 6.5 ABV 55 IBU Known for their innovation, Alameda’s 2012 OBF offering doesn’t disappoint. A robust hop schedule of Columbus, Cascade, Amarillo and Simcoe hops in the boil, whirlpool and fermenter complement the unique grain bill of German Pilsner malt, German Munich malt and Crystal rye. Then, the assertive juice of huckleberries pumps up the gravity and adds a sweet fruity touch to the dry but full-bodied brew. Alameda Brewhouse has been serving up handcrafted ales and freshly prepared food in the heart of the Beaumont Village in Northeast Portland for 15 years. Its seven-barrel brewery produces more than 1,000 barrels a year. Enjoy Klickitat Pale, Great American Beer Festival-Gold winner Black Bear Stout and El Torero IPA in some 150 places around Portland, or try them all at the pub.

Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK www.alaskanbeer.com Alaskan Oatmeal Stout Oatmeal Stout 5.7 ABV 28 IBU This rich award-winning brew boasts a unique flavor ingredient: 1,000-year-old glacial waters! Dark and creamy, a generous dose of oatmeal provides a rich, smooth taste to counterbalance the roasty flavors of the various dark malts. A high finishing gravity means it has residual sweetness and body to balance the bitterness. Alaskan Brewing Co. opened in 1986 as the 67th brewery in the country and the first brewery in Juneau since Prohibition. Alaskan beers reflect many of the same characteristics of beers that were brewed during the gold rush era. From the historically based Alaskan Amber recipe to alder-smoked malts and Sitka spruce tips, Alaskan beers reflect Juneau’s local brewing history and innovation.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville CA www.AVBC.com Summer Solstice Cervesa Crema Summer Cream Ale 5 ABV 6 IBU  This honey-gold elixir is crisp and clear, with an unusual lightness and dryness for such a full-flavored ale. The arousing abundance of Pacific Northwest hops adds both a floral bouquet and a lively, citrusy finish. Anderson Valley Brewing Co. opened the doors to its brew pub in late 1987, making it one of the oldest craft breweries on the West Coast. Since then, it’s grown a bit, built a new facility, and now brews world-class ales in copper vessels salvaged from two defunct German breweries. It employs pristine Boonville water straight from its own unique aquifer and is proudly solar powered, getting up to 70% of its power from custom solar panels.

Ballast Point Brewing Co. San Diego CA www.ballastpoint.com Sculpin IPA 6.6 ABV 70 IBU  2-Row, Caramel and Carapils malts provide just enough malty sweetness to balance this beer’s amazing seven – yes, seven – different hops added several times to the boil, as well as to the knock-out and in the fermenter. Northern Brewer, German Tradition, Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe give it not only a bracing bitterness, but a rich, hop flavor. Ballast Point started as a homebrew shop in 1992, added a brewery in 1996, a new production facility in 2005 and topped 10,000 barrels of production in 2008. You can even find their beer in Japan. They also

are the first licensed distiller in San Diego – look for products to hit shelves sometime this summer.

Bayern Brewing, Inc. Missoula MN www.bayernbrewery.com Bayern Dark Doppel Bock German-Style Eisbock 8.4 ABV 26 IBU This award-winning beer begins life as a “mere” doppelbock, then graduates to even greater intensity as a concentrated Eisbock after spending seven weeks in secondary fermenters at 30 degrees F. Traditional decoction mashing of Pilsner, Munich and chocolate malts extracts all the malty goodness, complemented by a light touch of Hallertauer, Perle and Saaz hops. Bayern Brewing was founded in 1987 by Jürgen Knöller, a German-trained master brewer, and is the only German brewery in the Rocky Mountains. Jürgen brews all his beer according to the German Reinheitsgebot beer purity law of 1516. Bayern Beer is available in bottles in stores around the Northwest.

Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA www.bearrepublic.com Black Racer American-Style Black Ale 8.1 ABV 75 IBU  Many IPA lovers look for a one-to-one ratio of bitterness points (IBU) to original gravity points. This beer not only does that, but throws in the unique character of debittered black malt to provide richness and roasty sweetness without the sharp edge, letting the hops shine through. Stout lovers and IPA lovers, unite! Bear Republic Brewing is a family business that’s created quite a name and a following within the craft brew industry. The Norgrove family founders are third and fourth generation Sonoma County residents and have helped to promote a love for fine beer in a region where passions are energetically expressed in all kinds of food and drink.

Beer Valley Brewing Ontario OR www.beervalleybrewing.com Oregonberry Wheat Ale 4 ABV 8 IBU In some ways a simple, no-nonsense brew, the unique flavor of this beer comes from the “Oregonberry” concoction – a mix of plums, blueberries and cherries to sweeten and deepen the wort made from pale, light wheat and honey malts. The hop bill is also very Oregon: Cascade, which adds a bit more citrus and a delightful floral character. Light and refreshing, its low alcohol means you can go back for more, or fill the mug! Beer Valley Brewing Co. is an award winning microbrewery located in Ontario, Oregon. Founded in 2005, Beer Valley specializes in the production of strong ales. The brewery currently produces six brands year round – including Black Flag Imperial Stout, Highway to Ale Barleywine and Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale – plus occasional seasonals.

Bison Brewing Berkeley CA www.bisonbrew.com Honey Basil Ale Herb and Spice Beer 6 ABV 12 IBU About 7% of the fermentables in this beer come from organic clover honey. The rest is pale, Crystal and Munich malt, seasoned with Cascade hops and fresh organic basil. Yes, basil – about two pounds per barrel, added in the last 15 minutes instead of hops. Makes you wonder, how would this beer go with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella? This Berkeley brewery, established in 1989, went all organic in 2002 because of its belief that sustainable and ecologically sound food production is the best way to protect the environment, save energy, ensure sustainability – and brew great beers.

Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO www.boulderbeer.com Mojo American-Style India Pale Ale  7.2 ABV 68 IBU  Beautiful, first-use Rocky Mountain snowmelt comprises over – but just over – 90% of this beer. The fruity, estery house ale yeast has done great work converting the malt base of pale, wheat and 20L caramel malt. Centennial hops at first wort and Amarillo in the finish give it both a strong bittering kick to balance the malt, and a floral, citrusy nose and hop flavor. This is a classic IPA. The Boulder Beer Co. was established in 1979, which makes it Colorado’s first microbrewery and also one of the first in the nation. The Looking Glass series is their leading edge line of innovative specialty brews and includes other favorites such as Hazed & Infused and Sweaty Betty Blonde.

Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO www.boulevard.com Z?N Belgian Style Witbier 4.4 ABV 15 IBU Z?N is Flemish for “Sun,” which should give you an impression of Boulevard’s classic summer seasonal. Coriander & orange peel spice this award-winning Belgian-style Witbier, derived from pale and wheat malts plus unmalted wheat. Lightly hopped with Bravo, CTZ & Simcoe, the spicy, zesty flavors of the wheat are allowed to shine through. Founded in 1989, Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. The brewery, built in a turn-of-the-century brick building on Kansas City’s historic Southwest Boulevard, produces six year-round brews, four seasonals, and a line of artisanal beers known as the Smokestack Series.

Boundary Bay Brewery Bellingham WA www.bbaybrewery.com Double Dry Hopped Delta Pale Ale 5.6 ABV 45 IBU  Successful innovation doesn’t always have to be complex. This single-hopped beer uses the earthy, minerally, somewhat spicy Delta hop, a relative newcomer to the hop scene, for all five additions – bittering, flavoring, aroma and two dry hop additions. Its almost as simple grain bill is comprised of 2-Row and Munich malts, fermented by a Northwest ale yeast. Boundary Bay’s 17-barrel brewery opened in 1995 in a restored historic 1922 warehouse in downtown Bellingham. Customers of the Taproom and Bistro can enjoy 10 fine ales and lagers and full-service smoke-free family-friendly dining. Its beers have won numerous awards from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup and North American Beer Awards.

