15th Annual Hood River Hops Fest Announces 2018 Brewery Lineup

This Saturday fresh hop beers will be showcased in Hood River, Oregon when the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce hosts the 15th annual Hood River Hops Fest.

Over 60 fresh hop beers from throughout the Pacific Northwest will be the center of attention when the popular Hood River Hops Fest returns to downtown Hood River on Saturday, September 22, 2018. More than 40 breweries will come to Hood River to pour its seasonal fresh hop beers from Noon-8:00pm

For the 2018 edition, nine breweries will make their debut at the Hood River Hops Fest. These breweries include Ancestry Brewing, Ascendant Beer Company, Base Camp Brewing Company, Dwinell Country Ales, Ex Novo Brewing Company, Ferment Brewing Company, Klamath Basin Brewing, Silver Moon Brewing, and West Coast Grocery Company.

In addition to these new breweries many fan favorites will also return showcasing their 2018 fresh hop beers. Hood River Distillers will sample its hopped whiskey created in collaboration with Double Mountain. A small selection of local ciders will also be on tap, along with select wines from Naked Winery.

The Sodbuster Farms’ Lupulus Award – an interactive judging experience for festival attendees – is back for a second year. The inaugural 2017 people’s choice award went to Double Mountain Brewery for its Killer Lion fresh hop beer.

“The Pacific Northwest produces almost 98 percent of the country’s hops, which means that local and regional brewers have easy access to the key ingredient for innovative, world-class fresh-hop beers every year. The Hops Fest is the perfect showcase for these unique brews,” said Mike Glover, CEO of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce in a statement. “In addition to Hops Fest, September is a beautiful time to spend the whole weekend in Hood River to explore everything else that makes our area so special, including hiking, biking, a downtown art walk and fun shopping area, and the Hood River County Fruit Loop, when trees are dripping with apples and pears and fall foliage is at its colorful peak.”

Here’s a peek at the 40+ breweries that will be pouring at the 2018 Hood River Hops Fest.

2018 Hood River Hops Fest Breweries:

Allegory Brewing
Ancestry Brewing
Ascendant Beer Company
Backwoods Brewing Company
Base Camp Brewing Company
Beer Valley Brewing
Big Horse Brew Pub
Breakside Brewery
BridgePort Brewing
Buoy Beer Company
Coalition Brewing
Crux Fermentation Program
Culmination Brewing
Deschutes Brewery
Double Mountain Brewery
Dwinell Country Ales
Everybody’s Brewing Company
Ex Novo Brewing Company
Ferment Brewing Company
Freebridge Brewing
Full Sail Brewing
Georgetown Brewing Company
Gigantic Brewing
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Klamath Basin Brewing
Lucky Labrador Brewing
Migration Brewing
Mt. Hood Brewing Company
Ordnance Brewing
pFriem Family Brewers
RiverBend Brewing
Sedition Brewing Company
Silver Moon Brewing
Solera Brewery
Stickmen Brewing Company
Sunriver Brewing Company
Three Creeks Brewing
Thunder Island Brewing Company
Walking Man Brewing
West Coast Grocery Company
Wild Ride Brewing
Worthy Brewing
Zoiglhaus Brewing Company

Hood River Hops Fest features local cuisine, arts and crafts vendors, and live music. Children are welcome throughout the afternoon from the festival’s opening at Noon until 5:00pm. The venue is open to adults only from 5:00-8:00pm.

Live Music Schedule:

• 12-1:30 p.m. –Tony Smiley
• 2-3:30 p.m. –The Kinky Brothers
• 4-5:30 p.m. –Greenneck Daredevils
• 6-7:45 p.m. –Ural Thomas & the Pain

Advance tickets to the Hood River Hops Fest are now on-sale. Tickets can be purchased in advance at hoodriver.org/hops-fest, or at the entrance the day of the event. Here’s a rundown on the various options.

• 21+ Entry-Only Ticket: $10
• 21+ Beer Garden Ticket: $15 presale; $20 day-of. Includes entry, commemorative glass mug and five 3.5oz. taste tokens
• Under 21: Free admission. Note: The venue is open to adults only from 5 p.m. until closing at 8 p.m.

Traveling to Hood River got a bit easier this summer with the expansion of the Columbia Gorge Express bus service. Getting to and from the Hood River Hops Fest can be a car-free experience by catching the bus from Portland’s Gateway Transit Center. Once in Hood River, it’s a short ride on the Pink Trolley to the Hops Festival site, or people can hail the Hood River Pedicab. The return Columbia Gorge Express bus service from Hood River will run at 2:00pm, 4:10pm and 7:10pm, with the full schedule here.

For additional information on the Hood River Hops Fest please call the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce at (541) 386-2000 or visit the official Hood River Hops Fest website and Facebook page.

15th Annual Hood River Hops Fest
Columbia Parking Lot (between Fifth and Seventh Streets and Cascade Avenue and Columbia Street)
Hood River, OR