Fort George Celebrates 17 Years of Vortex IPA with Four Vortex Variations
Just three weeks ago, Fort George Brewery celebrated Stout Month during the entire month of February. Now the Astoria, Oregon brewer is set to celebrate its Vortex IPA during the entire month of April. In doing so, the brewery will release four variants of its coveted IPA throughout the month as both, the brewery and the beer celebrates its 17th anniversary.
Joining the OG Vortex will be Double Dry Hopped Vortex, like Vortex but with more Vortex in it. Cryotex, the original Vortex recipe but made with Cryo and CGX Hops from Yakima Chief and Crosby Hop Farms. Rounding out the releases will be Vortex Hands, a collaboration with Fort George’s good friends at Block 15. It’s like Vortex, but with the spirit of Block 15’s strong, smooth and piney Sticky Hands, or maybe it’s Sticky Hands with the spirit of a bright and balanced Vortex. All of these releases will be available around the Pacific Northwest during the month of April!
To better learn about all four Vortex variations, below is a rundown on the beers with descriptions and release dates provided by Fort George Brewery.
VORTEX:
Dappled sun beams on a forest floor. The yellow flash of a summer tanager. The taste of crisp, cool melon. Particles of forest pollen in the mist and the roar of an oncoming hop storm. Heaps of pale malt, flaked wheat & 2-Row shore up a blazing whorl of familiar hop additions that make up this Northwest original. Fort George has been brewing Vortex IPA for seventeen years. Is it possible to make the perfect IPA? We don’t know. But we keep trying. See for yourself.
DDH VORTEX:
Our first brewhouse was almost scattered to the winds by a tornado as we drove it from Virginia to the coast of Oregon in 2006. We’ve been harnessing the power of the elements ever since. April is Vortex Month – a celebration of firsts and bests and the wildness of the natural forces that could have crushed us before we even began. This month, we Doubled the Dry Hop to produce a fiercer, bolder, wilder version of this Northwest favorite. (Releasing 4/1)
CRYOTEX:
This month, we’ve switched up our beloved Vortex recipe to produce a wild, fruity, futuristic version of our year-round favorite pint with Cryo hops, hop hash and thiolized yeast for extra flavor conversion. (Releasing 4/1)
VORTEX HANDS:
A collaboration with Block 15. Imagine if the legendary Sticky Hands IPA and your year-round, all season’s go-to Vortex IPA met at a sports bar half way between Astoria and Corvallis. Hot, clear summer day, a cool breeze off the water and the barest hint of a summer storm gathering on the horizon. They hit it off, obviously, and a few short months later – Vortex Hands is born. A bright, aromatic, perfectly balanced IPA. You’ve got Vortex Hands – but you’ve got your father’s lusciously sticky hop aroma. (Releasing 4/15)
If you’re looking to find these four versions of Vortex, you’re in luck as Fort George Brewery has events line up throughout Oregon during the month of April. Loyal Legion in Portland will be celebrating Vortex Month beginning on April 1st, no fools. Then over in Beaverton, VorTax Day will take place at John’s Marketplace on, you guessed it, April 15. And the fine folks at Fort George have not forgotten about our Southern Oregon beer drinkers as The Falls Taphouse in Klamath Falls will host a Vortex Takeover on April 25th. Cheers to 17 years of Vortex!
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 loved Vortex. But I found (after much experience) that it develops ‘protein floaties’ after about 7 weeks in the can, so checking the canning date became a standard procedure before purchase.
And despite it only being a 2 hour delivery from Astoria to Portland, I could almost NEVER find cans of Vortex that were less than 3 months old in my grocery store coolers (…or, too often, on the shelf).
So…I stopped buying it about four years ago.
But happy anniversary, Fort George….from a guy who e-mailed you more than a few times, advising that had a quality / distribution issue.