Reviewing the Beers at the 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Pleasant overcast skies greeted craft beer fans yesterday when the 28th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival kicked off at Noon. However the festival truly go under way with its annual Oregon Brewers Festival Parade hosted by Lompoc Brewing at Metal Craft. Plus the originators of the OBF Parade were at it once again when Rogue Ales hosted its own parade originating from its Public House in the Pearl District.
Once both parades converged the now larger group made its way into the festival grounds at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. This is when OBF founder Art Larrance made his way to the stage to formally kick of the 28th OBF. Here he announced a check for $15,000 was made out to the Community Transitional School, this year’s OBF charity.
Larrance then went into what to expect in 2016. Next year OBF will be inviting brewers from Japan to attend the 29th Annual festival. Larrance also stated that brewers from the Netherlands and New Zealand will also be invited to begin to make OBF a truly international beer festival. This is some great news!
Then this year’s OBF Brunch host brewery, Lompoc Brewing, announced Laurelwood Brewing will host next year’s brunch. This will be a long parade if it begins at its brewery in the Hollywood area of Portland. As with this year it will most likely be held at a closer venue that Laurelwood has a connection to.
The setup at OBF is similar to that of other years except for the table arrangements inside each of the two large tents. Organizers relocated the long tables from under the tents to outside of the tents along the fence that borders the Willamette River. In its place are now tall bar tables that make for a much better festival experience. This allows more easy movement getting in and our of the tents.
Now on to the beers at the 2015 OBF. This year’s festival features 89 beers pouring from the United States and one from Canada. Fifteen additional beers from the Netherlands and New Zealand accent this. However, on Wednesday only 11 of these 15 international beers were pouring which is a great way in OBF’s marketing to entice its patrons to return. This will work for us as we plan on returning the the fest on a few more occasions.
When one breaks down the 90 regular OBF offerings there are beers that are truly unique to the festival and others that are part of the brewery’s year round or seasonal lineup. OBF is a respected festival and deserves the beers submitted by breweries to either be rare or brewed just for OBF itself. When so many breweries would welcome its involvement in this fest it is not too much to ask for.
This year a few Brewpublicans did their “job” tasting their way through all of the beers that are unique to this year’s OBF. Beginning at Trailer 1 and working our way to Trailer 10 we did our service to you on recommending the beers one should DRINK and beers that we recommend to AVOID. Of course this is all based on personal taste, some may say we have a good palate while others may question it. Plus as the day progressed our palates too suffered from a bit of fatigue but all in the group were part of a consensus in the evaluation. If a beer has a strikethrough over it this means that the beer is readily available in the marketplace. Here are our results beginning at Trailer 1 and ending at Trailer 10.
Trailer 1
- Coalition Brewing Co: Honey Trap – DRINK
- Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom: Homestead – DRINK
- Great Divide Brewing Co: Whitewater – DRINK
- Hale’s Ales: Supergoose IPA
- Laht Neppur Brewing Co: Flaming Peach – DRINK
- Maui Brewing Co: Kihei Kölsch – DRINK
- PINTS Brewing Co: Honey’s Bunches of Oats – DRINK
- StormBreaker Brewing: Mississippi Red Dry Hopped Red
- Walking Man Brewing: Littlefoot ISA
Trailer 2
- Bear Republic Brewing Co: Double Aught – DRINK
- Breakside Brewery: Rainbows & Unicorns – DRINK
- Collaborator/Widmer: Vanilla Valley Pale Ale – AVOID
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co: Pivo Pils
- Gigantic Brewing Co: Kölschtastic – DRINK
- Kona Brewing Co: Big Wave
- Logsdon Brewing Co: Aberrant
- Omission Beer: Free Radical Lager – AVOID
- Widmer Brothers Brewing: Widmeritaville – AVOID
Trailer 3
- Buoy Beer Co: India Pale Lager – DRINK
- Burnside Brewing Co: Smoked Berliner Weiss – AVOID
- Ecliptic Brewery: Aurora Crimson Saison
- Eel River Brewing Co: Emerald Triangle Session IPA – DRINK
- Fort George Brewery & Public House: Summer Stout – DRINK
- Hop Valley Brewing Co: Pils to pay the Bills – DRINK
- Lompoc Brewing Co: Saison de l’Evolution
- Old Town Brewing Co: 1-Up Mushroom Ale – DRINK
- Upright Brewing Co: Golden Goat – DRINK
Trailer 4
- Boundary Bay Brewery: Double Dry Hopped Sorachi Ace Pale Ale – DRINK
- Laurelwood Brewing Co: Hipster Sunburn – DRINK
- Mazama Brewing Co: Rasplendent – DRINK
- Port Townsend Brewing Co: The S.H.I.P. – DRINK