BridgePort Brewing Co. Portland OR www.bridgeportbrew.com Stump Town Tart Fruit Beer 7.8 ABV15 IBU If you’re looking for a break from all the hops, this might be the place to start. Oregon raspberries are added to this beer after primary fermentation to impart a naturally tart finish. The Belgian Trappist yeast produces classic fruit and spice esters. The beer is then aged in French oak wine casks for six months. Complex? Ja, mein herr! BridgePort has never missed an Oregon Brewers Festival. As Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, it is perhaps most famous for its award-winning IPA. It produces a variety of international style ales that are naturally conditioned in the bottle, keg, or cask from which they are served, creating ales that are smooth, naturally carbonated and full of flavor.

Caldera Brewing Co. Ashland OR www.calderabrewing.com Caldera Hop Hash American-Style Strong Pale Ale 6.5 ABV 100 IBU This beer gets its name from the Hop Union Hop Hash nuggets – pure hop lupulin extracted from Yakima leaf hops – boiled for 60 minutes in the kettle. Premium two row, Great Western Munich, Crisp 60L and rolled oats comprise the grain bill designed to carry this load. Fermented warm using American Ale yeast to bring out the fruitiness, the resulting beer is designed to be a surprise on all fronts. Even the brewer has no idea how hoppy it’ll be. Caldera’s 10-barrel brewing system sits in a 6,000 square foot building in Ashland. Draft-only until 2005, Caldera then became the first Oregon brewery to distribute its beers in cans. Seven year-round brews include a Pilsner, pale, IPA, porter, amber, dry hop red and dry hop orange.

Cascade Brewing Co. Portland OR www.cascadebrewing.com Razberry Wheat Raspberry Wheat 4.5 ABV 15 IBU Put on your rose-colored beer goggles: this brew really is pretty in pink. Whole raspberries added to a sour mash Berlin-style wheat beer create a berry splash in this extremely refreshing beer. The raspberry is apparent on the nose, while the palate is tart and lemony with a hint of wheat. This may be the most quenching brew at the festival. Under the direction of Brewmaster Ron Gansberg, Cascade Brewing has pioneered the Northwest Sour Style, winning accolades and awards for its barrel-aged, lactic-fermented sour beers, which complement the well-balanced beers on draft year-round. The Cascade Brewing Barrel House, located just across the river, features no fewer than a dozen sours on tap at all times.

Coalition Brewing Co. Portland OR www.coalitionbrewing.com Rooster’s Cream Ale 4.8 ABV 28 IBU American 2-Row pale, Munich, Carapils and honey malts along with flaked barley comprise this brew’s complex grain bill. By contrast, only two workhorse hops – Sterling and Perle – do the heavy lifting on the lupulin side, but they do double duty with two hop additions each. The low hop levels keeps this big brew malt-balanced and easy to drink. Coalition Brewing is a pub and 10-barrel brewery in inner SE Portland. Head Brewer Bruce MacPhee is an industry veteran of 10 years, and uses his experience and personal love of brewing to help create delicious and balanced beers. The love of beer and the brewing process is the impetus for the Coalator Program, which encourages local homebrewers to brew their recipes in the brewery and serve them at the pub.

Collaborator Portland OR www.oregonbrewcrew.org Pineapple Express Light American Wheat Ale 5.7 ABV 7  IBU Love for his wife inspired homebrewer Josh Huerta’s brew that became the latest in the Collaborator series. Pineapple added to the secondary fermenter adds a fruity sweetness as well as the flavor and aroma of the fruit, while leaving the acidity and bitterness behind. 2-Row, Munich and wheat malts are supplemented by corn sugar for a light-bodied sweet beer that’s not cloying. Collaborator is one of the oldest collaborations in the nation between a craft brewer (Widmer Brothers) and homebrewers (the Oregon Brew Crew). Home brewers design the beers and compete to win the opportunity to have its beer made and distributed by a world-class micro-brewery. Want to be famous? Fire up your brew kettle!

Columbia River Brewing Co. Portland OR www.columbiariverbrewpub.com Rye Not IPA 6.5 ABV 77 IBU This brew’s traditional grain bill of 2-Row pale, Crystal and wheat malts get a flavor boost from a dose of intense, rich rye malt, giving it a unique tangy flavor that merges well in an IPA. Four additions of Mt. Hood, Columbus and Cascade hops provide high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma, as befits an American IPA. Established in 2010, Columbia River is located in Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood in the building previously occupied by Laurelwood Pizza, continuing the fine tradition of brewing achievements emanating from those great halls. Stop in and try its Hollywood Hefe, Rose City Wheat or Ground “N” Round Double IPA.

Deschutes Brewery Bend OR www.deschutesbrewery.com Armory XPA American-Style Strong Pale Ale 5.5 ABV 57 IBU Another winner from Deschutes! Northwest C-60 and C-40 – no, that’s not motor oil, it’s Crystal malt on top of Pale and 2-Row, and it gets this beer’s engines blasting. The beer’s high gravity is balanced by gobs of hops – Nugget for bittering, Northern Brewer for flavor, and three Cs (Citra, Cascade & Centennial) for aroma. An English Ale yeast strain provides distinct fruit esters with a malty, complex profile. Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That’s why it started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River, selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Its brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous. But for Deschutes, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of “Bravely Done!”

Deschutes Brewery Bend OR www.deschutesbrewery.com Gluten Free North West Pale Ale 5 ABV 45 IBU  The terms “gluten-free” and “award-winning” haven’t often gone together, but don’t tell Deschutes that. This beer took silver at the GABF in 2010. The sweet fermentables in this beer came from rice syrup, local honey and a slight amount of dark Belgian candi syrup for color. Four additions of hops – Nugget, Crystal, Saphir and Galaxy – provide ample bitterness and hop flavor. Fermented slightly warm with a Weiss yeast strain, the herb meadowsweet was added to provide earthy, herbal floral notes. Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That’s why it started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River, selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Its brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous. But for Deschutes, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of “Bravely Done!”

Dick’s Brewing Co. Centralia WA www.dicksbeer.com Dick’s Dubbel Trouble Belgian Dubbel  8 ABV 40 IBU Belgian Dubbels are rich, complex, malty beers, and Dick knows Dubbels. 2-Row malted barley, Munich malt, aromatic malt and Special B provide a multi-faceted malt base with sweet, biscuity flavors, and a moderate Northwest touch. Magnum (bittering) and Mt. Hood (flavor and knockout) hops provide balance to all that sweet goodness. Get a driver, this one’s high alcohol. Dick’s Brewery recalls the simplicity of an earlier age – an age when folks took pride in the pleasures of work and the joys of craftsmanship. Dick’s opened its 15-barrel brew house in 1994 next to Northwest Sausage & Deli, Dick’s other business, where it prepares Old World style sausages in modern electric forced air smokehouses.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE www.dogfish.com Positive Contact Experimental Beer  9 ABV 20 IBU You’re ahead of the rest of the country if you’re tasting Positive Contact, since it hasn’t been released to the public yet. So secret is the recipe that they won’t tell us how it obtains its golden hue or which hops, lightly applied, provide its mild bitterness and hop flavor. A long track record of success suggests that you’ll be proud to be among the first to try it – and will consider yourself one lucky dog. Dogfish Head, Delaware’s first brewpub, produces “off-centered ales for off-centered people” including 120-minute IPA, Punkin Ale and Raison d’Etre. The original brewery, founded in 1995, produced only 12-gallon batches; in 1999, the company moved into a 100,000-foot former cannery, now producing 20 styles of beer sold in 30 states. The brewery takes its name from Dogfish Head, Maine, where founder Sam Calagione spent summers as a child.

Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom Hood River OR www.doublemountainbrewery.com Goliathon Dark American-Belgo-Style Ale 11 ABV 28 IBU  Starting with soft Mt. Hood water (you might have skied over this beer!), the brewers add German Carafa and roasted barley to the base malt for color and flavor. A blend of Inglemunster yeast plus a house strain from Rochefort ferments this moderately hopped strong brown ale, blending U.S. and Belgian craftsmanship for a brew that’ll treat you well as you sip deep into the night. Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom opened on St Patrick’s Day 2007. A “brewers’ brewery,” with an uncompromising focus on beer quality, founders Matt Swihart and Charlie Devereux together bring four decades of expertise to the kettle. Find their beers in over 200 bars and taverns around Oregon, or in their very own Hood River taproom, newly remodeled with expanded seating!

