Reviewing the Beers at the 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival

Oregon Brewers Fesival ceremonial keg of Lompoc Pamplemousse

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.

Art Larrance thanks the weather gods for great weather at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Art Larrance thanks the weather gods for great weather at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival

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.

Cascade Brewing's Ron Gansberg and John Foyston
Cascade Brewing’s Ron Gansberg and John Foyston

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.

Oregon Brewers Festival International Beer Garden
Oregon Brewers Festival International Beer Garden

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.

Rogue Parade at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Rogue Parade at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Unipiper part of the Rogue Parade for the Oregon Brewers Festival
Unipiper part of the Rogue Parade for the Oregon Brewers Festival
The Rogue Parade at the Oregon Brewers Festival
The Rogue Parade at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Rogue Ales Brett Joyce waiting on the Official Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
Rogue Ales Brett Joyce waiting on the Official Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
The two 2015 OBF Parades meet
The two 2015 OBF Parades meet
Co-Grand Marshal Rob Widmer in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
Co-Grand Marshal Rob Widmer in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
Co-Grand Marshal Kurt Widmer in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
Co-Grand Marshal Kurt Widmer in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
OBF founder Art Larrance in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade
OBF founder Art Larrance in the Oregon Brewers Festival Parade with his daughter Alissa
The ceremonial Oregon Brewers Festival keg of Lompoc Pamplemousse
The ceremonial Oregon Brewers Festival keg of Lompoc Pamplemousse
Ready to tap the Oregon Brewers Festival ceremonial keg
Ready to tap the Oregon Brewers Festival ceremonial keg
Live music at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Live music at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Laurwood Brewing's James Buxman and Brewpublic's D.J. Paul at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Laurelwood Brewing’s James Buxman and Brewpublic’s D.J. Paul at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Beer trailers at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Beer trailers at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Brewpublicans that samples all unique beers at teh 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Brewpublicans that sampled all unique beers at the 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Beer festival queen Chris Crabb at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
Beer festival queen Chris Crabb at 2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
2015 Oregon Brewers Festival
10 Barrel Limo rides to the brewpub for a beer and pizza party
10 Barrel Limo rides to the brewpub for a beer and pizza party
Brewpublic's D.J. Paul and Nick Rivers enjoying their 10 Barrel Limo Ride
Brewpublic’s D.J. Paul and Nick Rivers enjoying their 10 Barrel Limo Ride

 

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