- Prodigal Son Brewery: Huckleberry Wheat – DRINK
- Seven Brides Brewing: Crooked Finger IPA – AVOID
- Sixpoint Brewery: Little Raspy – DRINK
- Uptown Brewing: USA (Uptown Session Ale)
- Wasatch Brewery: Ghostrider White IPA – AVOID
Trailer 5
- Anderson Valley Brewing Co: The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose
- Bison Organic Beer: Kermit the Hop
- Boneyard Beer: Bone Light
- Caldera Brewing Co: Caldera Dry Hop Mosaic IPA – AVOID
- Epic Brewing Co: Hop Syndrome
- Fearless Brewing Co: Strawberry Cream Ale – AVOID
- Lost Abbey: Witches Wit – DRINK
- Speakeasy Ales & Lagers: Baby Daddy IPA
- Terminal Gravity Brewing: Wallow Lake Lager
International Beer Tent
- Garage Project: Death from Above – NOT POURING ON WEDNESDAY
- Garage Project: Venusian Pale Ale – DRINK
- Kaapse Brouwers: Kaapse Koen – AVOID
- Maximus: Salvator – DRINK
- Oedipus Brewing: Vogelen – NOT POURING ON WEDNESDAY
- Oedipus Brewing: Mannenliefde – DRINK
- Oedipus Brewing: Thai Thai Tripel – NOT POURING ON WEDNESDAY
- Oersoep: Brettalicious – NOT POURING ON WEDNESDAY
- Panhead Custom Ales: Johnny Octane – DRINK
- ParrotDog: RiwakaSecret – DRINK
- Ramses Bier: Antenne Tripel – DRINK
- Rooie Dop & RUIG: Smoked Session Oatmeal Stout – AVOID
- Tuatara Brewing: Sauvinova – DRINK
- Uiltje Crafty Beer: CC:Porter – AVOID
- Yeastie Boys: Gunnamatta – DRINK
Trailer 6
- Alameda Brewing Co: Alameda Black Bear Stout
- Ambacht Brewing: Matzobrau – DRINK
- Base Camp Brewing Co: Hop in the ‘Pool Helles
- Green Flash Brewing Co: Soul Style IPA
- Klamath Basin Brewing Co: Spud Muffin Pale Ale – DRINK
- Melvin Brewing: Hamber – DRINK
- Payette Brewing Co: Leaning Barb Farmhouse Ale – DRINK
- Sunriver Brewing Co: Oh MANdarin! White IPA – AVOID
- Vertigo Brewing: Lemongrass Wheat – DRINK
Trailer 7
- Calapooia Brewing Co: Santiamber
- Central City Brewers & Distillers: Red Betty Imperial IPA
- Fire Mountain Brewery: Paradise – DRINK
- Fish Brewing Co: Fish in a Barrel – DRINK
- Flat Tail Brewing Co: Big Green – DRINK
- Flying Fish Brewing Co: Cold Pressed Pale Ale – AVOID
- No-Li Brewhouse: Mosh Pit – DRINK
- Three Creeks Brewing Co: Hop Damme – DRINK
- Victory Brewing Co: Prima Pils
Trailer 8
- Ballast Point Brewing Co: Grunion Pale Ale
- BridgePort Brewing Co: Conviction Pale Ale
- Deschutes Brewery: Red Wheat – AVOID
- Deschutes Brewery: Gluten Free – DRINK
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: Glancing Blow English Pale Ale – DRINK
- Fremont Brewing Co: Summer Ale – DRINK
- Full Sail Brewing Co: Session IPA
- Gilgamesh Brewing: Radler
- Sprecher Brewery: Abbey Triple – DRINK
Trailer 9
- Cascade Brewing: Frite Gaulois – DRINK
- Hopworks Urban Brewery: Evie Radshine – DRINK
- Lagunitas Brewing Co: Sucks 366 – DRINK
- Mad River Brewing Co: Jamaica Sunrise ESB – AVOID
- McMenamins Edgefield Brewery: Quatrophenia ISA – DRINK
- New Belgium Brewing Co: B-Side Peach IPA – AVOID
- Portland Brewing Co: Super S.M.A.S.H. – DRINK
- Rogue Ales: Imperial Smoked Lager – DRINK
- Worthy Brewing Co: A Walk on the Wild Side – AVOID
Trailer 10
- Bayern Brewing: Dump Truck Summer Bock – DRINK
- Bent Paddle Brewing Co: Paddle Break Blonde – DRINK
- Boulder Beer Co: Nothing too Fancy – DRINK
- Claim 52 Brewing: Runnermass – DRINK
- Dunedin Brewery: Mango Makrut Paradiso – AVOID
- GoodLife Brewing Co: Jay Bird – DRINK
- Lucky Labrador Brewing: 20th Anniversary IPA – AVOID
- Viking Braggot Co: Gypsy Tears – AVOID
- Wild Ride Brewing: Quencher – DRINK
OBF continues through Sunday, July 26, opening each day at Noon and closing at 9:00pm except for Sunday when the festival closes at 7:00pm. Token and glass sales close one-half hour prior to the taps shutting off (8:30pm daily, except 6:30pm Sunday). Be sure & use the mobile guide at http://www.coaster.me – sort by trailer, color, ABV and IBU. Plus it track the beers you like!
Check our our photo recap of Day 1 at the Oregon Brewers Festival below.
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.
I like the list and generally agree. But, I for one enjoyed Flying Fish’s Cold Press Pale.
FYI, Crooked Finger and Matzobrau can be bought in bottles at several grocery stores. Also, it seemed to be a lot more “generally available” beers this year than in years past.
Great list. My two cent rebuttal – CC:Porter was fun and worth trying. Flaming Peach was way unbalanced in the spiciness (where’s the peach?), and is an easy ‘avoid’.
Our group that were doing the tastings had not yet tried both Crooked Finger and Matzobrau so we decided to do so at the fest. This is why a few that are already in the marketplace were sampled. But thanks for the note!
To me the CC:Porter had too much of an artificial coconut taste. Regarding the Flaming Peach this was probably our 7th beer sampled. It was highly carbonated and this helped offset the spice. I got some peach, much more so than form the New Belgium/Hopworks Peach IPA. This is what is great about the many nuances of craft beer, all palates are different and unique.
Hope you enjoyed the fest!