Dunedin Brewery Dunedin FL www.dunedinbrewery.com IPA Chronicle: FL-Oregon Trail American-Style India Pale Ale 7.5 ABV 125 IBU Dunedin makes its debut at the OBF with a complex, high-gravity IPA and record-setting bitterness (an off-the-chart 125 IBUs). Sweet orange peel complements the Summit, Pacifica and Nelson Sauvin hops added in extreme proportions to overcome the high gravity produced by 2-Row pale, biscuit, Munich 20, Carafoam and Crystal 80L malts. Florida orange blossom honey adds flavor and fermentables to generate that high alcohol. While new to the OBF, Dunedin is Florida’s oldest craft brewery, producing small, 20 barrel batches primarily for the Tampa Bay draft market. Seven year-round brews include an Apricot Peach Ale, Red Ale and Nitro Stout, while seasonals include a Maibock, The Bard (a heavy Scotch ale) and a dry hopped lager known as “Three Coins.” Its beer visits Oregon only rarely, so give it a friendly welcome.

Eel River Brewing Co. Fortuna CA www.eelriverbrewing.com Climax Extra Pale 5.2 ABV 40 IBU  Like all Eel River brews, Climax is all-organic, and proof that organic brews are at least as flavorful as their non-organic competitors. The unique Zythos hop blend, designed for American IPAs, is used exclusively and provides distinct tangerine, citrus, floral, pine and grapefruit tones. A simple malt bill of organic 2-Row and organic wheat provide the fermentables and the clear golden hue. Eel River is America’s first certified organic brewery. Located in a former old growth redwood mill just down the road from its Humboldt County brewpub, the facility is powered completely by renewable, bio-mass energy. Take a break from all that camping and hiking when you’re in the area and sample its fine ales in the tap room “behind the Redwood curtain.”

Electric Brewing Bisbee AZ www.electricbrewing.com Electric Beer German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style  5 ABV 35 IBU Weyermann Pils, Castle Cara 8 and Castle Pils malts are double-decocted to produce a fully-flavored but light, golden lager. Highly quaffable for summer, it’s moderately hopped with delicate Mt. Hood hops in the boil for bitterness, Hallertauer toward the end for flavor, and Sterling hops at the finish for a delicate aroma and spicy finish. Arizona’s first micro, Electric Brewing opened in 1988 in an isolated mountain town of 6,000 just five miles from the Mexican border. Electric doesn’t enter competitions and “doesn’t believe in styles,” preferring to let the beers speak for themselves. Visit its taproom to try its coffee-esque Electric Dark stout or OK Ale, a classic American Amber.

Elysian Brewing Co. Seattle WA www.elysianbrewing.com Space Dust IPA 7.2 ABV 62 IBU Castle Pale Ale, Great Western C-15 and DextraPils malts give this full-bodied IPA its light amber hue and its serious alcohol kick, while a continuous series of additions of Chinook, Citra and Amarillo hops provide a balancing hop bitterness, flavor and aroma profile. Fermented fairly dry, you’ll taste citrusy hops on the finish, great for quenching a summer thirst. Founded in 1996, three-time Great American Beer Festival Large Brewpub of the Year winner Elysian Brewing now brews 20 beers at a time at its three Seattle locations. In addition to producing classic examples of the great beer styles, the brewers also love to experiment with ingredients such as Jasmine flowers, peppercorns, pumpkins and spices.

Epic Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT www.epicbrewing.com Epic Hop Syndrome Lager Session Beer 4.8 ABV 29 IBU Epic makes a splash worthy of its name with this highly quaffable, moderately-hopped beer whose 4.8% alcohol content is low only by craft beer standards. It may be the only beer in the festival using French hops (Aramis) which, added to the hopback, provide a delicate, herbal German noble hop type aroma with a hint of lemon. Calypso and Crystal hops do the bittering on wort drawn from Weyermann Pils and Munich Malts and Briess 2-Row Carapils. New to the OBF! In 2008, Utah law changed allowing entrepreneurs David Cole and Peter Erickson to pursue their longtime dream of opening a strong beer microbrewery in Utah. With brewmaster Kevin Crompton, the EPIC team has a strong belief in doing everything “all out.” Their “Exponential” series includes Imperial IPA, Double Skull Doppelbock and “Glutenator,” a gluten-free beer made without sorghum.

Fearless Brewing Co. Estacada OR www.fearless1.com Fearless Scottish Ale Scottish-Style Heavy Ale  5.3 ABV 35 IBU  This rich, creamy Scottish-style ale – Fearless’ flagship brew -sports a forward malt nose courtesy of Golden Promise pale and Carastan malts, plus a touch of roast barley for complexity. The heady aroma leads in to a sweet malt palate with gentle fruitiness. The finish is smooth, malty and lingering, and not at all bitter. When Portland homebrewer Ken Johnson decided to go pro, he set up shop in bucolic Estacada, on the scenic upper reaches of the Clackamas River. He serves up excellent pub standards plus rotating seasonal taps along with tasty pub fare in this down-home brewpub that’s a kayaker’s dream after a day on the rapids. Make an offering to the Viking Gods with every pint.

Fire Mountain Brew House Carlton OR www.firemountainbrewery.com Tan Line Summer IPA 5.2 ABV 82 IBU Tan lines are supposed to be gradual, and so are hop additions at Fire Mountain. Centennial and Saaz hops go into the kettle on a secret schedule, but rumor has it they don’t stop once they start. Pilsner and light caramel malts provide the grain base to carry all that hop bitterness. Dry English Ale yeast leaves some malt flavor behind to balance the hops. Fire Mountain turns out 12- to 15-barrel batches of ales (and soon lagers) on a hand-operated steam-controlled system. Longer mash and sparge times maximizes malt flavor. Long fermentations in horizontal tanks adds more unique character to these handmade brews. Spent grains feed the neighbor’s cows and spent hops feed the garden – all so its beers can feed you.

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA www.firestonebeer.com Wookey Jack Rye Ale or Lager with or without Yeast 8.3 ABV 60 IBU A brand-new beer, Wookey Jack is Firestone Walker’s first foray into the dark outer world of black IPAs. Rich, dark Midnight Wheat, Carafa Rye, 2-Row pale, Caramel 77 and spicy rye malts careen into bold, citrus laden Amarillo and Citra hops for an intense, rich flavor. At 60 IBUs, Wookey Jack is gnarly on the outside, yet complex and refined on the inside, left unfiltered and unfined to retain all of its texture and character. Firestone Walker’s ales are selectively fermented in the patented Firestone Union oak barrel brewing system. 60 gallons of the 200-barrel brew ferment for a week in medium-toast American oak barrels. This improves the fullness of the palate, lends a clean briskness to the finish, and imparts unique hints of smokiness and vanilla, as well as a subtle fruitiness to the flavor profile.

Flat Tail Brewing Co. Corvallis OR www.flattailcorvallis.com White Light White Ale American-Style Wheat Wine Ale  8 ABV 20 IBU At 8% alcohol by volume, you might consider this an “Imperial” wheat beer. Weyermann unmalted wheat comprises more than half the grain bill, supplemented by Castle Pils and Weyermann acidulated malts. Lightly hopped with Hersbrucker hops, the brewers created an intensely malt-forward wheat that might challenge your definition of the style. Go Beavers! Flat Tail Brewing’s Sports Pub & Brewery features a full bar, pub/dining room, and plenty of entertainment, from darts to flat screen TVs and OSU memorabilia. Winner of the “People’s Choice Award” for the second year in a row at the KLCC Microbrew Festival 2012 in Eugene, its beer lineup includes Eight Man Amber Ale, Roggenbier (a German style rye) and Jarabe Caliente, brewed with Cacao nibs and chocolate habaneros.

Flyers Restaurant and Brewery Oak Harbor WA www.eatatflyers.com Pacemaker Porter Robust Porter 5.5 ABV  Fast becoming Flyers’ flagship beer, this dark, full bodied ale has notes of roasted barley, coffee and bittersweet chocolate from its grain bill of Maris Otter 2-Row, Munich, wheat, chocolate, brown and Crystal malts along with flaked barley. Challenger hops in the boil are followed by Cascade for citrusy flavor and Mt. Hoods in the finish for aroma. Located in Oak Harbor on beautiful Whidbey Island north of Seattle, Flyers has racked up more than 40 awards for its beers, plus another eight for its pub/restaurant. Pacemaker Porter alone has a dozen accolades. Down one along with its award-winning grub, such the “Best Burger on Whidbey Island.”

