Oregon Craft Beer Month Kicks Off with a Bang!

On July 1st, pint glasses of beer were raised statewide to celebrate the kickoff of Oregon Craft Beer Month. This special 31 day party highlights a year-round phenomenon of abundant craft beer in our fine state. With seemingly countless craft brew-centric events from Astoria to Ashland, Klamath Falls to Ontario, this fifth annual month-long celebration is unlike any other in the world. Perhaps the most notable toast to inaugurate yet another OCBM was a special toast at McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House coordinated by the Oregon Brewers Guild and president Brian Butenschoen. At this location, Oregon’s first brewpub since Prohibition was opened to the masses. For the July 1, 2010 toast, McMenamins’ co-founder Brian McMenamin was on hand to read words of his late father, himself a lover of beer.

At the McMenamins Hillsdale kickoff several brewers and brewery representatives were in attendance to celebrate the prosperity and growth of their trade that has accounted for a health portion of the state’s economy and livelihood. Last year marked the first year in which Oregon surpassed 1 million barrels, an apparent sign of our continued success and devotion toward craft beer. Oregon ranks in the top five in the country for craft beer produced, consumed, number of breweries, and breweries per capita. In Portland, more breweries exist than in any other city on the planet!