Dark Days Are Coming To Fort George Brewery

With January coming to a close in just over a week its time to prepare for the shortest month of the year. Yes, Stout Month is a mere week away that’s celebrated all month long by Fort George Brewery in Astoria, OR. Every February Fort George celebrates all things dark and this includes their many delicious stouts that will be featured during the entire month.

Throughout the month of February, Fort George will be celebrating with many different events. The brewery is most known for their Festival of Dark Arts that will be held on Saturday, February 15th this year. They expect over 2500 people attending this year. They will also be releasing new stouts every Saturday during the month of February.

But this brewery has more to offer than just this event. Fort George will be a Stout & Oysters Brewer Dinner on Wednesday, February 19th. And for those of you that do not live in Astoria or want to make the trek out there next month, Fort George will be taking their numerous stout on the road. This road trip of Stout tastings will hit Eugene, Portland, Longview and Seattle.

When living in the Pacific Northwest, the winter months can be ones of dark days filled with heavy rains. And if you live on the Oregon North Coast, days can be black and foreboding. February 1st marks the return of Stout Month – 28 days devoted to the darkest beers.

“This is our way of showcasing the incredible variety of flavors you can get from this style of beer,” explains Jack Harris, Fort George Brewmaster and the inspiration behind Stout Month. “The shortest and darkest month of the year is the perfect time to sit down and enjoy a stout.”  And this February, Fort George will have 55 different stouts at the brewery for your enjoyment.

Every Saturday in Astoria, Fort George will release a few specialty stouts, alongside some hand-picked guest stouts. Look for a hot pepper stout and an oyster stout. Try a Mexican chocolate stout, a black walnut stout, or a stout made with fire-roasted gourds. Several barrel-aged stouts will be tapped, from rye whiskey to rum to Pinot noir. Not enough stout for you? Taste the milk stout, coffee stout, wheat stout, or smoked vanilla stout. Or get a blind taster tray with eight stout samples for the table – perfect for a game of Guess that Stout.

And Stout Month is not just for Astoria. Fort George is traveling the Northwest, tempting you with dark libations. Darken your craft beer palate at these events:

The Bier Stein – Eugene, OR
1591 Willamette Street
Thursday, January 30th
6pm – 9pm
6 Fort George Stouts on tap

The BeerMongers – Portland, OR
1125 SE Division Street
Thursday, February 6th
6pm – 11pm
8 Fort George Stouts on tap

Hop-N-Grape – Longview, WA
924 15th Avenue
Saturday, February 8th
6pm – 9pm
8 Fort George Stouts on tap

Chuck’s Hop Shop – Seattle, WA
656 NW 85th Street
Wednesday, February 12th
5pm – 8pm
10 Fort George Stouts on tap

Festival of Dark Arts – Saturday February 15th – Astoria, OR
This carnival of stouts will fulfill any beer lover’s dark dreams. With 55 rare specialty stouts on tap, this is the largest one-day stout festival of its kind.  Feast your senses on the Dark Arts Gallery, and enjoy live music and entertainment (and stouts!) wherever you go.  From 2-10pm the entire Fort George block will be alive with dark art and darker beer. For tickets and an up-to-date stout list go to www.festivalofdarkarts.com.

Stout & Oysters Brewer’s Dinner – Wednesday February 19th – Astoria, OR
Join Fort George Brewery for a five-course stout and oyster pairing in the refurbished upstairs of the public house. Space is limited.  Reserve your seat online at www.fortgeorgebrewery.com/store/ or call 503-325-PINT.

The 2014 Fort George Stout List Release Schedule is as follows:

February 1st
Polish’s Black Walnut Stout – 6.4% – Always a Stout Month favorite. Light caramel makes the savory toasted black walnuts come alive.
Dark Matter Stout – 8.76% – This intricate imperial oatmeal stout was aged in Pinot Noir and bourbon barrels.

February 8th
Up In Smoke Stout – 6.5% –  Beechwood smoked malt and whole bourbon vanilla beans complement the roasty caramel flavors.  Deceptively complex.
Kentucky Girl Stout – 9.6% – Rwanda Huye Mountain Coffee, chocolate malts, molasses, and bourbon barrel aging left this a sweet, yet beautifully balanced stout.

February 15th
Rye Whiskey Cavatica Stout – 9.2% – Fort George’s Cavatica Stout aged in Heaven Hills Rye Whiskey barrels.
Bête Noire Wheat Stout – 6.39% – Smooth and silky without hop or black malt bitterness.
Rum BBL Cavatica Stout – 9.1% – Cavatica Stout soaked up the island flavor of Jamaica in rum-enriched barrels from Appleton Estate.  Deliciously potent, Rum BBL Cavatica demands a taste. Limited canned 4-packs released at the Festival of Dark Arts – February 15th at Fort George Brewery.

February 22nd
Rumkin Stout – 11% – A strong, rich pumpkin stout aged in Appleton Rum barrels. Rumkin starts smooth and leaves your throat warm until the next sip.
Long Dark Winter Milk Stout – 5.8% – Lactose sugar in the boil adds a delicate sweetness to this easy, earthy drinking stout – plus a dash of oats for the long, dark winter.

Available All Stout Month
Cavatica Stout – 8.8% – An immense, bold, black as night American stout beauty.  Fort George’s year-round house stout.
Murky Pearl Stout – 7.6% – Brewed with bushels of Willapa Bay oysters, this stout is like a kiss from the ocean.
Squashed Stout – 6.7% – Made with fire-roasted butternut and acorn squash, this stout has a sweet body and rich flavor that soothes the taste buds.
Spank Stout – 5.1% – Balanced with caramel and honey malts, be prepared for the impending heat from Anaheim, Pasilla, Jalapeño, and Habanero peppers.
Viva La Stout – 7.6% – Smooth and creamy, this Mexican chocolate stout finishes with a spicy kick of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond.
Coffee Girl Stout – 9.0% – Slightly fruity, with hints of cardamom, cream, ginger, and caramel – and of course locally roasted coffee.

Some beers have a day. Others get a week. At Fort George Brewery stout gets a whole month to itself….as it should.

Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103
(503) 325-PINT (7468)
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com