Flying Fish Brewing Co. Cherry Hill NJ www.flyingfish.com Exit 16 Wild Rice IPA  8.5 ABV 56 IBU In a nod to a once common food plant at Hackensack Meadows, Flying Fish brewed this beer with wild rice, organic brown rice and white rice, as well as pils and pale malts. That means lots of fermentables – and alcohol – which gets balanced by five additions of hops, including Citra, Columbus, Centennial and Simcoe. Don’t miss this exit! Flying Fish Brewing Co. opened in 1996, the first brewery in Southern New Jersey in more than half a century and now the largest of the state’s 22 breweries. In 2009, Flying Fish launched its Exit Series of 750 ml bottle-conditioned beers celebrating New Jersey’s heritage by naming beers after exits of the turnpike. Now “which exit?” has a whole new meaning!

Fort George Brewery and Public House Astoria OR www.fortgeorgebrewery.com Quick Wit Herb and Spice Beer 5.22 ABV 0 IBU Zero IBUs? Brewed from mostly organic ingredients, the unique flavor of this spicy wheat beer comes from ground organic coriander, dried organic elderflower and organic lemongrass. Organic 2-Row malted barley and organic malted white wheat form the base of this nearly white beer. A touch of Willamette hops along with some dancing and imbibing keep the boil under control. The founders of Fort George crossed the U.S. in a truck, looking for a home for its brewery. In the cornfields of Nebraska, a tornado nearly scattered the truck and its contents to the winds. Fort George tries to impart that same intensity in every pint of beer they brew. Visit its Astoria pub and try its Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, Panamax Porter or its many other tasty brews.

Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR www.fullsailbrewing.com Full Sail Brewers Share Chris’ Summer Delight Berliner Weiss 4 ABV 9 IBU Full Sail’s third beer in the Brewer’s Share Series is an unfiltered, refreshingly tart small batch Berliner Weiss beer, brewed with 50% wheat malt and just a touch of Hersbrucker hops. This German style sour brew with a dry finish is designed for a hot summer day. Also available in 22 oz. bottles, proceeds from sales of this beer benefit the Oregon State University Brewing Sciences Program. Independent, employee-owned Full Sail has been making great beer since 1987. Perched on a bluff in Hood River, OR, “the adrenaline capital of the Northwest,” Full Sail ferments godlike nectar as big as the scenery in the Columbia River Gorge. Full Sail is committed to brewing great beer while adhering to socially and environmentally sustainable practices.

Gigantic Brewing Co. Portland OR www.giganticbrewing.com Dynomite! Double India Pale Ale 8.9 ABV 90 IBU Gigantic amounts of hops, malt, alcohol and flavor. If that isn’t the textbook Imperial IPA, don’t tell Gigantic Brewing – they might not give you any of their high-demand beer. A little bit of Crystal malt is added to lots of base 2-Row pale and as many hops as they could find – especially in the hopback, to make sure you can taste hops in the finish. Did we mention hops? Gigantic is one of the newest kids on Portland’s brewing block, but its already creating quite a buzz. Well-known brewmasters Ben Love and Van Havig started with a single brew, an IPA, but have expanded due to instant, overwhelming demand. Visit their tap room and lounge on SE 26th near Reed College, open seven days a week.

Golden Valley Brewery McMinnville OR www.goldenvalleybrewery.com Rose` de Vallee` 5 ABV 8 IBU Locally-grown Yamhill County raspberries add a sweet-tart fruitiness to this sour-mash beer brewed from Great Western white wheat and Yamhill County grown and malted IdaPils barley from Christensen Farms. A light touch of Czech Saaz hops allows the tartness to come through, accentuated by fermentation with Wyeast Lambic strains of yeast. Under brewmaster Mark Vickery, Golden Valley produces small batches of well-balanced, complex craft beer, including a brut IPA in champagne bottles and the wonderful Tannen Bomb winter warmer. The restaurant features high ceilings, a full bar and fine food, featuring its own Angus Springs beef fed with spent grain from the brewery.

GoodLife Brewing Co. Bend OR www.goodlifebrewing.com Traditions Oak Aged Pale Ale 5.5 ABV 40 IBU  This unique beer is brewed with a process called hop bursting, a technique that extracts flavor and aroma from an all late-addition hopping schedule. By adding large amounts of Cascade, Centennial and Pacific Jade hops after the boil, they are able to retain essential oils that would ordinarily be lost to the ether. Aged in New American oak, the malt bill includes 2-Row, Melanoiden, C-60 and Carafoam. Bend-based GoodLife brewing is all about the outdoors, so make sure to stand outside the tent when sipping their beer today. Co-winners of the 2011 Bend Brew Fest People’s Choice Award, the brewers would love you to come by their Bier Hall to celebrate. When you do, try their Mountain Rescue Dry Hop Pale, Descender IPA or Comatose Imperial IPA.

Green Flash Brewing Co. San Diego CA www.greenflashbrew.com Hop Head Red 7 ABV 70 IBU Hop Head Red has elevated hop levels to the point where some might consider it a “Red IPA.” Whether true or not, it pleased the judges at the GABF (Bronze, 2009 and Silver, 2007) and World Beer Championships (Gold, 2008). Columbus hops for bittering and Nugget and Amarillos in the finish balance the velvety malt flavor from 2-Row, caramel and Carafa malts. Green Flash was founded in 2002 and now brews nine styles of beer regularly, on draught and in bottles, plus seasonal and barrel-aged beers. Prize credentials include five GABF medals, three World Beer Cup medals, a Best in Show at the California State Fair and another at the San Diego International.

Hale’s Ales Brewery and Pub Seattle WA www.halesbrewery.com Hale’s Supergoose IPA 7 ABV 87 IBU Supergoose IPA takes the original Hales Mongoose IPA a bit further – more hops (Centennial, lots of Amarillo, Simcoe and Columbus), more malt (Pale, Crystal 40, Crystal 60, Wheat and Munich) and higher extract. Backed by its huge malt structure, the resulting combination of flavors sets a benchmark for big craft-brewed IPAs. California Ale Yeast does the heavy lifting and allows for a deliciously lingering aftertaste of malt and hops. Hale’s Ales was founded by Mike Hale in 1983; it’s the longest-running continuously-operating independent brewery of any size in the Northwest. Hale’s produces English and American style pub beers with an emphasis on cask-conditioned real ale and seasonal specialties. Try its small-batch specialties in its brewpub in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

Hopworks Urban Brewery Portland OR www.hopworksbeer.com Evelyn’s Imperial Sunshine IPA 7.4 ABV  90 IBU Organic Gambrinus Pilsner malt paired with Magnum hops for bittering; a mix of Cascade, Centennial, Palisade, Summit and Magnum late in the boil and dry-hopping; plus a dose of Cascades in the whirlpool make this light-colored but full-bodied and full-flavored organic brew a crisp, enjoyable summer beer – that packs a wallop. Guzzle carefully. HUB is Portland’s first Eco-Brewpub to offer all organic handcrafted beers, fresh local ingredients, and a sustainable building with a relaxed and casual atmosphere. Come check out the pub, made of all recycled materials, on SE Powell, or its BikeBar in the EcoFlats building on North Williams in Portland’s NoPo beer district.

Kona Brewing Co. Kailua Kona HI www.konabrewingco.com Big Wave Golden Ale Golden or Blonde Ale 4.3 ABV 20 IBU Say Aloha and hang out with this pretty blonde! Two-Row pale malt and Briess Caramel 10L malt give this beer its lightly suntanned appearance. Hops include Alchemy at the beginning of the boil and Citra & Galaxy for dry-hopping, providing a low hop footprint that’ll wash away with the next wave of goodness that splashes across your palate. Located in picturesque Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island, Kona is Hawaii’s largest craft brewery. Its 10,000 barrel annual production covers a full spectrum of styles, flavors, and colors, from the darkest – Da Grind Buzz Kona Coffee Imperial Stout – to the Wailua Wheat.

Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA www.lagunitas.com OBF Fusion Oregon Specialty A special beer for Oregon only. Conceived by Oregon beer lovers, then brewed in Petaluma by Oregonians with a recipe so secret, even the brewers don’t know it. They overcome the risk of brewing blindfolded by hiring seeing-eye dogs to do all of the heavy lifting. In other words, typical Lagunitas beer! From its earliest days of striving to make consistently good beer, and instead making beer that ranged from vile, to barely drinkable, to wonderful, to elegant, to questionable-at-best; from being castigated by its West Marin neighbors to finally suffering an ‘eviction’ by its West Marin septic system; from landing in the welcoming arms of Petaluma, and actually getting its beer into bottles, onto the streets, and into the hands of sympathetic beer geeks. From all this and more, Lagunitas Brewing Company has emerged as a battle-tested brewery capable of making great beer out of goat’s milk, brambles, and asphalt on the surface of the Moon, if need be.

Laurelwood Brewing Co. Portland OR www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com Portlandia Pils Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer 5.5 ABV 50 IBU Van fans, gather round! This “out of category” Pils boasts a special brewing technique – “the patented Van Havig 80 WP residency.” Organic 2-Row and German Kiln Caramel malts provide a playground in the wort for the full gamut of American aroma hops to play, including Columbus, Cascade, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial. Laurelwood is known for exquisite award-winning, certified organic pub beers in four locations in Oregon and SW Washington. Brewing Oregon’s first certified organic beers- and a host of other tasty brews- it’s garnered lots of awards- including Champion Brewery at the 2004 World Beer Cup. The family-friendly, neighborhood pubs also serve up some killer grub.

Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Hood River OR www.logsdonfarmhouseales.com Kili Wit Farmhouse Ale 5.5 ABV Organic African coriander provides the unique spicy flavor and aroma of this farmhouse ale from Dave Logsdon and Charles Porter. Pilsner malt, wheat and oats mashed in artesian spring water form the rich wort lightly bittered by a modest dose of whole cone organic Oregon hops. Round, rich and sweet, this one’s for the malt lovers. A traditional farmhouse brewery located in Hood River County on a small farm, Logsdon also grows some of the hops used in its handcrafted beer. Truly handcrafted in every sense of the term, its ales all fall into the farmhouse ale tradition and include Seizoen, Seizoen Bretta, and Peche ‘n’ Brett, a Seizoen Bretta oak aged and loaded with tons of local organic peaches.

Lompoc Brewing Co. Portland OR www.lompocbrewing.com Saison the Beach French-Style Bière de Garde 5.5 ABV  25 IBU With perhaps the most unique spice mix at the festival, this beer’s modest hop bill of Perle and Crystal takes a back seat to the grapefruit zest, black peppercorns and candied ginger. Pale, Weyermann Pils, wheat, biscuit and rye malts provide an equally complex grain bill, yielding a full-flavored brew with a dry, spicy finish. Lompoc Brewing features a family of cozy neighborhood brewpubs throughout Portland. While the original New Old Lompoc on NW 23rd is on a year-long hiatus for a much-needed remodel, you can still enjoy its brews and grub at the Hedge House, Oaks Bottom Public House, Fifth Quadrant and Sidebar. Favorites include the LSD, C-Note Imperial Pale, Kick Axe Dry Hopped Pale Ale and Proletariat Red.

Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. Portland OR www.luckylab.com Ale X Experimental Beer (Lager or Ale)  6 ABV 81 IBU  This beer’s complex flavor comes from a deceptively simple grain bill (pale, dark Munich and Crystal 15) and an even simpler hop schedule (Simcoe and CTZ), but at 81 IBUs on top of 62 original gravity points, its hop-centric nature will strike you as anything but simple. Don’t let the coppery color fool you – this one’s a hop monster. The Lucky Labrador Brew Pub opened its doors in 1994 in an old timbered warehouse just over the Hawthorne Bridge from downtown Portland. Now with three satellite pubs in Multnomah Village, Northwest Portland, and the Overlook neighborhood, Brewer Alex Stiles and crew churn out over 2,200 barrels of ale each year. Enjoy simple, yet excellent pub fare and a pint with Fido in the dog-friendly outdoor beer gardens.

Maui Brewing Co. Lahaina HI www.mauibrewingco.com La Perouse White Witbier 5.1 ABV 18 IBU This award-winning brew (silver, 2011 GABF and bronze, 2012 World Beer Cup) is spiced with coriander and fresh local mandarin oranges. Pilsner and wheat malts provide the nearly white hue and soft malty flavor, and noble German Tettnang hops provide a gentle spiciness and mild bitterness that leaves plenty of room to taste those special ingredients. Talk about a dream job – brewing in Maui! Located next door to the Sugar Cane train depot in Lahaina, Maui’s brewers mix surf and suds to make great award-winning beer. Its beloved Coconut Porter took Gold at the 2009 San Diego International Beer Competition and Bronze at the 2009 US Open Beer Championship.

McMenamins John Barleycorns Portland OR www.mcmenamins.com Freewill IPA 8.25 ABV 80 IBU Huge on all fronts, this beer’s grain bill of Gambrinus organic Pilsner, Franco-Belges, caramel and Vienna malts work overtime to yield that huge original gravity, but the hop bill more than meets the challenge, with 80 IBUs worth of Simcoe at first wort hopping; Chinook for bittering; Chinook, Crystal and Perle for flavor; and all of them again for aroma. This makes for lots of alcohol, so imbibe with care. Holder of “The Belt,” the prize for the annual McMenamins’ Hillsdale Brewfest, John Barleycorns is reminiscent of the famous album and song by Traffic, “John Barleycorn Must Die.” But did you know that the character first appeared in a ballad by 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns? Visit the cozy, dark pub or the garden terrace for a McMenamins brew and you’ll

discover that barleycorn is still very much alive and brewing in the empire.

Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant Novato CA www.moylans.com Pomegranate Wheat Ale Fruit Beer 5 ABV 8 IBU The hop levels in this wheat beer are kept low so you can taste the delicate flavor of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice that gives this beer its unique fruit flavor. Great Western wheat and Gambrinus pale malts give the beer its base and golden color. Brendan Moylan opened this 20-barrel brewery in 1995, now boasting eight 40-barrel fermenters and a 20-barrel bright tank. Moylan’s brews about 20 different styles of beer with an annual output of more than 4,000 barrels. Stop by and enjoy a pint or take home a 22 oz. bottle Kiltlifter Scotch Ale, Dragoons Dry Irish Stout, Tipperary Pale Ale or Hopsickle Imperial Ale.

Mt. Emily Ale House La Grande OR www.mtemilyalehouse.com Organic Strawberry Honey Ale Fruit Beer 5.3 ABV 15 IBU Organic strawberries and organic honey (from organic bees, natch) add special sweetness but also an exceptionally dry finish to this all-organic brew. A simple grain bill of organic 2-Row malt provides the wort, bittered and flavored by an early and a late addition of, you guessed it, organic Cascade hops. How can this beer not be good for you? Housed in a building erected as the US National Bank in 1900, Mt Emily Ale House was opened in 2009 by two homebrewers realizing their life-long dream. As the only current brewery in Union County, it’s helping to bring back a tradition of small local breweries producing fresh brewed beer. Try its English-style ales and gourmet pizzas, salads and sandwiches next time you’re in La Grande. Or what the heck – make a special trip.

Natian Brewery Portland OR www.natianbrewery.com Elephante’ Red Ale  7 The brewers are secretive about this recipe, admitting only that it reaches a robust 7% alcohol, has a reddish-copper color and is loaded with Falconer’s Flight, Xythos, Millennium, Centennial, Northern Brewer and Palisades hops. The “elephant” in the name should provide a clue, though – this is a big beer. Bring a big, empty mug. With a motto of “Brewing (nearly) one pint at a time,” this 1.3-barrel “nano-brewery” is the smallest brewery at the festival; not for long, however, as new tanks were recently delivered, so you can expect lots more beer from Natian in the future. Founder Ian McGuinness will continue to brew like mad to get his beers into the pubs you like to patronize.

New Belgium Brewing Fort Collins CO www.newbelgium.com Somersault Golden Ale 5.2 ABV 28 IBU Pale malt, oats and Crystal 80L keeps this beer simple but full of body-enhancing protein. Equally simple is the hop bill – Centennial in two additions. The special flavors you detect come from the creative use of apricot and ginger, lending a touch of sweet fruitiness with the zingy spiciness of a fine ginger ale. From Fat Tire to Skinny Dip, New Belgium brews the gamut of rich-tasting beers friendly to your health and that of the planet’s. From wind-power to bio-diesel, and recycling heat to recycling water, the company know it’s not just about brewing great beers, but making sure that future generations can too!

Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR www.ninkasibrewing.com Lady of Avalon International-Style Pilsener 5.2 ABV 20 IBU Ninkasi used all German malt from Weyermann (Pils, Munich, Caramunich and Dehusked Carafe) to concoct this Prussian-style brew. Two early additions of U.S. Hallertau hops provide a spicy balance. This beer was lagered for two months before being centrifuged, and then lagered another two months for a clean, crisp tasting experience at the festival. Ninkasi Brewing strives to make incredibly high quality and creative beers for the surrounding village. When they aren’t making and selling beer, Ninkasi’s crew focuses on supporting the wonderful cultural aspects of the community by supporting all the arts, non-profit organizations and those who pursue creative passions and joy.

Oakshire Brewing Eugene OR www.oakbrew.com 25 Imperial Oregon Ale 7.5 ABV 25 IBU Celebrating 25 outstanding years of the Oregon Brewers Fest, Oakshire crafted a beer to celebrate the bounty in our state. Made with 25 ingredients including Oregon grown grains and hops, locally sourced honey, herbs, toasted hazelnuts, cranberries and more, 25 is a light to medium bodied amber ale with bright citrus aromas, a nutty malt character, a hint of fresh herbs and a clean, crisp finish. Founded in October 2006 by brothers Jeff and Chris Althouse, Oakshire Brewing is a 15-barrel production brewery dedicated to making fine craft beer. What began as a homebrewing hobby and a love of beer has turned into award-winning beer on draft and in bottles throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Occidental Brewing Co. Portland OR www.occidentalbrewing.com Occidental Kellerbier (Cellar Beer) 4.9 ABV 25 IBU Kellerbier, also known as Zwickelbier, is a unfiltered, unpasteurized brew of German origin. Pilsen and Carapils malt form the simple grist bill, while the wort is moderately bittered with Tettnanger hops for a slightly spicy flavor and aroma. The Budvar yeast strain yields a malty nose with subtle fruit tones. The yeast held in suspension makes it naturally cloudy – and full of vitamins. Get your vitamin B here! One of the newest breweries in Portland, Occidental Brewing opened its kettles in 2011, specializing in continental beer styles and focusing mainly on classic German brews. Unusual for a Portland brewery, it doesn’t brew an IPA! It does, however, brew Kölsch, Altbier, Hefeweizen and Dunkel as well as this special OBF brew. Some 30 establishments in town offer its beer on tap, and you can fill pints, growlers or kegs at the brewhouse.

Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO www.odellbrewing.com St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale 6.5 ABV 46 IBU St. Lupulin, the patron saint of hopheads, devotes endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within the hop cone’s lupulin. Extraordinary oils in this yellow resin provide this dry-hopped extra pale ale with an undeniably pleasing floral aroma and clean, crisp finish. One sip of this seasonal summer ale and you, too, will believe. Beer and beer only – that’s Odell Brewing’s focus. Its hoping patrons will also focus on the food or the atmospheric pub with dart room that they can pair their brews up with. Started in 1989, the brewery’s grown steadily to a 45,000 square foot plant producing 45,000 barrels a year – one barrel per square foot! Try its Easy Street Wheat, Levity Amber or Cutthroat Porter.

Old Market Pub and Brewery Portland OR www.drinkbeerhere.com Cherried Alive Fruit Beer 7.8 ABV 19 IBU 700 pounds of Oregon organic sweet and tart cherries in the secondary fermenter, on top of a five-grain malt bill, weren’t sufficient enough to make this beer stand out for the Old Market brewers. They then aged much of the brew in Pinot Noir oak barrels with even more cherries – 900 pounds in all. Low hop levels let you better taste the fruit and oaky, smoky notes. The Old Market Pub and Brewery is cranking out delicious all-organic beers in its 15-barrel brewery. It’s also sporting an all new interior that still features a huge dining room, bar and outdoor deck, all of which provide a relaxing environment to pair its beers with a tasty meal.

Omission Portland OR www.omissionbeer.com Omission Pale Ale  5.8 ABV 33 IBU  This hop-forward American pale ale was brewed to showcase the Cascade hop profile. Amber in color, Omission’s floral aroma is complemented by caramel malt body, with bready, toasty and toffee-like malt flavors balanced by a moderate bitterness that leaves behind subtle hints of citrus. We challenge you to blind taste test this beer against any other of the same style and tell us which one contains under 20 ppm of glutens (the international standard for gluten-free). The newest member of the Craft Brewers Alliance, Omission’s mission is to “omit” the gluten so everyone of legal age – including folks who are gluten-intolerant – can enjoy a delicious beer. But it doesn’t omit the barley – nor the flavor. Instead, it is the first brewery in the U.S. to focus exclusively on brewing great tasting craft brews based on traditional ingredients, including malted barley specially crafted to remove gluten.

Oregon Trail Brewery Corvallis OR www.oregontrailbrewery.com Oregon Trail Lavender Ale Herb and Spice Beer  4.9 ABV 28 IBU Oregon Trail concocted the starting wort from pale, wheat and Crystal malts. They lightly bittered it with Nugget hops in the boil and flavored it with Mt. Hoods late in the boil and at knockout. After fermentation, they infused the finished beer with crushed lavender flowers for a unique floral, spicy flavor and aroma. If you haven’t given your partner flowers lately, give them one of these – it may be your chance to redeem yourself. Founded in 1987, Oregon Trail is the third oldest brewery in Oregon. The brewery, located in a three-story gravity fed building in downtown Corvallis, currently harbors one of the nation’s youngest brewmasters, having started at the age of 20. Oregon Trail brews an IPA, Ginseng Porter, Northern English Brown Ale, and “Beavertail” Pale Ale year round, along with a number of seasonals.

Paradise Creek Brewery Pullman WA www.paradisecreekbrewery.com Dirty Blonde Golden Ale  6.3 ABV 22 IBU If you like big, brassy dirty blondes, or think you can tame them, wrap your lips around this one. All-local grains (Northwestern pale with additions of Vienna, Munich, Crystal 15 and Dextra Pils) give this girl a great body and coppery hue. Perle and Cascade hops, both from the Yakima Valley, modestly applied, keep this girl from getting too bitter. Founded in the historic Old Post Office building in downtown Pullman in 2010, Paradise Creek enjoys the benefits of drawing all of its hops from the Yakima Valley, practically in its backyard. It supplements the tasty fresh beer with great pub grub and a 12-foot HD screen for watching the big Wazzou game. Try its Sacred Cow Milk Stout or the Hopocalypse Imperial Black IPA next time you’re in town.

Pelican Pub & Brewery Pacific City OR www.pelicanbrewery.com Winema Wit Wit 5.1 ABV 18 IBU Want to know a secret? This brew is loaded with them. Named after a local hidden beach with expansive views and its own distinct rock formation, this brew celebrates the best of summer. Fermented with Belgian yeast, Winema Wit is seasoned with orange peel, coriander and cardamom for a snappy, refreshing and fruity-spicy character. Winema Wit may soon become your new favorite discovery. Pelican Pub has one of the most inspirational settings of any brewpub, on the Oregon coast beside beautiful Cape Kiwanda. It is also one of the most awarded breweries in the industry, with hundreds of national and international awards later. It’s no surprise people keep coming back to Pacific City for the beer.

Phat Matt’s Brewing Co. Redmond OR www.phatmattsbrew.com Kölsch Ale German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style  4.9 ABV 30 IBU Pilsner and Golden Promise amber malts form the simple malt backbone of this light, refreshing golden-hued brew. Nugget hops are sparingly added to the boil along with some Cascade for flavoring, and a bit more for dry-hopping. The beer is then cold fermented for maximum smoothness and pure summer refreshment. Phat Matt’s philosophy is, phrankly, to have some phun with this whole phreaking brewing thing. Located in beautiful Central Oregon, Phat Matt’s brewery benefits tremendously from the purity of its pristine natural water source. Pure glacier fed water flows completely submerged into the volcanic aquifer, providing a pristine source to make its IPA, Red, Golden and other ales.

Prodigal Son Brewery & Pub Pendleton OR www.prodigalsonbrewery.com Splendor in the Glass V: The Splendor Under the Stairs American-Style Pale Ale  6.2 ABV 36 IBU This highly quaffable American pale ale begins life as 2-Row, Vienna, Maris Otter and Carapils malts in the mash tun. Exclusive use of Calypso hops in the boil and for dry-hopping provides ample bittering, as well as a pleasant, fruity aroma, with hints of pear and apple. Moderate hop levels keep the beer drinkable and balanced. Located at the foothills of the beautiful Blue Mountains in Pendleton, the Prodigal Son is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of grain, hops and yeast. From its dry-hopped Northwest IPA to its malt-heavy porter, Prodigal Son incorporates regional ingredients into beers that go beyond convention. The same goes for the pub’s great nosh menu. Head east!

Pyramid Breweries Portland OR www.pyramidbrew.com Outburst Imperial IPA 8.5 ABV 80 IBU Pyramid stuffs hops into every part of this beer, from the beginning of the boil right on through after it has finished fermenting. Nearly four pounds of hops are added per barrel of beer produced. The grain bill of pale, Munich, Cara-red, Caramel 40 and Caramel 80 malts yields a rich, slightly nutty malt flavor and a light copper hue. Big but balanced, expect long lines for this one. Pyramid has been brewing quality craft ales and lagers in Seattle for over two decades, winning more than 30 GABF medals in that time. Now with breweries in Seattle, Portland and Berkeley, Pyramid continues to brew award-winning wheat beers inspired by Bavarian tradition as well as a variety of craft and seasonal brews.

Ram Restaurant & Brewery Happy Valley OR www.theram.com Berry White Fruit Beer 5 ABV 13 IBU Once you taste this beer, you may find yourself singing in a low baritone about how you can’t get enough of this brew, baby. Pale malt, malted and unmalted wheat, acidulated malt and flaked oats set the stage. A light hand with Vanguard hops provides just enough bitterness to take off the sweet edge. Then raspberries added to secondary fermentation and the brite tank finish the beer with a tart, tangy berry flavor. The Ram is a family-owned, family-friendly family of brewpubs with an award-winning lineup of ales and lagers, complemented by superior quality food and services with gracious hospitality. “Bigger, Better, Fresher” is not only its slogan – it’s a promise. Its commitment to quality has won the brewery multiple awards.

Red Rock Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT www.redrockbrewing.com Red Rock Elephino Double IPA  8 ABV  89 IBU This beer’s big malt footprint comes from generous doses of premium 2-Row pale malt, 60L Crystal, Munich and CaraFoam. The resulting wort is blasted with multiple doses of Cluster, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Amarillo hops, providing an intense citrusy character and bracing bitterness to overcome the massive malt flavor and body. Located just steps from the Salt Palace Convention Center, Red Rock Brewing was established in 1994 out of an old dairy warehouse. Red Rock has since become a staple in the downtown Salt Lake City restaurant scene. Try its unique brews such as award winning Red Rock Rêve, the barrel aged Belgian-style tripel; the dandelion-based Paardebloem; and Secale, a Bavarian-style doppelbock.

Redhook Brewery Woodinville WA www.redhook.com Peach Trippel Tripel with fruit added 8.2 ABV 20 IBU Redhook added a half-ton of real fruit peach puree to make a mere 35 barrels of this beer, which is being debuted at the Festival. A four-step mash process on 2-Row, wheat, Munich and Cara-20 malts produced a sweet wort, supplemented with dextrose and Candi sugar in the boil. A gentle dose of Northern Brewer and Saaz hops creates a light but slightly sweet beer with low bitterness to accentuate the aroma and flavor of the fruit. Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker founded Redhook Ale Brewery in Seattle in 1981, although the first Redhook Ale, a spicy Belgian style ale, was not poured until one year later. In 1987, Redhook launched what has since become its flagship ale: ESB. With two state-of-the-art breweries, located in Woodinville, WA and Portsmouth, NH, Redhook has become one of the nation’s largest craft breweries, delivering fresh beer across the country.

Rock Bottom Brewery Portland OR www.rockbottom.com Teddy’s Sunburn Red Kölsch German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style 5.5 ABV 35 IBU This unique beer gets its uncharacteristic-for-style red color from its mix of Pils, Vienna and Carafa II malts. One of the few single-hop beers at the festival, Mt. Hood hops are added at 90, 80, 60, 40, 20 and 0 minutes prior to the end of the boil for a moderately bittered and hop-flavored Cologne-style beer. Rock Bottom is located just a few stumbles away from the festival grounds. It puts together a wide-ranging lineup of interesting, well-made beers to complement its informal American cuisine and a lively bar scene. Under the direction of Charlie Hutchins, the brewers have wide latitude to create inventive brews such as Swan Island Lager and Volksweizen Wheat.

Rogue Ales Newport OR www.rogue.com Rogue 23 Baltic-Style Porter 8.5 ABV 35 IBU Eight different malts, including Great Western 2-Row, Vienna, Crystal 60 and 150, Briess Midnight Wheat, Black Prinz and Weyermann Carafa II, comprise this incredibly complex grain bill, leading to an equally complex beer, despite the simple hop bill of Perle & Crystal. Big in body and dark malt flavor, the moderate hop schedule lets all that malt complexity shine through. Rogue on! Rogue is a small revolution, which expresses itself through handcrafted ales, porters, stouts, lagers and spirits. Known for creativity, flavor and variety, the brewery produces more than 30 beers, many of which are available the Flanders Street Pub, about a mile from the festival grounds, which also houses a microdistillery; and at the Green Dragon across the Morrison Bridge. Do something rogue-ish and join the Rogue Nation.

Russian River Brewing Co. Santa Rosa CA www.rrbeer.com Row 2 / Hill 56 – The Story of Simcoe American-Style Strong Pale Ale 5.8 ABV 40 IBU There are only three farms in the world that grow Simcoe hops. This brew uses all three of them in different parts of the boil to tell the “Story of Simcoe.” IdaPils, Maris Otter, Crystal 20 and Crystal 40 malts set the stage for the story to be told, and California Ale Yeast spins the fermentation part of the tale. Now comes the big finish – in your mug. Russian River is an award-winning brewery from Sonoma County that also gives back to its community via a number of charitable events. The pub has become a community gathering place as well as a beer tourism destination. Demand for Russian River is greater than the supply, but the brewery prefers to grow its business organically while focusing on efficiencies and quality. For now, it is easier to make better beer than it is to make more beer!

Seven Brides Brewing Silverton OR www.sevenbridesbrewing.com Lil’s Pils International-Style Pilsener 5 ABV 33 IBU This traditional bohemian pilsner is light, crisp, and has a floral hop bouquet that balances the complex malty taste of the all German Pilsner, Vienna and Cara Pils malts. A unique blend of hops – Hercules, Sorachi Ale and Hallertau Middle Frau – give it that delicate bouquet and moderate bitterness. Lagering helps keep it smooth. Several years ago, three dads gathered on a Saturday in one of their garages to master the art of brewing. Between them, they had seven daughters and decided they needed to sell enough beer to pay for their daughters weddings – mission accomplished! Each of the daughters has a beer named for her, including Lil’s Pils. The brewery works hard at being environmentally friendly, using only local ingredients, recycling the cooling water sending the spent grain to a local farmer to feed livestock.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA www.sierranevada.com Beer Camp Imperial Pilsner American-Style Pilsener 5.6 ABV 38 IBU Produced especially for the OBF, Beer Camp’s golden color and medium bodied sweetness comes from pale, Europils, Munich and acidulated malts. Magnum, Crystal and Pacifica hops provide a distinctly American bittering and hop flavor profile without going over the top. The result is a refreshing, balanced, crisp pilsner, easy to drink on a hot summer festival day – or to take with you to beer camp. Founded in 1980 and still under original ownership, Sierra Nevada has grown to become one of the largest craft breweries in the country. It uses only whole hops – no pellets or extracts – and takes environmental stewardship seriously, running on a one-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell complex, complemented by seven acres of solar panels, the second largest privately owned solar array in the country.

Sprecher Brewery Glendale WI www.sprecherbrewery.com Sprecher Mai Bock 6 ABV 25 IBU A perennial favorite at the OBF, Mai Bock is Sprecher’s spring seasonal offering, a deceptively strong pale lager that’s big in alcohol and malt flavor, with rich hop character and a light fruit bouquet. Caramel, pale and wheat malts give it the big body and maltiness. Mt. Hood, Tettnanger and Willamette hops spice up the nose and provide just enough bitterness to balance. Eight weeks of aging rounds out this beer’s malty smoothness. Founded in 1985, Sprecher’s was the first microbrewery in Milwaukee, WI since Prohibition. This small, neighborhood brewery was crafted after those founder Randy Sprecher visited in Augsburg, Germany. Sprecher uses old-world brewing methods to make European-style beers as well as gourmet sodas.

Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA www.stonebrew.com Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone, Saison du BUFF Herb and Spice Beer 6.6 ABV 60 IBU Rhymin’ Simon would love this one. Parsley, sage, rosemary and (lemon) thyme, all grown at Stone Farms (Stone’s own organic farm), make this beer more than “fair.” Its grist of pale ale malt, Pilsner malt, wheat malt and flaked rye produces a hearty golden wort, hopped with Centennial for bittering, Amarillo for flavor, and dry hopped with Citra. A Belgian/French Saison yeast adds extra spiciness. Greg Koch and Steve Wagner founded Stone Brewing Co. in 1996 so they could make beers they liked to drink – and they have stuck to that philosophy. A dozen different beers are brewed in the Escondido brewery, including IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ales. Special release beers, made in a single batch only once a year, include Old Guardian Barely Wine, Imperial Russian Stout and the coveted Vertical Epic Ale.

Summit Brewing Co. Saint Paul MN www.summitbrewing.com Unchained #10 Belgian Abbey Ale Strong Ale 8 ABV 30 IBU Pils and Melanoidin malts are teamed up with the uncommon Abbey malt in a step-infusion mash in low pH water, then supplemented with Belgian candi sugar for a drier finish. German noble hops (Saaz and Tettnanger) add moderate bitterness and characteristic floral spiciness to accentuate the malt-forward balance of this beer. Don’t drive after two of these. Founded in 1986, Summit Brewing’s goal is to bring back the remarkable craft beers once brewed throughout the upper Midwest. Summit’s 12 beers, available in 13 states, are all brewed with traditional ingredients and methods in small batches, earning Summit multiple GABF awards.

Terminal Gravity Brewing Enterprise OR www.terminalgravitybrewing.com X IPA Double Hopped Double IPA 7.8 ABV 85 IBU Brewed in collaboration with Double Mountain Brewery from Hood River, the Wallowa Mountain water extracts its malty sweetness (and yeast food) from Belgian Biscuit, Maris Otter and high-color U.S. pale 2-Row malts. Chinook, Styrian Goldings and experimental HBC342 hops are added into the boil, with the Goldings and HBC342s also added in the fermenter for an extra snappy hop flavor. Like an oasis in the desert, Terminal Gravity serves quality, flavorful beers from its home base in tiny Enterprise. Its beers are as big as the scenery of the beautiful Wallowa Mountains under whose shadow they are brewed. TG industriously pumps out enough beer to be in the top 10 Oregon breweries from its tiny homemade five-barrel brewhouse.

Uinta Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT www.uintabrewing.com Hop Notch American IPA 7.3 ABV  80 IBU Bold and refreshing, this IPA combines an abundance of hops with a smooth malt profile. Pale 2-Row, Dark Munich and Crystal 40 malts provide the big fermentable base and light amber/copper color. Five different hops – Galaxy, Chinook, Bravo, Cascade and Apollo – cough up a whopping 80 IBUs for a decidedly hop-forward flavor and aroma profile. Named after an east-west mountain range located in northeastern Utah, Uinta embarked upon its brewing mission in 1993 in a small, renovated mechanic’s garage located in Salt Lake City. Many of Uinta’s beer names are inspired by Utah’s diverse landscapes or have historical significance, such as Cutthroat Pale Ale, King’s Peak Porter and Golden Spike Hefeweizen. Uinta launched its Crooked Line in 2010 – big in taste, alcohol content and packaging (corked 750 ml bottles).

Upright Brewing Co. Portland OR www.uprightbrewing.com Upright Alt 4.5 ABV 30 IBU This rich, dark malt-forward beer gets its deep color and malty flavors from pale, medium caramel, Vienna and chocolate malts. Moderately hopped with German spalt hops, its soft hop palate gets a flavor boost from a careful treatment of minerals added to Portland’s soft Bull Run water to give it a more authentic old-world mouthfeel. Upright Brewing specializes in farmhouse inspired beers rooted in France and Belgium but made with local ingredients and a Pacific Northwest twist. The name is a reference to Charles Mingus, a musician whose compositions defy categorization. Upright uses a special saison yeast and open fermenters to produce beers that are a true hybrid style, sharing Mingus’ spirit of exercising creativity and craft.

Vertigo Brewing Hillsboro OR www.vertigobrew.com Tropical Blonde Fruit Beer 5.1 ABV  15 IBU  100% Key Lime juice gives this unusual beer its unique sweet citrus taste. This medium-strength beer was brewed from Gambrinus 2-Row pale, Rahr wheat, Crystal 10 and Cara Foam malts with flaked barley in the grist. Noble Czech Saaz hops bitter the wort, with Mt. Hoods added at 15 and 30 minutes before knockout for flavor and aroma. Vertigo Brewing was founded in 2008 as Hillsboro’s first nano brewery. Vertigo now produces about 50 barrels per month on its recently installed seven bbl system. Co-founders Mike Haines and Michael Kinion’s passion for brewing outstanding craft beer continues to thrive as their brewery continues to grow. Their beer can now be found in bottles as well as on draft throughout NW Oregon.

Wasatch Beers Salt Lake City UT www.wasatchbeers.com Wasatch White Label Belgian Wit 6 ABV14 IBU Prepare for a white-out! This easy drinking white ale is 6% alcohol by volume and subtlety seasoned with orange peel and coriander. Orange peel, orange granules, coriander and grains of paradise help season the lightly-hopped beer (Mt. Hoods), while the Belgian yeast imparts a slightly phenolic taste and leaves some residual sweetness from the wort of pale, red wheat and pilsner malts as well as flaked barley. Wasatch Beers was formed when Greg Schirf found his way to Utah from Milwaukee, only to discover that his newly adopted home state did not have a brewery of its own. In 1986, Schirf opened the first brewery in the resort town of Park City and named his beers after the majestic Wasatch Mountains that rise just east of Salt Lake City. Today, Wasatch produces a dozen year-round brews as well as seasonals including Polygamy Porter, Evolution Amber and First Amendment Lager.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. Portland OR www.widmerbrothers.com Smooth Cream-N-Ale Specialty Beer 5 ABV 25 IBU The Brothers W always come up with something new for the OBF and this 25th year is no exception. Lemon zest, ginger and milk sugar give this beer a light, spicy flavor and aroma designed to quench thirst on a hot summer’s day while entertaining your taste buds. Pale malt, flaked barley and Carapils generate the golden wort, hopped with Alchemy and Mt. Hood hops. You might suspect other forms of alchemy are at work here as well, turning malt and spices into this golden ale! What started as a dream for two ordinary brothers who loved beer has become a reality for two ordinary brothers who still love beer. Kurt and Rob Widmer helped lead the Pacific Northwest craft beer movement in 1984 when they dreamed of brewing American interpretations of authentic European style beers. The result is a beer industry success story that has yet to be rivaled.